Tricia Shimamura is a social worker, a lifelong public servant, and an avid parks enthusiast.
She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, working on critical infrastructure projects like investing in the East River Esplanade and completing Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway. Tricia worked as Director of Government Relations at Columbia University, strengthening relationships with the surrounding community boards and other local organizations, as well as spearheading civic engagement initiatives including an ambitious vote-by-mail program for over 20,000 students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tricia later joined the Office of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, overseeing the office’s Community Affairs Unit and managing relationships with 12 Manhattan Community Boards. She spearheaded various initiatives such as the Borough President’s Volunteer Corps and the Leadership Training Series and connected with Manhattanites on issues impacting their daily lives.
Tricia has proudly served as the Manhattan Borough Commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) since March 2024. Under her leadership, the borough expanded community outreach and strategic partnerships, identified creative solutions to longstanding, complex problems, and successfully advocated for millions of dollars of funding for both critical capital projects as well as essential public programs serving tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Tricia also led the borough in adopting more comprehensive data-driven practices and policies related to bloodborne pathogen safety, and she helped lead the agency’s on-the-ground response to the Inwood Hill Park fires in the fall of 2024. She oversaw the reopening of Phase 1 of East River Park, and has continued to guide strategic planning for several resiliency and other major waterfront development projects around the borough.
Outside of work, Tricia and her family have dedicated their time towards supporting women in leadership and running for public office. Tricia continues to serve on the Board of the Vote Mama Foundation, which conducts research on the effectiveness of family policies meeting the needs of working families. Tricia also served on her own community board for several years.
She received her Master’s in Social Work from New York University and her Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College. Tricia lives on the Upper East Side with her husband, Dov, and their two sons, Teddy and Ollie.