Elizabeth Velez to receive Emma L. Bowen Humanitarian Medal

The Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center will honor construction leader Elizabeth Velez at its 40th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 12 at Carnegie Hall. The award recognizes her work expanding affordable housing, advancing inclusion and mentoring women and underrepresented professionals.

Why it matters: - Elizabeth Velez is being recognized for using leadership in construction and real estate to expand opportunity, from affordable housing to career access. - The honor also spotlights the Bowen Center’s focus on dignity, stigma reduction and community care at a time when housing, mental health and economic stability remain closely linked.

What happened: - The Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center will present the Emma L. Bowen Humanitarian Medal to Elizabeth Velez at its 40th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, at Carnegie Hall in New York. - The gala theme is A Legacy of Care, A Future of Healing. - The medal honors Emma L. Bowen, a Harlem community advocate and Bowen Center co-founder who championed compassionate care and fought mental health stigma. - Patricia C. Jordan, Bowen Center board chair, said Velez has broken barriers in her own career and helped others overcome theirs. - Velez said she is deeply honored to receive a medal bearing Emma Bowen’s name.

The details: - Velez has spent more than three decades helping shape New York’s construction and real estate landscape through leadership of the Velez Organization. - Her interest in affordable housing grew after she developed a successful proposal for her family’s construction business while studying business administration at Hofstra University. - That proposal brought the family company into affordable housing and helped shape her focus on first-time homebuyers. - Velez later built experience in the construction industry while advocating for infrastructure investment and policies that support businesses and workers. - In 2020, Velez became the second woman and first Latina to chair the New York Building Congress. - She led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. - Velez has long supported mentorship and sponsorship for women and underrepresented professionals. - The Bowen Center serves more than 5,000 clients annually through community-based mental health care, addiction treatment, recovery support and care management. - Bowen’s services span early childhood, Therapeutic Preschool, child and adolescent, school-based, adult and senior mental health care. - The center’s food pantry is on pace to distribute about 125,000 food packages in 2026. - The gala will also recognize Bowen clients whose stories reflect the impact of care and support. - Tickets, digital advertising opportunities and event information are available at legacyofcaregala.org. - More information about the Bowen Center is available at bowencsc.org.

Between the lines: - The award places Velez in a broader legacy of leaders whose impact extends beyond one industry into community wellbeing. - Bowen’s emphasis on whole-person care shows how mental health support, food access and recovery services can work together to stabilize families. - Velez’s career path also shows how a family business and public service can intersect when industry leaders push into housing access and workforce inclusion.

What's next: - The Bowen Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary and honor Velez at the Nov. 12 gala. - The event is expected to bring together community leaders, supporters and friends to mark four decades of service and raise visibility for Bowen’s programs. - Bowen will continue providing mental health, addiction and essential services across Harlem and beyond.

The bottom line: - The medal underscores a simple message: leadership matters most when it opens doors for other people.