Meet Adriane Curry, Neighborhood Service Coordinator Who Supports and Empowers Resident Association Leaders
Adriane “Cookie” Curry is a Neighborhood Service Coordinator who supports and assists resident associations (RA) in Queens – though the resident association presidents she works with say she’s more like family.
In her role as a member of the Resident Participation and Civic Engagement (RPCE) team, Ms. Curry provides technical assistance and resources to empower resident associations. Ms. Curry has worked at NYCHA for 24 years, and lived at Blake Houses (now known as Langston Hughes Houses) as a child.
“I make sure my resident associations stay in HUD compliance with funding and I empower them through trainings,” Ms. Curry said. “I provide smart data training and teach them how to upload receipts. If someone’s new to an office role, I guide them in their role and responsibilities to the association. For instance, I’ll show a new secretary how to do minutes or a new sergeant at arms how to open and close a meeting, how to make sure there’s a quorum and motions, and how to keep order in meetings. Sometimes the associations need me to help a resident and other times they just call for advice.”
For the past eight years, Ms. Curry had overseen all Queens resident associations; however, the department recently adapted to the Neighborhood Model, which enables NYCHA to have a deeper understanding of developments’ needs and challenges by overseeing a smaller portfolio. She is now responsible for the resident associations for Baisley Park, Beach 41st Street, Conlon Lihfe, Pomonok, Oceanside, Redfern, Shelton, and South Jamaica I and II. Ms. Curry also helped establish the first Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Homes resident association: “I had the pleasure of being boots on the ground and installing them as a council. I visited more than 83 homes, speaking to the FHA Homes residents to get the organization up and going.”
Ms. Curry said every development has different needs and community issues, and she helps resident associations address these needs. Although Ms. Curry works Monday through Friday, resident leaders can call her after hours when they need assistance. For instance, she recounted when the Oceanside RA president was challenged with how she was going to provide toys to young residents for the holidays. Ms. Curry reached out to Queensbridge’s RA president Corinne Haynes, who donated 25 gift bags for seniors with toys for Oceanside’s children.
“I’m just doing what I love to do, which is helping people, making an impact, getting results, and empowering them,” Ms. Curry said. “My favorite part of my job is getting positive results and seeing smiles on the residents’ faces and the heartfelt gratitude.”
Ms. Curry sees the relationship between her and the RAs she supports as a family unit and said the COVID pandemic illustrated this unique relationship: “Resident leaders citywide lead by example and take their roles very seriously. During COVID, they showed who they were, which is caring and loving. They didn’t allow the situation to scare them and still provided their residents with resources. I stood right beside them. There were two senior developments, Leavitt and College Point Rehab, that during the pandemic didn’t have a full resident association board or no board at all; I used my resources to ensure that they received boxes of fresh produce and [masks and hand sanitizer] delivered to them every two weeks.”
Ms. Curry said her motto is, “If I could help somebody along the way then my living is not in vain.” She is excited that in 2024, the resident associations she works with are going to be able to empower more residents through additional educational opportunities, including OSHA trainings, CPR certification, notary trainings, and classes on entrepreneurship.
Here is what a few of the resident association presidents Ms. Curry partners with had to say about her:
Margareth Massac
Oceanside Resident Association President
When I became a resident association president in February 2021, I needed much support as a new president of Oceanside Apartments. Ms. Curry was there for me 110 percent of the way. Being a RA president proved very demanding. Ms. Curry took it upon herself to walk the extra mile with me to guide me even after working hours.
Although the position of president is very demanding, I am very demanding of myself professionally. That meant nothing to Ms. Curry. Any information, resources, or support I needed she provided for me in a timely manner. Whatever information she was not sure of, she always researched that information for me and got back to me with it.
Ms. Curry has proved herself to be such an asset not only to NYCHA, but to the Oceanside Association and all of Queens’ associations. I thank God for an employee like her.
Manuel Martinez
South Jamaica Houses Resident Association President
Queens South District Chair
Ms. Curry is very knowledgeable, helpful, and goes above and beyond. Her resourcefulness is our resource. She makes sure that when it comes to NYCHA’s expectations with finances and best practices that we get things done. She guides us in the right direction, communicating with us each step along the way and giving us the proper insight.
Her personal motto is to be a positive impact to the communities we can impact. She helps the communities at large by helping resident councils do what they need to do. She reinforces that councils are a positive force in the community. She’s used this role to help so many people through us and helped residents directly.
She’s very passionate about the work that is being done. Our communities have been through so much, and our ability as resident leaders to take on these challenges comes from people who step up in the community like her. She’s an advocate and part of our team. She puts in all of the effort that we resident leaders put in. Obviously, she does her job and fulfills her responsibilities, but it’s also her personal dedication to the job and our communities that ensures things get done. This is how the relationship between NYCHA and resident councils and residents should be. I think she should be a trainer and train others to be able to identify when to be helpful and how to be helpful.
Tamika Williams-Moore
Pomonok Houses Resident Association President
Queens North District Chair
Adriane Curry is the best coordinator and she helped raise me into this presidency. She exemplifies what support means. When I became president, there were a lot of details and information I didn’t know about, and she was there to guide me. She comes to our events, she sends us resources, she helps with proposals, and when I would call her in a clutch, she’d always answer. When we had issues with accessing a bank account from the previous administration, she helped us get documents we didn’t have and guided us through getting our articles of incorporation and opening up a new bank account. I also appreciate her conflict management skills.
It’s a lot of work being a resident association president, a district leader, and being in the Citywide Council of Presidents (CCOP) is not easy. Ms. Curry helps so much. She goes above and beyond what her title calls for. She has a standard that she’s set for herself, and it works. I would love it if she could be duplicated. Her motivation is like it’s always her first day and I appreciate that. She’s so dedicated that you would think she’s a NYCHA resident. She’s not a resident but her passion is here – she cares about the residents.
Eugenia Gibson
Beach 41st Houses Resident Association President
Ms. Curry is an amazing, hardworking lady who knows how to get things done. I really appreciate her. Ms. Curry has supported me on my journey of being a resident association president. I’ve been a president for almost four years and I’ve been working with Ms. Curry for three years. She has helped me in so many ways, in getting information out to the residents, setting up for events, and just showing me the right way and right things to do as a resident council president.
She will take the time to explain things to me and tell me how to go about doing it. She believes in doing things the right way with no short cuts. She’s not only there to help me out as a president, but she’s supported me when I have a personal crisis. Any time that I call her, she always leaves her phone line open. I have only known her for three years and it seems like I’ve known her forever. She’s more than a coordinator, she’s a friend, she’s a sister. Not only is she good to me, she’s good to everybody. She believes in working for and helping the people; she also only wants to see the good for us.
