Cuomo Nominates Lacewell to Replace Vullo as Superintendent of New York DFS

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has nominated his chief of staff and counselor Linda Lacewell as superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS).

The appointment was announced by Governor Cuomo’s office along with several of his additional term three administrative appointments.

“This administration is laser focused on the advancement and enforcement of policies that improve the lives of residents in every corner of this state, from strengthening gun safety reforms and protecting our natural resources, to fostering economic opportunities that create new, 21st century jobs for New Yorkers,” Cuomo said in a press release issued by his office. “I am proud to work with these talented and dedicated individuals as we build on our progress and continue to move New York forward.”

Lacewell will replace current DFS Superintendent Maria Vullo, who in December stated she is stepping down after three years with DFS, effective February 1.

In Lacewell’s most recent role as chief of staff and counselor to the governor, she oversaw Executive Chamber operations, as well as ethics and law enforcement matters.

She previously served as executive director of a cancer foundation initiative in Culver City, Calif. Prior to that, Lacewell served as chief risk officer and counselor to Governor Cuomo, where she built and implemented the first statewide system for ethics, risk and compliance in agencies and authorities.

Additionally, Lacewell was formerly special counsel to the governor, as well as the architect of OpenNY, a state-of-the-art open data initiative. She also served as special counsel to Cuomo during his time as New York State attorney general, where she oversaw the public pension fund pay-to-play investigation and the out-of-network health insurance investigation.

Prior to that, Lacewell spent nine years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, including two years on the Enron Task Force.