Joseph J. Lhota

Executive Vice President and Vice Dean, Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Staff

Joseph J. Lhota, executive vice president and vice dean, chief financial officer and chief of staff, is responsible for the overall financial management of NYU Langone Health, including financial operations and accounting; financial planning, analysis, and budgets; revenue cycle operations; supply chain management; decision support, strategy, and value improvement; and technology opportunities and ventures.

As chief of staff, Mr. Lhota is responsible for strategic planning, business development, emergency management, and enterprise resilience for NYU Langone Hospitals and NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Additionally, he assists the dean and CEO in aligning patient care, scientific research, and medical education for an integrated, world-class academic medical center.

Mr. Lhota brings more than 40 years of managerial and policymaking experience to the position. He was a candidate for mayor of the City of New York in 2013. From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Lhota served as chairman and CEO of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). During his tenure, mass transit service throughout the New York metropolitan area expanded. The rapid response and quick restoration of the entire MTA system after the devastation of Superstorm Sandy are recognized as a case study in excellent managerial leadership.

From 2002 to 2010, he served as chief administrative officer at The Madison Square Garden Company and held senior executive positions at Cablevision Systems Corporation, including executive vice president–corporate administration, chief financial officer of Rainbow Media Enterprises, and president of Lightpath.

From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Lhota served as New York City deputy mayor for operations. He was a leader of the core management team that developed and implemented the innovative strategies and initiatives that accomplished the successful turnaround of the City. As deputy mayor, he coordinated the City’s highly acclaimed response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Prior to his appointment as deputy mayor, he was the director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget and responsible for the City’s $36 billion operating budget and $45 billion capital infrastructure budget. He served as commissioner of finance for the City, as well as chairman of the board of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and the Teachers’ Retirement System and a board member of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation. From 2001 to 2014, Mr. Lhota was a trustee of the City University of New York and chairman of its Fiscal Affairs and Investments Committees.

Prior to his public service, Mr. Lhota spent 14 years in investment banking, serving state and local governments, healthcare institutions, and nongovernmental organizations throughout the United States, and two years in public accounting, specializing in healthcare and financial services.

Mr. Lhota has served as NYU Langone’s chief of staff since 2014, and in 2024 he was additionally appointed chief financial officer. As chief of staff, he was integral in shaping NYU Langone’s strategic vision and managing an organizational culture that recognizes innovation, execution, efficiency, effectiveness, and—above all—quality performance. Mr. Lhota managed the successful integration effort of Lutheran Medical Center into NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, shepherded the system through the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies, and strengthened NYU Langone’s relationships with governments and local communities.

Mr. Lhota received an undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.