Mayor de Blasio Appoints Ellyn Canfield as Director of The Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management

April 12, 2019

NEW YORK — Mayor de Blasio appointed Ellyn Canfield as Executive Director of the Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management. Canfield has served as the Acting Director since January 2019.

Canfield brings years of experience in the event management, having worked both for the City of New York and political campaigns in advance and special event coordination. As Executive Director of the Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management, Canfield will be responsible for ensuring New York City continues to be the premier venue and backdrop for special events and cultural activities, and will work to ensure citywide events represent all New Yorkers.

“No city in the world has as many renowned, public events as New York City does,” said Mayor de Blasio. Ellyn is a committed public servant who has worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers for nearly a decade. I trust her to bring together New Yorkers from all different backgrounds to celebrate our great city.”

“I’m honored to accept the Mayor’s appointment, and am thrilled to continue to work with the incredible team at CECM and SAPO to execute thousands of safe and successful events and activities throughout the boroughs every year. Whether it’s a small block party or hosting millions of visitors for World Pride, we are proud to work with our partner agencies to showcase our City and provide New Yorkers opportunities to commemorate, raise awareness, and celebrate their communities,” said Ellyn Canfield.

"Ellyn Canfield has dedicated her entire life to public service. She is someone you can count on to get things done. With Ellyn, if there's a will, there's a way. When others shrug their shoulders and surrender to the rust of bureaucracy, Ellyn blazes a new trail. As a determined problem-solver and organizer, she is the perfect choice to lead the Mayor's Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management,” said Council Member Justin Brannan.

"We commend the Mayor for appointing Ellyn Canfield to the role of Executive Director of Citywide Events. With her proven leadership she has proven to be the perfect candidate to handle the large demands on the position. She continues to work diligently with NYC Pride to ensure that WorldPride is a success for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. We look forward to continuing our great working relationship in the future with her in this new role,” said Chris Frederick, Executive Director of Heritage of Pride.

“Over the past several years working in a variety of capacities across our Administration, Ellyn has shown a keen and creative eye to problem-solving that makes her a perfect fit to lead our Office of Citywide Events,” said Darren Bloch, Senior Advisor to the Mayor and Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships. “I am excited to continue our work together, as she and her team partner with some of the world’s most recognized organizations to host some of New York’s most iconic events and happenings.”

“I congratulate Ellyn Canfield on her appointment as the Executive Director of Citywide Event Coordination and Management,” said Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. “Our office has worked with Ellyn on a wide range of critical events to strengthen the relationship between the de Blasio administration and the international community, from the annual United Nations General Assembly to global conferences and high-level delegation visits. Ellyn has dedicated her entire career to public service and dynamic events that bring together the diverse communities of New York City, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership.”

About Ellyn Canfield
After getting her start in NYC as an intern for then-councilmember Bill de Blasio, Ellyn Canfield has spent the past decade working in the public sector to highlight causes and unite millions of New Yorkers through events such as the 2015 Papal Visit and the annual Global Citizens Festival in Central Park.  In 2013, after work with City Year NY and political campaigns including Tulsi Gabbard for Congress, Ellyn joined the de Blasio administration and has since led events strategy through the Office of Special Projects and Community Events and her current role at as acting Director of Citywide Events. A native Oregonian, Ellyn is a graduate of the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and Oregon State University.

About the Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management
New York City is the premier venue and backdrop for special events, cultural activities, marketing opportunities and film shoots. To ensure that the City maximizes its ability to properly accommodate these uses, it’s imperative that City agencies coordinate their policies, procedures and permitting operations that pertain to the management of events in public spaces. The Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management is authorized to provide oversight of all event permitting activity in New York City. CECM advises and assists the Mayor in the coordination of policies, plans, procedures and operations common to the permitting, review, and coordination of street events and other permitted activities.

As part of its mission, CECM will gather and disseminate information about upcoming and ongoing public events, including gatherings in City parks, processions, parades, street fairs, block parties, commercial and promotional events, street events, and displays and filming of motion pictures and television. Our goal is to ensure informed decision-making by the various permitting agencies, as well as compliance by permit applicants. CECM also acts as an internal and external resource to the event community on overall event coordination, permitting, and management. CECM works to enhance communication among various agencies involved in the issuance of permits. This ensures that affected agencies are provided with timely information for proper advance planning to avoid vehicular and pedestrian traffic disruptions, as well as excessive noise in surrounding neighborhoods. In addition, the Office oversees the Mayor’s Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO).