Grace Bonilla

Grace Bonilla is the president and chief executive officer of United Way of New York and was previously the transition co-chair of then-New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s (D) transition team after his election in 2025.  1  2  3

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At-A-Glance

Occupation: Board Member or Executive, Lawyer
Ideological Alignment: Left of Center
Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy
Nationality:

American

Contents

    Bonilla previously worked in the New York mayoral administrations of Michael Bloomberg (I) and Bill de Blasio (D) in the Human Resources Administration. Bonilla was appointed by then-Mayor de Blasio the first executive director of the New York City Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion. 3  1

    Education

    Grace Bonilla graduated from the Mary Louis Academy in 1993 and attended St. John’s University from 1993 to 1997, where she received a bachelor’s degree in political science and government. She graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2004. 3

    Career Overview

    While she attended St. John’s University, Grace Bonilla was an intern at the New York City Assembly. While she attended Brooklyn Law School, Bonilla was a legal intern on the Prisoners’ Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society, an intern at the Institute for Democracy Studies, an intern in the New York State Attorney General’s Office, a consultant at the Afterschool Corporation, and a legal intern for Vladeck Waldmen, a New York law firm. 3

    Bonilla was an attorney and a senior legislative analyst for the New York City Human Resources Administration from September 2004 to May 2009. From May 2009 to February 2011, Bonilla was the director of special projects for the New York City Human Resources Administration Office of Child Support. In June 2010, she was also named the director of legislation and policy initiative for the Human Resources Administration Office of Child Support. 3

    In November 2011, Bonilla was named the assistant deputy commissioner in the office of constituent services for the New York City Human Resources Administration. In August 2012, she was named the deputy commissioner for the Office of Community Affairs and Immigrant Services for the New York City Human Resources Administration, a position she held until December 2014. 3

     

    From January 2015 to March 2017, Bonilla was the president and chief executive officer for the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families. From March 2017 to September 2020, Bonilla was the administrator of the New York Human Resources Commission. While she held that position, from April 2020 to July 2020, she was chosen as the executive director of the city’s COVID-19-response Racial Inclusion and Equity Task Force. 3

    From September 2020 to July 2022, Bonilla was the senior vice president for Latin America of Covenant House International. As of February 2026, Bonilla was the president and chief executive officer of the United Way of New York City. 3

    Bonilla is also a board member of the New York City Workforce Development Board. 4

    Work in New York Mayoral Administrations

    Bloomberg and de Blasio Administrations

    Grace Bonilla worked for over ten years in the New York City government under Mayors Michael Bloomberg (I) and Bill de Blasio (D), primarily in the Human Resources Administration, an office that provides food assistance and emergency rental assistance in an effort to fight poverty and inequality. The Human Resources Administration runs 15 public assistance programs in New York City. 3  5

    While working at the Human Resources Administration, Bonilla advocated for legislation to suspend child support payments from low-income fathers in prison, attempted to improve access to government services for immigrants who did not speak English, and was appointed by Mayor de Blasio to be the first executive director of the New York City Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion. 1

    Mamdani Administration

    In 2025, Grace Bonilla was named the transition co-chair of the newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition team. The other co-chair of Mamdani’s transition team was Lina Khan, previously the chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during the Biden administration, where she engaged in so-called equity antitrust enforcement. Khan was a legal director at the left-of-center Open Markets Institute. 2

    United Way of New York City

    Grace Bonilla was named the president and chief executive of United Way of New York in July 2022. As president of the organization, Bonilla increased funding for preventive health care programs from $8 million to $15 million and directed the United Way of New York to publish the True Cost of Living Report, which argued that over 40 percent of New Yorkers struggle to support themselves. 1

    Other Affiliations

    In 2019, Bonilla was named an Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Class 11 Fellow. This fellowship provides grants and training programs focused on strengthening families. 1

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    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Grace C. Bonilla, Esq.” United Way of New York City. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://unitedwaynyc.org/board/grace/,
    2. “A New Era for New York City.” Transition 2025. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.transition2025.com/.
    3. “Grace C. Bonilla, Esq.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracebonilla/.
    4. “Board Members.” New York City Talent and Workforce Development. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.nyc.gov/site/wkdev/workforce-board/board-members.page.
    5. “About the Department of Social Services.” New York City. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/about/about-hra.page.