Molly Schaeffer

Molly Schaeffer has served as deputy commissioner of policy and strategy at the New York City Department of Correction since July 2026. In this role, she is helping shape the future of the Department and New York City’s criminal justice system, including building new jails and the work required to close Rikers Island.

Prior to this position, Schaeffer served as the founding executive director of the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations (OASO), where she led the city’s response to the migrant humanitarian emergency. She oversaw policy development, operations, and coordination across more than 20 city agencies, New York State, and federal partners, helping support more than 240,000 migrants. Before OASO, she served in multiple roles at City Hall, including as deputy chief of staff and senior emergency advisor to two mayors.

A native New Yorker, Schaeffer brings more than a decade of experience in emergency management, public safety, and health and human services. She began her career in city government in the Chancellor’s Office at NYC Public Schools and later served as an advisor at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She has worked on a diverse range of complex issues and emergency responses, from developing policies during the Ebola outbreak to advancing crisis-management programs for people with mental illness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Schaeffer managed workforce policies, including PPE management, vaccine mandates, and the return of the municipal workforce to the office.

Schaeffer is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She completed the Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security in 2023.