Reimagining A City-Within-A-City: A Conversation with Lisa Bova-Hiatt, NYCHA's New CEO

The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) Amicus Curiae Podcast host Daniel K. Wiig, sat down with the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), Lisa Bova-Hiatt. Mayor Eric Adams appointed Lisa Bova-Hiatt as the permanent CEO on July 6, 2023, after 10 months as the interim CEO. Running the day-to-day operations of 335 developments, 2,411 buildings, and 177,569 apartments, is no easy feat, however the newly appointed CEO is up for the job. A seasoned leader and lifelong New Yorker, Ms. Bova-Hiatt, talks about regaining the trust of NYCHA's residents, leading with empathy, comprehensive revitalization, rebuilding, and the fiduciary responsibilities of her role. The heart and soul of New York City is its communities and there is a NYCHA development in every neighborhood. This episode is not to be missed, as Ms. Lisa Bova-Hiatt shares her clear vision of renewal and transformation.   Lisa Bova-Hiatt Bio Lisa Bova-Hiatt was appointed chief executive officer of the New York City Housing Authority in July 2023, after serving as interim CEO since September 2022.   Bova-Hiatt has more than 25 years of experience in the public sector. She joined NYCHA in February 2020 as general counsel, where she led the Authority's Law Department and was involved with all NYCHA executive matters, including compliance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development agreement, NYCHA's transformation and implementation plans, and operations and administration.   She was previously general counsel of the City University Construction Fund and executive university counsel of the City University of New York (CUNY). Prior to CUNY, Lisa served as executive director of the New York Governor's Office of Storm Recovery, where she played an integral role in helping the agency carry out the reconstruction of over 12,000 homes and hundreds of infrastructure projects.   Lisa previously spent 19 years in various roles at the New York City Law Department, including as the deputy chief of the Tax and Bankruptcy Litigation Division, where she specialized in real estate acquisition and development, and chief advisor to administration officials.   She is a graduate of Villanova University and Brooklyn Law School.