Elisa Velazquez received her JD from New York Law School in 1992. After working for a family law center for the working poor in East LA, Elisa became the Program Director for a domestic violence program based in Brooklyn Criminal Court. Elisa then became Assistant Counsel to Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, where she handled contract, statutory/regulatory compliance, civil service and FOIL issues and also ran the Constituent Services Unit.
Elisa then became Deputy Counsel to Public Advocate Mark Green, where she worked on FOIL and First Amendment litigation, drafted domestic violence legislation and served as intergovernmental liaison to Mayoral agencies, the City Council and the State Legislature. Elisa then went on to become Legislative Counsel to the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, where she reviewed and analyzed bills introduced in the State Legislature, particularly in the areas of immunity, liability, medical malpractice, insurance and auto liability.
In July 2003, Elisa became General Counsel to the Mayor’s Office of Contracts Services, where she provides legal advice and analysis to the MOCS Director/CCPO, staff and mayoral agencies on a broad range of procurement related issues, supervises the Counsel Unit, the VENDEX Unit, the Vendor Responsibility and Compliance Unit and the Prevailing Wage/Labor Compliance Unit. Elisa sits as the Mayor’s appointee on the Contract Dispute Resolution Board and the Advisory Council for Procurement Lobbying.
Elisa lives in Queens with her husband and 4 kids.
