Elizabeth Velez spearheads strategic growth and project diversification for the over 50-year-old Velez Organization as President and principal, ensuring that the second-generation construction services firm is one of the longest established and successful in the region. To her credit are hundreds of projects which have come to fruition under her direction, including over 600 units of housing made affordable by State and Federal grants in the Bronx and Harlem, and over thirty billion dollars of significant educational, healthcare and large-scale projects throughout New York.

Ms. Velez was appointed in 2022 by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority – the largest public transportation network in North America. She is a member of the six-person Traffic Mobility Review Board. She served until 2021 as Commissioner of the NYC Property Tax Reform Commission, which produced public inclusive recommendations to create transparency and equity in the NYC tax system. She was appointed in 2022 to the NYC Economic Development Corporation. From 2020 to 2021, she served for both NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio and NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo on the COVID pandemic advisory and recovery boards, and for the latter, the NYS Stands with Puerto Rico Recovery & Rebuilding Committee, the NY Memorial Commission for Hurricane Maria. In her advocacy role for the design and building industry of New York, Ms. Velez was Chair of the New York Building Congress, the preeminent A/E/C industry group – the first person of color and only the second woman to serve in that role in the NYBC’s 100-year history.

Ms. Velez is a proud cheerleader and supporter for New York, as demonstrated by her many philanthropic, professional, and civic affiliations. She serves as Trustee for the New York City Police Foundation, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, and Boricua College – one of the few Latino schools of higher education in the area. She is on the Board of Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW), supporting workforce development and employment for women in the construction trades. With a focus on youth development, she serves on the Board(s) of Youthbridge, and ACE Mentor-NY. She serves on the Board of Advisors for her Alma Mater – the Hofstra University School of Business.

Lisa Bova-Hiatt was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the New York City Housing Authority by Mayor Eric Adams on July 6, 2023. She served as the Interim CEO of the Authority since September 2022.

Lisa 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 HUD Agreement, NYCHA’s Transformation and Implementation Plans, as well as 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 Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR), 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 the acquisition of property by eminent domain, in rem tax foreclosures, and real estate titles.

Carlo A. Scissura, Esq. is President & CEO of the New York Building Congress, a position he has held since January 2017.

Prior to joining the Building Congress, Carlo was President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Under Carlo’s leadership, the Chamber became one of New York’s largest business advocacy and economic development organizations, and its membership grew by more than 200 percent to over 2,200 members.

Carlo served both as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for nearly five years before leading the Brooklyn Chamber. A graduate of both Pace University and Pace Law School, Carlo owned a thriving solo practice law firm in Dyker Heights prior to joining the Borough President’s Office. He previously served on the staffs of State Senator Vincent Gentile and Assemblyman Peter Abbate.

Carlo is the Chair of the Federation of Italian-American Organizations, where he has spearheaded the building of the new Italian Cultural and Community Center in Brooklyn.  He is a member of the Boards of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., The New York City Regional Economic Development Council, ACE Mentorship, Salvadori Center and the Friends of the BQX.