Meet the Deputy Commissioners
Liam Kavanagh
Liam Kavanagh is the First Deputy Commissioner at Parks & Recreation. A lifelong New Yorker, Mr. Kavanagh was born in Manhattan, raised in the Bronx, and now resides in Brooklyn. A graduate of the City University's Herbert H. Lehman College, Kavanagh joined Parks in 1981. He has served as Brooklyn Forestry Director, Deputy Chief of Operations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and Chief of Operations in Manhattan before his appointment as Deputy Commissioner by Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe on February 25, 2002.
As First Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Kavanagh oversees efforts to improve the quality and increase the number of well maintained greenspaces in public parks throughout New York. He traces his involvement in the field to the renovation of the gardens along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade in 1989, where a great gardener and a willing crew of helpers transformed a lackluster landscape into a showpiece. It remains one of his most memorable projects and it demonstrated the tremendous opportunities for growing great gardens in parks throughout the City. "People respond positively to well maintained greenspaces," Kavanagh notes, "they've become a hallmark of successful public spaces."
Amy L. Freitag
Amy Freitag is the Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects for the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation. She leads over 300 architects, landscape architects, engineers and budget staff responsible for investing $300 million annually in parks, playgrounds, and recreation facilities throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
Prior to this position, Amy was Director of Historic House for the City of New York / Parks & Recreation and Executive Director of the Historic House Trust of New York City, a public-private partnership managing 20 historic sites in New York City parks. From 1994-2000, Amy worked in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park systems holding several titles including Historic Preservation Officer and Planning and Development Administrator of the Fairmount Park Commission. Amy also served as Executive Director of the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust from 1998 to 2000.
Amy received two Masters (Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation) from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts. She received her undergraduate degree from Smith College. Amy was born and raised in Akron, Ohio.
Robert L. Garafola
Robert L. Garafola is Parks & Recreation's Deputy Commissioner for Management and Budget. In this position he is responsible for overseeing the management of Parks’ budget, internal auditing program, welfare-to-work division, and Operations and Management Planning division.
Prior to his career at Parks, Garafola worked at Housing Preservation & Development, becoming the Budget Director in 1980. In 1983, he came to Parks, where he’s remained as the Assistant Commissioner for Management and Budget. In 1986, he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Management and Budget. Some of his accomplishments include creating the Parks Computer Resource Centers, expanding after-school programs, and implementing many of Parks’ management systems.
Deputy Commissioner Garafola received his MA in City Planning from Harvard University in 1973 and is a life-long resident of New York City.
Kevin E. Jeffrey
Kevin E. Jeffrey was appointed Parks & Recreation’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Programs in April 2002. Public Programs encompasses the operation of 35 recreation centers, 17 Nature Centers, Central Recreation, Urban Park Rangers, Parks Enforcement Patrol, Partnerships for Parks, and Central Communications.
Kevin was raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. In May 1979, he joined the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation as one of the very first Urban Park Rangers. During his tenure with NYC Parks, he supervised the Mounted Rangers Unit, served as Executive Director of the Parks Enforcement Patrol, was next appointed Chief of Operations of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and thereafter, Chief of Brooklyn Recreation. Kevin left NYC Parks to serve as Deputy Commissioner of Recreation, Programs and Services with the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He was later appointed Regional Director of State Parks holdings in New York City.
Kevin returned to Brooklyn in 1997, taking on the role of Executive Director of the Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA where he spearheaded the task of revitalizing this large urban youth development facility. He has also served as a trainer and coordinator in the design and implementation of Total Quality Management programs within the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the National Parks Service.
As Deputy Commissioner for Public Programs, Kevin Jeffrey is committed to expanding recreational, educational, and athletic opportunities for all New Yorkers.
He resides in Brooklyn and has four children. He spends his free time enjoying fishing, camping and other outdoor activities with his family.