Full Name
Edda Santiago
Job Title
SVP, Deputy General Counsel
Company
Covenant House International
Speaker Bio
Edda Santiago is the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at Covenant House International, a multinational nonprofit organization that supports children, adolescents and young people overcoming homelessness and survivors of sexual abuse and human trafficking across 34 sites in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. With employees in over twenty-five states and across five different countries, Edda regularly advises on complex multi-jurisdictional legal matters, primarily in the areas of employment law, transactional matters and board governance.
Prior to joining Covenant House in 2021, she was a tenant rights attorney at the Legal Aid Society where she defended low-income tenants in New York City. She also served as counsel to the Amplify Her Charitable Foundation whose mission is to support women and girls from underserved communities. Edda began her legal career as an associate in the real estate group of a large international law firm before joining a boutique firm where she advised clients on estate planning and tax matters and served as outside counsel to nonprofits and foundations.
Edda serves as the HNBA’s Chief Compliance Officer and previously served as the Chair of the Governance Committee. Earlier this year, Edda was named a 2025 92NY Women inPower Fellow and 2025 MCCA Rising Star. In 2024, she was recognized as one of HNBA’s Top Lawyers under 40, the HNBA Region II Impact Award Honoree and the recipient of the St. John’s Law School Women in the Law Outstanding Alumna Award. In 2021, Edda was selected as one of New York City's CUP Fellows and in 2020 Prospanica listed her as one of the Top 20 Latinx Leaders in NYC. In 2015, the Hispanic Coalition of New York recognized her as one of the 40 Under 40 Latino Rising Stars and the PRBA named her as a Young Associate Award Honoree.
Edda became the first in her family to earn a law degree when she graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in 2014 where she was awarded the full-tuition Ronald H. Brown Scholarship, the 2012 PRBA Scholarship and the 2012 Arent Fox Diversity Scholarship. In 2018, she completed an Advanced Professional Certificate in Taxation from New York University School of Law. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science when she was only 19 years old from Florida International University where she attended on a full track scholarship.
Prior to joining Covenant House in 2021, she was a tenant rights attorney at the Legal Aid Society where she defended low-income tenants in New York City. She also served as counsel to the Amplify Her Charitable Foundation whose mission is to support women and girls from underserved communities. Edda began her legal career as an associate in the real estate group of a large international law firm before joining a boutique firm where she advised clients on estate planning and tax matters and served as outside counsel to nonprofits and foundations.
Edda serves as the HNBA’s Chief Compliance Officer and previously served as the Chair of the Governance Committee. Earlier this year, Edda was named a 2025 92NY Women inPower Fellow and 2025 MCCA Rising Star. In 2024, she was recognized as one of HNBA’s Top Lawyers under 40, the HNBA Region II Impact Award Honoree and the recipient of the St. John’s Law School Women in the Law Outstanding Alumna Award. In 2021, Edda was selected as one of New York City's CUP Fellows and in 2020 Prospanica listed her as one of the Top 20 Latinx Leaders in NYC. In 2015, the Hispanic Coalition of New York recognized her as one of the 40 Under 40 Latino Rising Stars and the PRBA named her as a Young Associate Award Honoree.
Edda became the first in her family to earn a law degree when she graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in 2014 where she was awarded the full-tuition Ronald H. Brown Scholarship, the 2012 PRBA Scholarship and the 2012 Arent Fox Diversity Scholarship. In 2018, she completed an Advanced Professional Certificate in Taxation from New York University School of Law. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science when she was only 19 years old from Florida International University where she attended on a full track scholarship.
Speaking At
