Mayor Adams Appoints Lynelle Maginley-Liddie as Department of Correction Commissioner

December 8, 2023

Maginley-Liddie is Second Black Woman to Hold Position

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointment of Lynelle Maginley-Liddie as the 38th commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC). Maginley-Liddie has served at DOC for eight years, most recently as first deputy commissioner and chief diversity officer. With this appointment, she becomes the second Black woman to hold this position in the department’s 128-year history.

“Lynelle Maginley-Liddie has spent the better part of a decade at the Department of Correction, and I confident that she is the right person to lead the department going forward,” said Mayor Adams. “​​Lynelle has played a significant role in the progress we have made over the last 23 months at DOC, supporting this administration’s efforts to reverse decades of mismanagement and neglect on Rikers Island, and she is prepared to take the reins of this department at such a pivotal moment. Public safety and justice are the prerequisites to prosperity, and under the leadership of Commissioner Maginley-Liddie, our administration will continue to ensure dignity, safety, and care for the hard-working staff in our correction facilities and all detainees in our care. She is a steady hand, who will continue the good work of now-Assistant Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Louis Molina. I thank Lou for everything he did at the Department of Correction and look forward to working with him in this new role.”

“Lynelle Maginley-Liddie is more than ready and capable of leading the agency as the second Black woman to hold the position as commissioner,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “I am confident that under Lynelle’s leadership, the Department of Correction will continue to move in the right direction — prioritizing safety, protecting the humanity of all those in the city’s care, and holding the agency to the highest standards.”

“Lynelle Maginley-Liddie will continue to drive this administration’s important efforts to reverse decades of regress on Rikers Island, and her work as the first deputy commissioner has helped move our corrections system in the right direction,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “There’s more work to do, and with Commissioner Maginley-Liddie’s leadership, we will build on the initial progress we’ve made over the course of this administration. The people working and living in our facilities will be safer — and better — as a result.”

“First, I thank Commissioner Louis Molina for the great work that he has done as our Correction commissioner. Under his tenure, our administration and the Department of Correction have made incredible progress reversing dangerous trends and putting our jail system on the right path,” said Chief Advisor Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin. “I am confident that Commissioner Maginley-Liddie will bolster that progress — driving violence further down and ensuring safety for everyone living and working in our system.”

“The Adams administration has made tremendous progress at the Department of Correction, reducing violence, improving safety, and having the lowest rate of death in custody in the nation. These are just some of the tremendous gains made under our administration, and Lynelle Maginley-Liddie has been key to those successes,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “I am confident that she will continue to expand on that progress, and I can think of no one better to build off of Louis Molina’s success at DOC than Lynelle. I also want to commend Louis for his stellar work at the Department of Correction, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”

“Thank you, Mayor Adams, for the honor and opportunity to lead and serve this department and the people of this great city,” said DOC Commissioner Maginley-Liddie. “As commissioner, I will work tirelessly to support our staff and create safe and humane conditions for those entrusted in our care. I further pledge to follow and set standards for correctional best practices; the people working and living in our jails deserve nothing less.”

About Lynelle Maginley-Liddie

Lynelle Maginley-Liddie has served as DOC first deputy commissioner and chief diversity officer since March 2021, supporting the department’s mission of maintaining a safe and humane environment for correction officers and those in the city’s care. She has provided counsel on matters related to departmental operations, policy improvements, and key initiatives in the agency’s turnaround. She has also helped develop the policy and implementation strategy for the agency’s minority- and women-owned business enterprise programs.

Maginley-Liddie joined DOC in 2015 as an agency attorney and was promoted to deputy general counsel in 2018. During her eight years at the agency, she has led the department’s General Litigation Unit, provided strategic guidance on complex agency matters, and spearheaded the department’s efforts to provide staff with convenient, on-site access to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Before joining DOC, she was an attorney at Leader Berkon Colao & Silverstein LLP.

Maginley-Liddie received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her B.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Maginley-Liddie will report to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Banks.

“Lynelle Maginley-Liddie is a devoted public servant and proven leader within the New York City Department of Correction,” said New York City Police Department Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “Her extensive experience will ensure continuity at the top of a vital partner agency within city government, and I look forward to working with her on behalf of all New Yorkers.”

“Lynelle Maginley-Liddie is a dedicated public servant who is committed to building upon the work the administration has done to effectuate the changes needed at Rikers,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix. “Through her various roles at the Department of Correction — including as counsel since the inception of Nunez — she is familiar with every aspect of DOC’s operations and superbly qualified to help the city ensure compliance with the consent decree. The Law Department looks forward to working with Commissioner Maginley-Liddie in her new role.”

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