Maria Torres-Springer

President & CEO, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)

New York City

Maria Torres-Springer is the President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). As President, Maria leads NYCEDC’s efforts to make New York City the global model for inclusive innovation and economic growth, fueled by the diversity of its people and businesses.

Maria has a demonstrated record of expanding economic opportunity, with a history of building relationships between community, government, and private businesses to support economic development projects throughout New York City. Her focus will be to grow the vital sectors of the city’s economy while creating real opportunity for all New Yorkers.

Prior to her appointment as President of NYCEDC, Maria served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS). At SBS, Maria spearheaded the administration’s efforts to raise wages and expand skill-building in workforce placement programs, support women-owned and immigrant-owned businesses, streamline the regulatory environment for small businesses, and launch path-breaking initiatives like the Tech Talent Pipeline to grow the tech sector and prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs. Her approach to growth and inclusion also resulted in New York City's launch of Women Entrepreneurs NYC (WE NYC), a catalytic effort to expand the economic potential of women entrepreneurs across the five boroughs, with a focus on the specific needs of underserved women and families.

Before being appointed Commissioner of SBS, Maria served as the Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff at NYCEDC. From overseeing the development and implementation of more than 100 initiatives designed to support innovation and entrepreneurship across all industries, to helping lead the Applied Sciences NYC initiative—spurring new applied science and engineering campuses across New York City—Maria has continually proven her commitment to creating a dynamic city economy that works for all New Yorkers.

Maria also served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding and as the Chief Operating Officer of Friends of the Highline. Maria received her bachelor's degree in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale University and a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.