Longtime NYCHA Law Employee Sam Mordi Lauded for Service Upon Retirement 

Sam Mordi might be moving on from his longtime career at NYCHA, but not without taking with him a wealth of appreciation from his colleagues. 

After working for 30 years in the Law Department, Mr. Mordi is retiring from his position as Deputy General Counsel for housing litigation on August 31. In recognition of his exemplary service, Mr. Mordi was the Authority’s first employee to be presented with a service anniversary pin from the Employee Engagement Department during an August 24 staff luncheon celebrating his NYCHA career.    

The new anniversary pin program, which recognizes staff for every five years of service at NYCHA, is intended to honor the contributions and achievements of longtime employees and thank them for their hard work and dedication.  

“It was amazing that NYCHA could do that to recognize someone who is leaving,” Mr. Mordi said of receiving his 30th anniversary pin. “To me, it means that NYCHA appreciates what I did.” 

NYCHA’s Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and Managing Attorney David Rohde, who presented Mr. Mordi with his pin, was among the Law Department colleagues who praised Mr. Mordi’s compassion and commitment to serving the residents.  

“Fairness, equity, and justice are the things that Sam puts forward every day,” Mr. Rohde said during the luncheon. “All the things that impact families and residents are top of his mind.” 

Lisa Bova-Hiatt, Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, added: “Sam Mordi’s dedication and commitment to NYCHA is unsurpassed. He’s spent the last 30 years working tirelessly and compassionately as the head of our housing litigation unit. We are so thankful for his hard work, creative ideas, positive attitude, and infectious smile.” 

Special Counsel Haley Stein called Mr. Mordi a “NYCHA institution.” “His expertise, good humor, and patience is recognized throughout NYCHA and the legal world,” she said. “We wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement.” 

Mr. Mordi said that he had been working as an attorney for a private law firm when he joined NYCHA in 1992 for the opportunity to serve as a trial attorney representing the Authority in housing court.   

“That was exactly what I wanted to do; I wanted to do trials,” he remembered.  

He rose through the ranks as an attorney and received several promotions over the years, becoming Deputy General Counsel in 2009. A case involving a man who was found to be sheltering a tiger inside his mother’s apartment may be one of Mr. Mordi’s most memorable cases, but he is most proud of his work to assist residents with maintaining their homes.  

“Working at NYCHA has benefited me greatly because I always wanted to help people,” he noted.  

As he looks to his future beyond NYCHA, Mr. Mordi says he may return to teaching at a college or pursue other interests. While he believes the time is right for his retirement, he cherishes the relationships he developed in his three decades at the Authority and the values of teamwork shared among his fellow employees.  

“What I saw working here at NYCHA is that working together is very beneficial to our tenants and to everybody, and I want to make sure we maintain that in this agency, and especially in the Law Department,” he told his colleagues.