Carol Robles-Román, former Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs and Counsel to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, will succeed Elizabeth Grayer as President and CEO of Legal Momentum, effective April 21, 2014. Legal Momentum is the oldest national nonprofit legal organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls through effective policy advocacy, judicial education, and impact litigation. Ms. Robles-Román’s appointment follows a broad national search that began when Ms. Grayer announced in December that she would step down.

Ms. Robles-Román was the first woman to serve as Counsel to a New York City Mayor and was a member of the city’s executive leadership team for twelve years. She led and oversaw the overhaul of several city agencies to improve access to justice and city services for New Yorkers, and advised the Mayor and the executive branch on governance and compliance, judicial selection, ethics, police oversight, anti-discrimination laws, disability and access laws, domestic violence, and immigration.

During her tenure as Deputy Mayor, Ms. Robles-Román spearheaded public-private partnerships on behalf of vulnerable communities including women and children, in the areas of domestic violence, enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, human trafficking and young people, diversity, and judicial selection. She led the effort to redefine how the city responds to domestic violence and human trafficking with the establishment of the state-of-the-art Family Justice Centers in each borough, and the multimedia public awareness campaign Let’s Call an End to Human Trafficking, working with the NYC Mayor’s Office Survivors of Human Exploitation Working Group and the NYS/NYC Anti-Child Trafficking Working Group, which she chaired.

Ms. Robles-Román has a lifelong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and enforcement of anti-discrimination laws including her oversight of the NYC Commission on Human Rights and her role as the first Special Inspector General for Bias Matters in the NYS Unified Court System. A lifelong New Yorker, she is an experienced board member for large nonprofit entities and educational institutions, including the National Association of Women Lawyers and the City University of New York. She holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law, where she received the Vanderbilt Medal for extraordinary contribution to the law school community, and a B.A. from Fordham University at Lincoln Center.

Linda A. Willett, Chair of Legal Momentum's Board, said, “The Board is delighted that Carol will become the organization's President and CEO. Carol has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to helping women and girls. Her broad and deep experience in public advocacy, her legal experience in anti-bias and anti-discrimination policy and litigation, her thorough understanding of the judicial system, and her substantial personal energy will enable her to effectively lead Legal Momentum in fulfilling its mission.”

Carol Robles-Román said, "I've long admired Legal Momentum's dynamic board and its work advancing economic justice, freedom from gender-based violence and equality under law—three major areas I have dedicated my legal career to. I thank Mayor Mike Bloomberg for the opportunity to serve the people of New York City for 12 years, and for leading this innovative work with my teams and me. I look forward to applying the social justice reforms we led at City Hall to bring Legal Momentum to even greater heights on behalf of women and girls."