Kieran Persaud

Public service wasn't a straight path for me, but looking back, I realize it was always in my DNA. My mom is a teacher for the New York City (NYC) public school system. She taught in Guyana, and when she came here, she continued that calling. In high school at Townsend Harris, we took an oath that instilled civic duty in us. “I shall not leave my city any less, but rather greater than I found it.” That line stuck with me.

I studied math and finance in college, but I wanted my work to have purpose and impact more than climbing the corporate ladder. That led me to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) before I joined the NYC Comptroller's Office as the Assistant Director of Budget Oversight.

The highlight of my career so far is the staffing dashboard I created. When I started in 2022, we were recovering from the pandemic, and many people were leaving city service. I wanted to visualize that impact in a data-driven way.

I built this tool by gathering data from various city agencies and consolidating everything using Microsoft Power BI. The dashboard shows budget changes over time and workforce fluctuations (e.g., people leaving during the pandemic, high vacancy rates, and gradual recovery).

I’m proud that I created something useful for everyone, from agency heads to average New Yorkers. The project took just 4-6 months, proving it's doable even for smaller municipalities.

Earlier at the MTA, after identifying critical maintenance staff vacancies within a department, I worked with various groups to develop a program that eliminated those vacancies within two years. Both projects taught me that small changes can make big impacts.

Public service means using your knowledge and skills for good. Every day, I get to make our analysis more insightful so our city understands how their tax dollars are being spent. That makes people more civically minded, more engaged, and more knowledgeable. That's what drives me.