Biography Neil O. Albert Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil Albert serves as the District of Columbia’s Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. In that capacity, Mr. Albert assists the Mayor in the coordination, planning, supervision, and execution of all programs, policies, proposals, and functions related to economic development in the District of Columbia. The Deputy Mayor also advises the Mayor on the most effective allocation of public resources devoted to economic development. Prior to being appointed Deputy Mayor, Mr. Albert co-founded and was president and CEO of EdBuild, an educational services firm working to increase the number of high-performing schools in Washington, DC. Before serving as EdBuild’s CEO, Mr. Albert served the residents of the District of Columbia as Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders and director of the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Mr. Albert has held public sector executive management positions for more than 15 years. As Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders, Mr. Albert developed partnerships with community and faith-based organizations, corporations and other District agencies to coordinate services in support of youth and families; increased resources for homeless and early childhood services; developed the framework for the District’s youth development strategy; strengthened youth and social service programs; and achieved top national certification for all 21 child care centers under his control. As director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, Mr. Albert brought his knowledge, experience, stability and credibility to the department after years of low morale, crumbling infrastructure and low performance. Mr. Albert was responsible for the largest number of new facilities in the history of the District of Columbia including 17 recreation centers and parks, 11 swimming pools, 58 playgrounds, 24 ball fields, and 40 tennis and basketball courts. Mr. Albert also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission.  In this role, he worked to improve neighborhood recreation and sports programs and fostered an environment of accountability and a focus on results. Before his public service in Washington, DC, Mr. Albert served for five years as the director of Nonprofit Assistance Programs for the Fund of the City of New York where he led that foundation’s management consulting practice to New York City nonprofit agencies. Mr. Albert also served as director of contract agency finance for the New York City Department of Youth Services, where he was responsible for managing the financial, accounting and technical assistance functions required for the disbursement of more than $64 million in city and state funds to more than 800 grantees. Mr. Albert holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from the New York Institute of Technology and is involved in many social issues through membership on the boards of nonprofit organizations and through his volunteer work.