Our final addition to the Table of Success wasn't on our radar until she made the book announcement heard around all five boroughs: Jasmine Ray, the Adams administration's "sports czar," revealed that she was more than just another political appointee. She was also the keeper of the mayor's "Political Humanity" and his ex-fling to boot. Read all about Jasmine below, and check out her full entry here.
In December 2022, Eric Adams hired Jasmine Ray, the founder of the United States Wall Ball Association as well as the head of a child care center in Brooklyn and former member of the R&B group MVP, to be the director of the newly created Mayor's Office of Sports, Wellness and Recreation, a position with a $161,410 annual salary.
As the Adams administration's "sports czar," Ray would work to "oversee the creation and implementation of sports and wellness initiatives to build a healthier and more active city for all New Yorkers," according to the press release announcing her hire.
Ray, Adams wrote, would bring a "deep passion" to her role as well as "a wealth of experience," and he was "proud" to have her join his administration.
As the Daily News reported, however, her appointment to the six-figure position had required some wrangling—Adams had had to ask the City's Conflict of Interest Board for a waiver for Ray to allow her to keep consulting for the daycare center where she'd been employed (and which received City funding) while also working for the Mayor's Office. Mayoral spokesperson Liz Garcia had this to say about the waiver: Ray's "ability to lead her office while continuing to serve youth outside of her public capacity is proof that City employees with additional jobs can be and are effective while still making good-use of taxpayer dollars," she told the Daily News.