NYC DOT - Leon Heyward, Deputy Commissioner Sidewalks and Inspection Management

Mr. Heyward was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Sidewalks and Inspection Management at NYC DOT in June 2003. As Deputy Commissioner of Sidewalks and Inspection Management, Mr. Heyward is responsible for sidewalk inspections and repairs, pedestrian ramp installations, and construction of traffic medians and pedestrian safety islands. Mr. Heyward also manages the Highway Inspection and Quality Assurance (HIQA) unit, which enforces rules that govern the way utilities, plumbers, contractors, homeowners, and other governmental agencies work on the city streets and highways. Since joining NYC DOT in 1988, Mr. Heyward has held an array of positions – senior analyst, executive director, assistant commissioner, borough commissioner – in a number of different units at the agency including communications, enforcement, facilities management, vehicle maintenance and repair, and street maintenance.

Prior to joining NYC DOT, Mr. Heyward worked at the Department of Sanitation from July 1983 to April 1988. While there, he was involved with implementing the first recycling routes in the city. This included researching and visiting existing recycling programs, estimating the amount of paper, glass and metal to be eliminated from the existing routes, investigating and sizing alternative vehicles that would collect the recycling material, and analyzing whether the new recycling routes could be implemented with a two person crew.

Mr. Heyward graduated from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, NY in 1977. From there he attended the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1981. After graduation, Mr. Heyward went on to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA where he obtained a Master of Science in Public Management & Policy Analysis in 1983.

Mr. Heyward remains actively involved in Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, the Alumni Association at UVM, and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.