BY JILL D’AMICO

On Dec. 27, Mayor Michael Bloomberg named Robert C. Lieber, the current President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, to be the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding. Deputy Mayor Lieber will replace Daniel L. Doctoroff, who announced his departure from the post earlier this month. 

“As Economic Development Corporation President, Bob Lieber helped reshape our city with an unprecedented range of projects in all five boroughs,” Mayor Bloomberg said.  “His skills and experience in the private sector and in city government will serve him well as he fills some very big shoes here at City Hall.” 

“Even before I became part of the team, I was enormously impressed by the breadth and the depth of the economic development Mayor Bloomberg and Dan Doctoroff were doing,” said Mr. Lieber. “I am extremely thrilled about – and grateful for – the chance to come to City Hall at this exciting moment in the city’s history.”

“With his business savvy and experience at the Economic Development Corporation, we are confident Robert Lieber will continue to guide the unprecedented growth created by his predecessor and make the city a great place to do business,” said Carl Hum, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “The Brooklyn Chamber looks forward to working with Deputy Mayor Lieber.”

In January 2007, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Mr. Lieber president of the Economic Development Corporation. While there, Mr. Lieber helped develop the comprehensive rezoning plan for Coney Island.

Mr. Lieber will now lead the city’s economic development efforts and oversee and coordinate the operations of such city agencies as the Department of Small Business Services, the Department of City Planning, the Economic Development Corporation, and the Department of Finance. 

Mr. Lieber will also serve as a liaison with city, state and federal and other agencies responsible for the City’s economic development and infrastructure, including the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Coney Island Development Corporation.

Mr. Lieber previously served as Managing Director for the Private Equity division of Lehman Brothers, Inc. He holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado and a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Lieber will start work as Deputy Mayor on Jan. 8, 2008. Nat Leventhal, the chair of the Mayor’s Committee on Appointments, will lead the search, along with Deputy Mayor Lieber, for a new president of the Economic Development Corporation.

Deputy Mayor Lieber will give the keynote address at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Economic Outlook Breakfast, sponsored by Sovereign Bank, on Jan. 30, 2008. For more information or to register, click here.

Pictured above: New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Lieber (left) with Brooklyn Chamber president and CEO Carl Hum.