“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,
‘what are you doing for others?.’”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
If there is one truth that has remained constant throughout my life, it is that true fulfillment comes from helping others. That truth shaped my decision to have a career in public service and inspired me to fight for justice for marginalized groups. That truth also led me to mentor and teach at risk youth, train middle school teachers on curriculum development, serve in Peace Corps as an English Professor at West China University for two years, and most recently, to prosecute domestic violence and human trafficking cases at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
I’ve learned that one of the best ways to accomplish my life’s work is to educate people and create coalitions with like-minded individuals who share my passions. My background in education, the research skills that I gained from obtaining my master’s degree in library science and working as a librarian, and the writing and investigative skills that I gained as a lawyer have uniquely equipped me to do this work. I’m very excited that the creation of Natalae Velez Consulting, LLC, will allow me to build upon my work with communities and organizations dedicated to protecting vulnerable victims.
“When girls are educated,
their countries become stronger and more prosperous.”
–Michelle Obama
LAW SCHOOL
I’m a proud graduate of Rutgers Law School, the Newark campus, which boasts a long history of dedication to public service. While in law school, I was a member of the Rutgers Law Review, President of the International Law Society, an award winning member of the Jessup International Moot Court team, received multiple scholarships, and interned with Justice Barry T. Albin of the New Jersey Supreme Court among other honors.
As much as possible, I focused my studies on human rights, taking courses in international public law, international criminal law and international women’s human rights law. I was particularly interested in learning how the rule of law can hold people accountable for human rights abuses. This interest culminated in me interning as a Legal Associate at the Documentation Center of Cambodia where I wrote a memorandum about forced marriage that was submitted to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
“I welcome the chorus of voices calling for an end to the violence that affects an estimated one in three women in her lifetime. I applaud leaders who are helping to enact and enforce laws and change mindsets. And I pay tribute to all those heroes around the world who help victims to heal and to become agents of change.”
–Ban Ki-moon
POST LAW SCHOOL
Upon graduation from law school in 2011, I served the people of the state of New York as a prosecutor for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office under District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. While in that role, I went from prosecuting misdemeanors to felonies and also served as a member of the Human Trafficking Response Unit. I later joined the Domestic Violence Unit of the Special Victims Bureau where I trained and supervised incoming prosecutors on court procedures, charging decisions and victim-centered interviewing. In that role, I also worked closely with advocates and social workers at the New York City Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-based Violence, providing multiple annual trainings each year on domestic violence and the criminal justice system.
While at the District Attorney’s Office, I also co-facilitated a two-day training on Human Trafficking and the criminal justice process to approximately 100 Ghanaian criminal prosecutors in Ghana in September of 2019. Since leaving the district attorney’s office in March of 2020 and starting Natalae Velez Consulting, LLC, I have conducted trainings for police officers, law enforcement, prosecutors and officials from the judiciary in Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia on such topics as human trafficking patterns during the time of Covid-19, victim-centered practices, trial advocacy and investigating and prosecuting gender-based violence.
I also conducted trainings for Cornell University’s Clinic to End Tech Abuse focusing on intimate partner violence, how trauma effects victim interviews and the importance of self-care when working with survivors of trauma.
Most recently, I’ve worked as a prosecution expert for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Countering Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Programme. In that role, I’ve traveled to Seychelles and Tanzania, conducting workshops for immigration officials, prosecutors, state counsels, law enforcement, magistrates and judges on capacity building to combat trafficking in persons.
