Serving NYCHA Since 1982: Meet the Castellano-Gencarelli Family

NYCHA roots run deep in many families, but one family has a unique connection to the agency. The Castellano-Gencarelli family boasts three generations of employees, with a combined 65 years of NYCHA work experience.   

Christina Gencarelli (currently Deputy Director of Vendor Diversity), her mother Christina Castellano-Gencarelli, and her grandmother Marie Castellano, have each devoted their professional careers to serving the NYCHA community. 

The family’s story at NYCHA began in 1982 when Christina’s grandmother, Marie Castellano, after raising eight children and working as a paraprofessional in the NYC school system, embarked on a career at NYCHA at the age of 54, starting as a Housing Assistant. Marie embraced the work immediately and loved working with and helping people.  

During her tenure as Assistant Manager at Carver Houses, Ms. Castellano implemented and supported a variety of social service, health education, and wellness programs. She then became the Manager, earning kudos from the resident association and the larger East Harlem community.  

Ms. Castellano also worked as a Section 8 Manager for both Manhattan and the Bronx. Her passion for the work and her love of NYCHA motivated her to commute several hours from South Jersey to the Bronx during her final years at NYCHA. Ms. Castellano retired at the age of 72 with fond memories of her time at NYCHA and her cherished residents. She passed away in 2020. 

Following Marie Castellano’s tenure at NYCHA, her daughter Christina Castellano-Gencarelli (mother of Christina Gencarelli) began working at NYCHA in 1994 as a Secretary at Amsterdam Houses. She was promoted to Principal Administrative Assistant in the Law Department, before moving into Capital Projects as a Program Specialist. At the time of her retirement in 2022, she was the Assistant Director of the Materials Department in Procurement.  

Mrs. Castellano-Gencarelli’s daughter Christina noted that when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, NYCHA was compassionate and accommodating, helping to reduce some of the stress from her difficult recovery. Mrs. Castellano-Gencarelli worked during the 14 months that she was on a stringent chemotherapy regimen, never foregoing responsibilities as an Administrative Manager in Logistics. Christina noted that the family was very grateful for the consideration that her mother was shown by NYCHA during that challenging time.  

When Christina Gencarelli started working at NYCHA in 2009, she had no idea that she would still be here 15 years later. Although Christina considered attending law school after graduating from Rutgers University, she decided to take a job at NYCHA while contemplating her future career. She also wanted to be closer to home during her mother’s breast cancer treatment. A job at NYCHA made perfect sense.  

“I remember my mom bringing me to the office during Take Your Child to Work Day,” Christina recalled. “I was familiar with NYCHA and the mission that the agency stood for, and I was drawn to learning more about how the agency operated.” 

Christina started off as a Housing Assistant at Smith Houses, before moving into Section 8 Housing Litigation. She has been with Supply Management and Procurement since 2015, where she now oversees the Vendor Diversity Department, which is responsible for tracking and monitoring vendor compliance with NYCHA’s Section 3 and Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises requirements. 

Christina said she learned a great deal from the two women who went before her, and noted that, long after she retired, her grandmother remained curious about NYCHA and would regularly ask her granddaughter about her work. Christina fondly recalls developing a strong bond with her grandmother while sharing memories and stories about her time at NYCHA over a cup of coffee.  

“She would tell me how things worked then,” Christina said. “We would compare our field experience, especially since we both started out as Housing Assistants and were both very familiar with the day-to-day activities at the development.” 

Much has changed since her grandmother’s and even her mother’s time at NYCHA, but the third generation of Castellano-Gencarelli women extends a strong tradition of public service. This tradition continues as Christina works to expand NYCHA’s diversity programs by developing and encouraging diversity and inclusion opportunities for residents and vendors.