Laura Kavanagh serves as the First Deputy Commissioner of the FDNY, the second highest ranking civilian administrator in the FDNY. First Deputy Commissioner Kavanagh is charged with managing day-to-day operations and activities across all offices and bureaus. She joined the Department in 2014 as Assistant Commissioner of External Affairs and was promoted in 2016 to Deputy Commissioner for Government Affairs and Special Projects. Before joining FDNY, First Deputy Commissioner Kavanagh served as a Special Assistant to Mayor Bill de Blasio after acting as Senior Advisor on his first Mayoral campaign. Prior to that, she worked on multiple election campaigns, including serving as a Deputy Director in Pennsylvania on President Obama's reelection campaign. She also worked in management and campaign consulting with non-profits, community-based organizations and unions to advance their organizational goals. Commissioner Kavanagh is a graduate of Whittier College, with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations. She was appointed as First Deputy Commissioner in January of 2018 by Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro and said, "It is an honor to advocate for the greatest Fire Department in the world, which to me means making the right decision, even when it is not the easy decision, for the Firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors who count on us to make those decisions – even when those decisions are difficult."