Mayor Adams Announces Additional Members of City Hall Press Team

January 18, 2022

NEW YORK – Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced additional members of the City Hall press team, who will be charged with helping to craft Mayor Adams’ message and liaising with the press. The diverse and talented team will be overseen by Maxwell Young, who was previously announced as Communications Director, and Fabien Levy, who will serve as Press Secretary.
 
“We are building an Administration that ‘Gets Stuff Done’ — and our new press team is no exception,” said Mayor Adams. “The city’s press corps plays a vital role in informing the public, and this diverse and talented team will work with them day in and out to communicate our vision and achievements, with an emphasis on honesty, transparency, and accountability.”
 
“City Hall belongs to the public, and we have put together an incredible group to help ensure reporters and all New Yorkers know what is going on day-in and day-out in this building,” said Communications Director Maxwell Young. “We look forward to working with reporters in Room 9 and around the city, and to telling the story of the dedicated public servants that work for our government.”
 
“I am excited to join the Adams’ administration and ‘Get Stuff Done’ for the people of New York City,” said Press Secretary Fabien Levy. “I know that with the diverse roster of talent we are bringing on board, we can effectively communicate Mayor Adams’ message to reporters across the city and deliver real results for New York every single day.”
 
Full bios for each team member are available below.
 
About Fabien Levy
Fabien Levy joins the Adams administration as press secretary. He previously served as press secretary and senior advisor to New York Attorney General Letitia James, where he was the office's chief spokesperson and worked with press on a day-to-day basis on a variety of issues. He previously worked on numerous presidential, U.S. senate, U.S. House, and mayoral races across the country; in California state government; and in the U.S. House of Representatives for then-Congresswoman and now Governor Kathy Hochul. Levy additionally served in the Obama administration as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was part of the rapid response team during the first open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act. Levy is a native New Yorker, who graduated from Syracuse University with a dual B.A. in Political Science and Broadcast Journalism.
 
About Jonah Allon
Jonah Allon will serve as deputy press secretary. Prior to joining City Hall, Allon was press secretary for the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office. Before that, he served as press secretary to New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal. He earned his B.A. in English from Tufts University and is a lifelong New Yorker.
 
About Lauren Bale
Lauren Bale will continue to serve as deputy press secretary and digital communications manager. Previously, she worked in digital communications for Mayor de Blasio, helping to oversee City Hall’s social media accounts. Prior to joining City Hall, she worked for more than four years in broadcast journalism, first in Huntsville, Alabama, then in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bale holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri – Columbia. She was born and raised in New York City.
 
About Angela Banks
Angela Banks will continue to serve as chief of staff for the Mayor’s Press Office. A City Hall staple, Banks is now joining her fifth mayoral administration. Starting city service at the Voter Assistance Commission in 1990, she held various positions before landing in the Press Office in 1995. Banks has been Executive Assistant to 12 press secretaries, and rose to director of operations for the Mayor’s Press Office in 2014, then promoted to her current role in 2019. Banks, often the first point of contact between City Hall and the press corps, manages the daily operations and inner workings of the office and her portfolio. Banks is a native of Brooklyn, a mother and wife, and a former Cold Chillin’ rap artist known as Madame Star, who has graced the cover of Billboard Magazine in celebration of her positive lyrics and support of female empowerment.
 
About Gloria Chin
Gloria Chin is joining City Hall as deputy communications director. She has more than 15 years of public relations experience at top institutions, and currently oversees communications for Regional Plan Association (RPA). Before joining RPA, Chin served as press secretary to the mayor of Austin, Texas. She has also held several other communications roles in the past, including at New York Presbyterian, the New York City Department of Transportation and Department of Buildings, and more. Chin started her career in broadcast television news. A native of The Bronx, Chin earned a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies from Fordham University and M.S. in Strategic Communications from Columbia University.
 
About Amaris Cockfield
Amaris Cockfield will serve as deputy press secretary. She comes to City Hall from Mercury Public Affairs. At Mercury, Cockfield focused on public affairs campaign management, coalition building, third-party engagement, and strategic media relations for a broad range of clients. Prior to Mercury, Cockfield was a director of communications in the New York State Assembly. She also handled all press inquiries for the chair of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators — the non-profit arm of the New York State Black and Asian Caucus — between 2018 and 2019. Cockfield managed and directed incoming and outgoing communications for the election of New York City Council District 45 in 2019. Cockfield has been a lead media coordinator for historic global social justice and civil rights cases, including the George Floyd case where she orchestrated media coverage for his funeral and the National Action Network’s March on Washington. Cockfield attended the University at Albany – SUNY for her B.A. in Communications.
 
About Ivette Davila-Richards
Ivette Davila-Ricards will join City Hall as a deputy press secretary. Davila-Richards previously served as a national assignment editor at Fox News Channel and an associate producer at CBS News, where she produced content for CBS This Morning Saturday, Sunday Morning, and 48 Hours. Davila-Richards is the current secretary-treasurer of the National Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). She is also the vice chair of SPJ's Diversity & Inclusion Committee, serves on the Deadline Club NY Chapter Executive Council, and held leadership roles at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, Davila-Richards attended CUNY’s Baruch College, where she received her B.A. in Corporate Communications.
 
About Charles Kretchmer Lutvak
Charles Kretchmer Lutvak joins City Hall as deputy press secretary after serving in the same role on Scott Stringer's campaign for mayor in 2021. He previously worked at Risa Heller Communications. He received a B.A. in Political Science and Music from Carleton College and is a lifelong New Yorker.
 
About Kate Smart
Kate Smart will continue to serve as deputy press secretary and communications advisor. Prior to joining City Hall, she was communications director for Dan Quart’s campaign for Manhattan district attorney. Before that, Smart worked on the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs, Biden for President in Michigan, and on Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign in Iowa. She earned her B.A in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University.