DOC taps former FDNY spokesperson to lead communications team

Frank Dwyer, the former top communications official for the FDNY, was appointed to serve as the Department of Correction’s deputy commissioner for public information. Photo via DOC

By Jacob Kaye

The Department of Correction tapped a longtime city spokesperson to serve as its deputy commissioner for public information on Wednesday.

Frank Dwyer, who has spent the past decade and a half working as the top communications official with the FDNY, will serve as the DOC’s chief spokesperson, overseeing the department’s press office and its external and internal communications.

Dwyer’s interagency transfer over to the DOC comes after he and several other top FDNY officials were rumored to be on the chopping block amid a top-level shakeup in the department spearheaded by FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.

Dwyer, who worked as a journalist in New York City for about a decade before making the switch to government, replaces former Deputy Commissioner for Public Information James Boyd, who was pressured to resign following an incident in which he reportedly ordered his staff to pack up another DOC staffers belongings before her firing, the Daily News reported.

“Frank is a dedicated public servant who brings decades of experience in city government, public safety, and journalism to my team,” DOC Commissioner Louis Molina said in a statement. “He shares my commitment to drive us forward, together. He is a proven leader and a skilled professional who has helped lead communications in our city at major incidents and during some of its most difficult crises.”

Dwyer first began as a spokesperson for the fire department in 2009. He worked there for nearly 15 years. In a release about his appointment, the DOC noted his work serving as a spokesperson for the FDNY throughout the pandemic and during its push to diversify the historically white and male dominated department.

“New York City’s Boldest are an extraordinary group of women and men who serve their fellow New Yorkers with true courage and professionalism,” Dwyer said in a statement. “They have one of the toughest jobs in the city and I am honored for the opportunity to share their important stories.”

“I’m excited to join Commissioner Molina and his executive team as they work tirelessly to improve the department, the safety of its facilities, and the training of its members,” he added.

Before joining the FDNY, Dwyer worked as a news operations manager and as an assignment editor at WNBC. Before that, he worked as an assignment editor at NY1 and on the assignment desk at WNBC.