New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Tricia Shimamura as the city's new parks commissioner on Saturday. 

Shimamura most recently served as the City Department of Parks and Recreation's Manhattan borough commissioner, Mamdani said at a news conference at High Bridge Park in the Bronx. 

"In that role, she oversaw all aspects of park services across that borough, developing a deep expertise in everything from budgeting to horticulture," the mayor said.

Mamdani said Shimamura will be tasked with maintaining and expanding access to the city's 30,000 acres of park land, which includes playgrounds, sports courts, beaches, pools and other recreational facilities. 

"Tricia knows that stewarding our parks means more than cutting the grass and tending to the trees. It is a daily endeavor where Parks leaders must work with local stakeholders to ensure their needs are heard," he said. 

"As commissioner, I will work to ensure that our parks aren't just free, that they're engaging spaces that New Yorkers can be proud of. We will hold every park to the same level of significance as we would our own backyard ... and we will provide new and meaningful ways to engage," Shimamura said.

Mamdani highlighted that his new parks commissioner previously worked as a social worker, deputy chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and director of community affairs for then-Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. 

"But frankly, as interesting, if not far more than Tricia's resume, is her reason for seeking to lead," Mamdani said. "She's the granddaughter of Japanese Americans who themselves were interned during the second World War, the granddaughter of Puerto Rican grandparents who worked to make ends meet at a T-shirt factory in Brooklyn, cutting loose strings off shirts." 

The mayor also thanked retiring NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa for her 47 years of service to the city. 

Earlier in the week, Mamdani nominated Midori Valdivia to lead the Taxi and Limousine Commission.