From Honoree to Keynote Speaker: NYCHA CEO Celebrates Municipal Attorneys

For NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt, participation in a recent NYC Law Department event, held to recognize this year’s Municipal Affairs Awards recipients, provided an opportunity to gather again with a community that had been formative in her own career. Ms. Bova-Hiatt, a recipient of a Municipal Affairs Award herself in 1999, was honored to serve this year as the event’s keynote speaker and to honor the achievements of 10 Assistant Corporation Counsels at the ceremony, which was held on September 29 at the New York City Bar Association.

Ms. Bova-Hiatt recognized how the honorees support City government and the New Yorkers they serve through their efforts in areas such as commercial and real estate litigation, general litigation, administrative law and regulatory litigation, executive litigation and policy, appeals, labor and employment law, and family court.

“My experiences at the NYC Law Department truly shaped who I am – as well as my career trajectory,” Ms. Bova-Hiatt noted, reflecting on the 19 years she spent with the Law Department, focused on real estate acquisitions and development. Through eminent domain, she and her colleagues had helped advance projects that transformed major sections of our city, including Times Square, Hudson Yards, and MetroTech.

She also pointed out an important connection between that earlier work and her current responsibilities: Most NYCHA properties were developed on land that was originally acquired by the City through eminent domain and later transferred to the Housing Authority.

She conveyed how NYCHA is now focused on transforming its operations and securing the investment needed to better serve current and future generations of residents, connecting those efforts to the challenges and rewards familiar to public servants throughout City government.

Public service, Ms. Bova-Hiatt said, was a path she had been inspired to pursue by both of her parents. Their example helped lead her to more than three decades of service at City and State agencies, including work on Superstorm Sandy recovery and support for CUNY’s construction fund.

“I always knew that I wanted to serve the city whose values had nurtured me,” she said. “Public service was a perfect fit, fulfilling my passion for helping others and for working collaboratively to achieve a common goal that will benefit us all.”

Addressing the evening’s honorees, she emphasized the breadth of what they had contributed to this community: bringing justice to New Yorkers and their families while helping City government operate effectively. She encouraged them to take pride in their achievements and look ahead to the opportunities still to come.

“You should be incredibly proud of yourselves, knowing that your efforts make an incredible difference in the lives of our fellow New Yorkers,” she said.

Photos courtesy of the NYC Law Department