DCWP Commissioner

DCWP Commissioner Mayuga's headshot.

Vilda Vera Mayuga was appointed as the commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) in February 2022.

Mayuga is a seasoned public servant across all levels of government with extensive experience in consumer protection, workers’ rights, and engagement with immigrant New Yorkers. Prior to becoming commissioner of DCWP, she served as deputy secretary for Economic Opportunity at the New York State Department of State. In that capacity, she oversaw the Office for New Americans, the Division of Consumer Protection, the Division of Community Services, and the Address Confidentiality Program. Mayuga was also the secretary of State’s designee to the Committee on Open Government.

From 2014 until June 2018, she served as chair of the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals. She was the first Latina to hold the position.

Previously, Mayuga was deputy commissioner for Worker Protection at the New York State Department of Labor, overseeing the divisions of Labor Standards, Safety and Health, and Immigrant Policies and Affairs. She started at the Department of Labor in February 2011 as executive director of the Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs, where she implemented the agency’s first U-visa certification protocol and expanded the agency’s role and presence in the fight against human trafficking. Under her direction, the Agriculture Labor Program was started to provide services to both agricultural employers and workers. Mayuga also played a critical role in ensuring the agency’s compliance with language access requirements, and worked heavily on the drafting of the statewide policy resulting in Executive Order 26, which requires state agencies to provide language assistance for direct public services.

Mayuga also served as an assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Bureau of the Office of the New York Attorney General. There, she managed a diverse caseload of civil rights cases and handled every stage of litigation. Mayuga tried and settled numerous immigration services fraud cases that resulted in multimillion-dollar judgments. As a result, she received the 2009 Special Award for achievement in the Immigration Fraud Initiative.

Before that, Mayuga served as an agency attorney and investigated Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints within the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). She also conducted on-site inspections of FDNY premises, such as firehouses and EMS stations, to ensure compliance with the FDNY EEO policy. Mayuga also worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where she analyzed, processed, and monitored requests for evidence from foreign countries.

Mayuga graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her law degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Mayuga is a member of the New York Bar.