Introduction by NYC Mayor’s Office

On January 2nd, 2026, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani signed an Executive Order establishing the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement (OME), a new City Hall office designed to transform how New Yorkers engage with their government. The office will work within City Hall and across City agencies to strategize, coordinate, and execute on engagement that reaches the masses of everyday New Yorkers.

The Mayor announced that Tascha Van Auken will lead the Office of Mass Engagement as Commissioner. On Mayor Mamdani’s campaign, Tascha spearheaded a historic field operation — mobilizing more than 100,000 volunteers, knocking on over 3 million doors, and making more than 4.5 million calls to New York City voters. Now she will bring this experience and approach to City government.

The Office of Mass Engagement will revolutionize how City government conducts community engagement. City government functions best when there is a direct line of communication between the Mayor, his team and the people who built this city and keep it running. The Office will transform community engagement to ensure that it reaches New Yorkers where they are, organizes them, and builds long-term participation. It will also serve as a constant drumbeat within City government to ensure that New Yorkers’ needs and perspectives are integrated into all elements of New York City government.

Van Auken is a veteran grassroots organizer who previously served as campaign manager for State Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, and as Deputy Campaigns Director for the Working Families Party. On the Mamdani campaign, she led the highest voter turnout in a New York City mayoral race since 1969, with more than 2 million New Yorkers casting ballots — nearly double the turnout of the previous mayoral election and approaching presidential-level participation across neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Earlier in her career, she served as Artistic Direction Manager for the Blue Man Group, bringing a creative, people-centered approach to large-scale public engagement.

Tascha’s story

Tascha’s speech from 8:20-13:05 in this video has elements of public narrative, including her origin story, her community’s shared values, and the urgency and hope. What are her values? What moments does she illustrate to show her values?

Relevant resources

How Mamdani Won: Field Director Tascha Van Auken on Grassroots Organizing Behind Historic Victory

HKS Lecturer Advised Zohran Mamdani on Sustaining Momentum, Avoiding the ‘Obama Trap’