Martha K. Hirst serves as Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer. Previously, she held the
position of Senior Vice President for Operations and
Treasurer. She is responsible for a wide range of the
University’s operational areas including Business Affairs, Campus
and Conference Services, Enrollment Management, Global Studies,
Information Technology, Marketing and Communications and Public
Safety.
Ms. Hirst came to St. John’s in 2011 after 33 years in New York
City government, where she worked closely with Mayors Koch,
Dinkins, Giuliani and Bloomberg. Her varied management successes
included more than eight years as Commissioner of the Department of
Citywide Administrative Services, a diverse and professional
2,000-employee agency supporting all City government departments in
the areas of personnel and civil service, goods procurement, real
estate, building and energy management. In addition, she
served for six years as Deputy Sanitation Commissioner. Ms. Hirst
led the team of Solid Waste Management planners and engineers that
designed, secured regulatory approvals for and implemented the
historic closing of the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island; she
also oversaw recycling education and outreach programs for all New
York City residents, businesses and other institutions. In the
early years of her public service career, Ms. Hirst represented the
administrations of Mayors Koch, Dinkins and Giuliani at the City
Council as a key member of the Intergovernmental Relations
team.
Ms. Hirst graduated magna cum laude from NYU, where she
was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a master’s in Urban
Planning at the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. She has two
sons and resides in Brooklyn.