First appointed in 2017, Chair Clarissa Rodriguez has overseen the Board's many modernization efforts and legislative changes, including the successful rollout of NYS Paid Family Leave
On June 10, 2023, Clarissa M. Rodriguez, Esq., was reappointed Chair of the NYS Workers' Compensation Board, a position she's held since 2017. The first Latina to be appointed Board chair, she was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul and confirmed by the NYS Senate.
During Chair Rodriguez' tenure, she has overseen a critical agency that has successfully implemented several legislative reforms to the workers' compensation system; rolled out New York's landmark Paid Family Leave law; created the highly acclaimed virtual hearings system which kept the Board fully operational throughout the pandemic; expanded vocational rehabilitation and social services; and extended the Board's public educational offerings with a series of free monthly webinars.
"I am deeply grateful for Governor Hochul's support and that of her executive team", said Chair Rodriguez. "Her continued trust in me as I carry the important responsibility of leading this agency is an honor. To serve under this historic administration and further its commitment to having the most diverse Executive Gubernatorial Cabinet, where a record number of members are women, is something for which I will be forever thankful."
Chair Rodriguez recently hosted the Board's first May Day online conference for worker advocates, furthering her commitment to engaging in community outreach, strengthening industry partnerships, embracing the Board's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and addressing the needs of injured workers and employers across New York State.
"I am committed to ensuring workers obtain the benefits they are due, and that employers are treated justly under the law," said Chair Rodriguez, "And in my second term, I will remain steadfast in delivering excellence for every citizen of the State of New York."
Before joining the Board, Chair Rodriguez worked as a practicing attorney for almost a decade, serving otherwise underserved populations in New York City who faced eviction and foreclosure. She also worked in the Civil and Matrimonial Parts of the Nassau County Supreme Court, and during law school served in the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General; the City University of New York's Office of General Counsel; the Municipal Employees Legal Services at District Council 37; and the Homelessness Outreach and Prevention Project of the Urban Justice Center. Chair Rodriguez is the proud mother of two daughters, the eldest of which is a college graduate. Chair Rodriguez is a graduate of the City University of New York School of Law and holds a BA in Political Science and Women's Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase College.
For more information about the NYS Workers' Compensation Board, visit wcb.ny.gov.