Customer Service Week 2025: Mission: Possible
NYCHA employees took to heart the theme of “Mission: Possible” when celebrating the past year’s achievements during Customer Service Week 2025, from October 20 to October 24.
Joining together for a week of team events and activities across the city, employees were recognized for persevering through challenges and continuously rising to the occasion in service to the NYCHA community. Below are some highlights of how Authority colleagues spent the week visiting developments, promoting programs, highlighting teamwork, and motivating each other as they demonstrated their commitment to a job well done.
Senior staff site visits
During the week, NYCHA senior staff visited developments to meet with property management staff and other employees, conduct on-site walkthroughs, and learn about the status of ongoing programs and initiatives.
On October 21, Erenisse Tavarez, Vice President for Public Housing Operations in Manhattan, led a tour with property managers to showcase the work of development staff at Grant Houses. Other senior leaders and representatives from the Healthy Homes Department, including the sub-divisions of Mold Assessment and Remediation, Asbestos, and Lead Hazard Control, were in attendance for the focus on recent Authority initiatives. As part of the presentations, Ester Tomicic-Hines, Vice President of HUD Inspections, provided an overview of HUD’s NSPIRE (National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate) program.
Elsewhere, the Fire Safety Unit, led by Senior Director Joe Terranova, visited with staff for an on-site walkthrough at Monroe Houses in the Bronx on October 22.
Team activities
Across the organization, departments expressed team spirit during Customer Service Week by arranging breakfast or lunchtime gatherings, interactive functions, volunteer opportunities, and group projects promoting the daily themes.
Kicking off the week’s festivities on October 20, the Department of Resident Services, Partnerships, and Initiatives (RSPI) hosted a breakfast for employees at the 250 Broadway office. The breakfast was catered by vendor Cooking with Corey, a graduate of NYCHA’s Food Business Pathways program.
On Work Well Wednesday (October 22), employee association members met for some friendly competition of chess, cards, and dominoes during a game day gathering in the Fifth Floor Ceremonial Room at 90 Church Street.
Also on October 22, Senior Vice President for Performance Management and Analytics Anne-Marie Flatley and Vice President of Performance Tracking and Analytics Sybille Louis organized a luncheon celebration for team members, where they received their certificates of appreciation. A selection of motivational quotes were posted on the conference room wall to support the week’s “Mission: Possible” theme. Three longtime staff members were also presented their NYCHA service anniversary pins: Yuet-Sim Cheung, Assistant Director (25 years); Parvathi Machamada, Chief of Reporting and Analytics (30 years); and Paula Flynn, Administrative Manager (30 years).
On October 23, staff from the Department of Resident Health Initiatives invited colleagues to participate in hands-on volunteer efforts at Brooklyn’s Pink Houses Farm, a partnership between the Pink Houses Resident Green Committee and East New York Farms! In the spirit of community service, the employees worked together by moving compost, weeding beds, saving seeds, and pre-harvesting at the urban farm, which helps to expand healthy food access and promote sustainable communities.
