The Department of City Planning has named Anita Laremont as its new executive director.
Laremont, who served as the department’s general counsel and its chief analytical officer, will assume her new role on Sept. 4, Crain’s reported. She’s taking over for Purnima Kapur, who announced earlier this month that she’s leaving the department for a consulting job at Harvard University.
In this role, Laremont will oversee all the planning and policy work at the department. Prior to joining City Planning in 2014, Laremont was a partner at Harris Beach, where she worked for the firm’s real estate, land use and government agency practice. Before that, she spent nearly 25 years in the legal department of Empire State Development, serving as general counsel for 16 of those years.
“With a deep mastery of land use policy and planning, legendary problem solving abilities, a storied public service career and her trademark good humor, Anita’s promotion means that DCP will continue to focus its significant talents and energies on planning, urban design, transparency and efficiency to benefit communities across the five boroughs,” department director Marisa Lago said in a statement. [Crain’s] — Kathryn Brenzel