Meet Lisa Bova-Hiatt, Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel

Twenty-seven years ago, when Lisa Bova-Hiatt started her career at the New York City Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel, she didn’t know the turns her career would take over the years – but she knew for sure that she wanted to serve the city where she was born and grew up.

Since then, Ms. Bova-Hiatt has served in a variety of capacities at several City and State agencies, including the City University of New York (CUNY), the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, and now NYCHA, where she serves as the Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel. 

“I have dedicated my life to public service, and as someone who grew up in New York, I value the opportunity to serve the city I love so much,” said Ms. Bova-Hiatt. “Both of my parents were public servants, and they instilled in me the desire to give back and work to make my community a better place.”

Ms. Bova-Hiatt joined NYCHA as General Counsel in February 2020 and loves the challenges that the position entails: “The challenge is what makes NYCHA such a great place to work. I often tell my friends and family that the number of issues we often deal with in a day are more than most attorneys deal with in an entire year.”

Her current role is quite different than Ms. Bova-Hiatt’s original practice area at the New York City Law Department, where she specialized in a niche area of real estate law: the acquisition of property by eminent domain. “Eminent domain was my practice area for over 19 years,” noted Ms. Bova-Hiatt. “It is such a useful tool for aging urban environments like New York City. It was a great opportunity to take part in the transformation and revitalization of so many neighborhoods in the boroughs of New York. Times Square, Hudson Yards, and MetroTech were some of the exciting projects I had the opportunity to work on. Interestingly, most NYCHA developments were originally acquired by eminent domain by the City of New York, and later transferred to NYCHA, so there is a really neat synergy between my original practice area and my role now as NYCHA’s General Counsel.”

One of Ms. Bova-Hiatt’s most interesting roles occurred in 2011 and 2012 when she put her law degree aside and became a volunteer shelter manager during Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy.

“For years, I engaged in tabletop exercises and in-person hurricane shelter management training given by the City, never thinking a hurricane would hit New York City,” said Ms. Bova-Hiatt. “When Hurricane Irene was bearing down in New York, I was on vacation with my children. I came home early to get to work in the hurricane shelter, dealing with a very vulnerable population and people who were fleeing harm’s way.” 

After Hurricane Sandy, Ms. Bova-Hiatt’s focus transitioned from eminent domain to storm recovery. She began doing field work with “Team Staten Island,” a group created by the Mayor’s Office. Afterward, she continued helping storm-affected New Yorkers, first as the General Counsel, and then as the Executive Director, of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery. Over the following years, she helped the agency carry out the rebuilding and reconstruction of over 12,000 homes. 

“Hurricane Sandy was catastrophic, especially for Staten Island, where I live,” noted Ms. Bova-Hiatt. “My storm recovery work shows that the trajectory of your career can change at a moment’s notice, with events that could never be anticipated.”

As NYCHA’s Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Ms. Bova-Hiatt, along with her team, helps business units work more efficiently in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

Throughout her career, housing has been a constant thread: “Stable housing is vital for a person to thrive. It is the foundation for everything. If you don’t feel comfortable, safe, and secure in your home, it has a domino effect on your life and the lives of your family. Working to ensure that people have decent, safe, and sanitary housing is essential. There is no greater reward to me than being part of a team whose goal is to make people’s lives better.”