Mamdani taps Department of Probation veteran to lead agency

Sharun Goodwin was appointed Department of Probation commissioner by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

By Jacob Kaye

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday appointed Sharun Goodwin to lead the city’s Department of Probation, which has been led by controversial Commissioner Juanita Holmes for the past three years.

Goodwin, who spent her entire career with the DOP, came out of retirement this week to lead the agency, which monitors more than 10,000 adults and teens on probation and offers a number of programs meant to reduce recidivism in New York City.

The new commissioner began her career with the DOP as an intern in 1986, rising as high as deputy commissioner for adult operations, the position she held when she retired in 2024.

Goodwin served in all five boroughs, including as the Queens County adult operations branch chief.

“I can hardly think of anyone more prepared to assume this responsibility, or more experienced in the important work that the DOP leads each day,” Mamdani said from City Hall, where he also announced several other top administration appointments.

Goodwin takes over the agency from Holmes, who was appointed to lead DOP by former Mayor Eric Adams. Holmes’ tenure was quickly marked by controversy. Reports of low morale and understaffed divisions began to surface. Last year, former chair of the City Council’s Committee on Criminal Justice, Sandy Nurse, said that she had been inundated with letters and messages from probation officers and DOP staffers complaining about the state of the agency under Holmes’ leadership.

Holmes, a longtime member of the NYPD, also was accused of prioritizing the law enforcement side of DOP over the rehabilitative programs the agency also offers. Holmes caught heat when she changed agency policy and required that all probation officers carry firearms.

Goodwin on Tuesday declined to comment on Holmes’ leadership of DOP when asked by reporters.

Goodwin also said that she’d look into reports that Holmes hired friends and relatives for top positions within the agency.

“What I can say is that when I get in the position, I will look into what I hear,” Goodwin said. “But I'm not certain that what is reported is what it is. So, give me an opportunity to evaluate and assess what needs to be done if something needs to be done.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, Mamdani said the agency will look different under Goodwin’s leadership.

“When we speak about having a new era in city politics, it is also a desire to earn New Yorkers trust and faith about the decisions that are being made within city government,” he said. “Part of the driving force in our decision to announce Ms. Goodwin as one of the leaders in our city government is that she is going to lead with a commitment not only to justice, not only to public safety, but also to fairness and also looking to deliver efficiency and excellence.”

“That is going to be a hallmark of her work, it's going to be a hallmark of DOP, and I think for too long, New Yorkers have had to ask themselves about the decisions that are being made, whether they have more to do with who someone knows, when someone worked with someone,” he added. “We want New Yorkers to look at the work that's being done and see it for what it is, which is the work, not who's doing it, and why they got that job.”

Goodwin said that she believes the agency “is not simply about supervision, it is about accountability and opportunity.”

“It is about protecting our neighborhoods while helping individuals rebuild their lives and give back to the city they love,” she said.

Goodwin’s appointment was celebrated by a number of officials and criminal justice experts.

Tina Luongo, the chief attorney of the Criminal Defense Practice at the Legal Aid Society, said the public defender group was “hopeful that under [Goodwin’s] leadership, the department will prioritize the programming and services that the people and communities we represent need and deserve.”

“We view this moment as an opportunity to return to a probation model rooted in services and support rather than regressive law enforcement tactics, and we look forward to working with Commissioner Goodwin to ensure probation works effectively for the people it is meant to serve,” Luongo said.

Vincent Schiraldi, the city’s former Department of Correction and former Department of Probation commissioner, said in a social media post that he believed his former deputy was perfect for the new job.

“NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani could not have picked a better person to run and reform NYC Probation than Sharun Goodwin,” Schiraldi said. “Sharun keeps the twin goals of decency and public safety as her north stars in the work she's done for decades rising through the ranks at DOP, starting as an intern there.”

“Her appointment will be a boost to a beleaguered staff of what was once considered one of the nation's leading probation departments,” he added. “I'm confident that Sharun will absolutely return it to its glory days and then take it to new heights.