Raquel Elejabarrieta is the City of Coral Gables’ Human Resources Director, after serving as the Director of Labor Relations and Risk Management, and the city’s Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEI&A) Officer. On the labor side, she is responsible for building and promoting a work environment that fosters a positive and effective relationship between labor and management. On the risk side, she is responsible for administering the city’s self-insurance program for general liability and property damage claims, as well as workers’ compensation claims.  As the city’s Chief DEI&A Officer, she provides innovative and inclusive approaches to continue building a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DAI&A) that aligns with the city’s mission.  Elejabarrieta also serves as the city’s Special Counsel for labor issues.

Prior to joining the City Beautiful, Elejabarrieta was the Director of Labor Relations & Risk Management for the City of Hollywood. She was responsible for all matters concerning labor relations and risk management, including negotiating and interpreting Hollywood’s collective bargaining agreements with three unions and five bargaining units.

Elejabarrieta also worked for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius as a Labor and Employment Attorney, and then with Weiss, Serota, Helfman, Cole & Bierman for 11 years. At Weiss-Serota, she successfully represented several cities on complex employment matters, collective bargaining negotiations, labor impasse hearings, unfair labor practice proceedings and labor arbitrations.

She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University's College of Business Administration and her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law.