Lisa M. Denig
Biography
Adjunct Professor Lisa Denig was appointed to the position of Commissioner of Human Resources for Westchester County by County Executive George Latimer in April 2023. The Department of Human Resources maintains detailed employment records for more than 30,000 employees across 121 local jurisdictions, including cities, towns, villages, school districts, fire districts, Westchester Medical Center, and libraries.
Prof. Denig has also served as Counsel to the Chief Judge of the State of New York, Hon. Janet DiFiore. In this role, Prof. Denig analyzed and researched cases before the high court, and advised the Chief Judge. She also worked administratively in the Alternative Dispute Resolution program and served as the Chief Judge鈥檚 liaison to certain committees. Before this position, Prof. Denig was Special Counsel for ADR Initiatives for the New York State Office of Court Administration. In this role, she served as the coordinator of the Presumptive ADR Initiative to bring early, presumptive ADR to all civil litigation matters in the five counties and three specialty courts inside New York City.
Prior to this, Prof. Denig served as the Bureau Chief of Special Litigation in the Westchester County District Attorney鈥檚 Office, as a law clerk to the Hon. Lisa Margaret Smith in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and as the Chief of Staff to Putnam County Executive Robert J. Bondi, overseeing 20 different departments and nearly 500 employees.
In 2020, Prof. Denig was named Attorney Innovator of the Year by the New York Law Journal for her work in advancing mediation in the courts, and was presented with the Pioneer Award from the NY County Lawyers Association in 2021.
Prof. Denig is the current President of the WCC Alumni Association, and has served as the President of the Westchester Women鈥檚 Bar Association and also as President of Habitat for Humanity of Putnam County. She is a member of the Haub Law Board of Visitors, the Westchester Community College Foundation, the Westchester Community College Paralegal Board and the 桃瘾社区 Women in Law Committee. She administers the children鈥檚 program at First Baptist Church of Brewster, where she is also on the Leadership Team, and is a regular volunteer for Hillside Food Outreach and Compassion International.
Education
- AA, Westchester Community College
- BA, Vassar College
- MPS, Clinton School of Public Service, University of Arkansas
- JD, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 桃瘾社区
Honors & Awards
- Attorney Innovator of the Year, New York Law Journal, 2020
- Pioneer Award, New York County Lawyers Association, 2021
Areas of Interest
Appellate Law, Legal Writing