Holly Leicht

Holly joined MSPC in September 2022, bringing a diverse background in parks, resilience, urban planning, real estate, and economic development. Previously, she was Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development & Planning at Empire State Development, overseeing a range of large-scale projects including Moynihan Train Hall and the High Line Moynihan Connector. She served in the Obama Administration as the Regional Administrator of New York and New Jersey for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she oversaw $15 billion in Superstorm Sandy recovery funds. After the Obama Administration ended, she wrote a report entitled Rebuild the Plane Now: Recommendations for Improving Government’s Approach to Disaster Recovery and Preparedness. Prior to her appointment at HUD, she was Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), held positions at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), and the Municipal Art Society, and was an associate in Real Estate Finance at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. Holly graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law.