Zohran Mamdani Forms Historic All-Female Transition Team in NYC
Zohran Mamdani Announces Historic All-Female Transition Team
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has made a groundbreaking move by naming an all-female team to co-lead his transition efforts. This diverse group includes the renowned former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, signaling a commitment to progressive leadership and expertise. Mamdani’s decision highlights a strategic shift towards inclusive governance and emphasizes the importance of women in shaping the city’s future.
Leadership and Vision Behind the Transition
The inclusion of prominent figures like Lina Khan demonstrates Mamdani’s focus on combining experience with fresh perspectives. Alongside other veteran city leaders, the team is tasked with navigating key policy areas and staffing critical administration posts. This approach aims to foster transparency, equity, and innovation as the city prepares for new challenges and opportunities.
Implications for New York City’s Political Landscape
By appointing an all-female transition team, Mamdani is not only setting a new precedent but also inspiring a broader conversation about representation in government. This move could influence future political appointments and encourage greater diversity across public offices, reflecting a modern vision for New York City’s leadership.
About the People Mentioned
Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is a New York State Assemblymember representing District 36, which includes Astoria and other Queens neighborhoods. He is notably the first South Asian man, the first Ugandan, and only the third Muslim to serve in the New York State Assembly. Mamdani is a democratic socialist focused on advocating for affordable housing, environmental justice, and equitable public services, aiming to improve the quality of life for working-class New Yorkers who face high rent burdens, pollution, and profiling[1][3]. Born in Uganda and raised in New York City, Mamdani graduated from Bowdoin College in 2014 with a degree in Africana studies. During college, he was politically active, cofounding a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and organizing a boycott of Israeli institutions. After college, he worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor in Queens and was involved in community organizing, experiences that motivated his entry into politics[3]. In 2020, Mamdani defeated a Democratic incumbent to win his Assembly seat and has since been re-elected twice. Among his key achievements, he co-created a pilot program for fare-free bus service in New York City and led a 15-day hunger strike in 2021 to protest predatory loans impacting taxi drivers, which resulted in $450 million in debt relief for them. He has also secured over $100 million in state funds to improve subway service and launched initiatives to combat environmental and social injustices in his district[2][3]. Currently, Mamdani is running for Mayor of New York City on a platform to lower the cost of living, improve public transit, and support working families, emphasizing government’s role in making life more affordable and dignified for all New Yorkers[2].
Lina Khan
Lina Maliha Khan was born on March 3, 1989, in London, England, and is a British-American legal scholar who gained prominence for her work in antitrust and competition law.[2] She served as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from June 15, 2021, to January 20, 2025, becoming the youngest person ever to hold this position at age 32.[1][2] Khan's career in antitrust began while she was a student at Yale Law School, where she published the influential essay "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox" in 2017, which analyzed the tech giant's market power and became widely recognized in policy circles.[2] Before her FTC appointment, she worked as legal director at the Open Markets Institute, served as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, and was an associate professor at Columbia Law School.[1][7] President Joe Biden nominated Khan to the FTC in March 2021, and she was confirmed by the Senate in June 2021 by a vote of 69 to 28, receiving bipartisan support largely due to her influential anti-Amazon views reflected in Congress.[2] During her tenure as FTC Chair, Khan pursued an aggressive regulatory agenda focused on reinvigorating antitrust and consumer protection enforcement. Her priority initiatives included challenging mergers and acquisitions, restricting non-compete clauses, protecting sensitive data from surveillance, and addressing illegal practices in healthcare.[1][3] Khan was noted by both critics and supporters for her novel regulatory approach, which sometimes resulted in court losses but also prompted businesses to voluntarily drop attempted mergers.[2] Following the 2025 New York City mayoral election, Khan was appointed as co-chair of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's all-women transition team in November 2025, where she advises on economic policy and personnel.[1] She continues to teach and write about antitrust law and political economy at Columbia Law School.[8]
About the Organizations Mentioned
Federal Trade Commission
## Overview The **Federal Trade Commission (FTC)** is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government tasked with safeguarding consumers and promoting fair competition across the American economy[2][3]. Established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act—a direct response to the monopolistic "trusts" of the late 19th century—the FTC operates as a civil law enforcement body, not a criminal one, and shares antitrust enforcement authority with the Department of Justice[3]. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C.[3]. ## Mission and Functions The FTC’s core mission is twofold: to protect consumers from deceptive, unfair, or fraudulent business practices, and to prevent anticompetitive behavior that could stifle innovation, raise prices, or limit choices[1][6]. The agency enforces a broad array of laws, including the FTC Act (especially Section 5, which bars unfair or deceptive acts), the Clayton Act, and more than 70 other statutes covering areas like telemarketing, credit reporting, and privacy[1][4]. Its activities include law enforcement, rulemaking, research, consumer and business education, and advocacy at the legislative and policy levels[5][6]. The FTC is led by five commissioners, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for seven-year terms, with no more than three from the same political party[2][3]. The President designates one as Chair; since January 2025, Commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson has served in this role[3]. ## Key Achievements and Notable Aspects Over its century-long history, the FTC has been instrumental in breaking up monopolies, halting deceptive advertising, and protecting consumer privacy. It played a central role in landmark antitrust cases and has adapted to new challenges, such as regulating emerging technologies and online commerce. For instance, in 2021, the FTC’s intervention led Nvidia to abandon its proposed $40 billion acquisition of Arm
