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NYCHA Now
August 2023 Exceptional Colleagues 

Meet the Coaching and Mentoring Leadership Academy Participants

Nii Akrofi Smart-Abbey

In January 2023, NYCHA launched its first-ever Coaching and Mentoring Leadership Academy (CMLA). Participants in the 16-week program received training and coaching in areas such as strategic communications and crisis management, and they had the opportunity to enhance their leadership and management skills through mentorship.        

Read on to learn more about a few of the mentors and mentees participating in the Leadership Academy.   

Assistant Property Manager Toni Williams and Property Maintenance Supervisor Gwendolyn Bell        

Toni Williams is an Assistant Property Manager at Morris Houses

Toni Williams has been with NYCHA since 2012. She started her career as a Housing Assistant at Adams Houses. Prior to joining the Authority, she worked as a Case Manager for 13 years at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. She is currently an Assistant Property Manager at Morris Houses.  

Ms. Williams joined the CMLA to get a better understanding of policies and procedures that support staff.   

“The CMLA program gave me a better understanding of the responsibilities, knowledge, and skills I needed to be a better employee,” said Ms. Williams. “The CMLA improved my confidence and my ability to achieve goals that I thought were unachievable.” 

Gwendolyn Bell (center) is a Property Maintenance Supervisor at Marlboro Houses

Gwendolyn Bell joined NYCHA in 1992. She has since worked as a Caretaker J, Caretaker P, Supervisor of Housing Caretakers, and Assistant Superintendent. She is currently a Property Maintenance Supervisor at Marlboro Houses.  

Ms. Bell joined the CMLA to provide the kind of mentorship she has received throughout her career at NYCHA.  

“I was honored to have been selected to participate as a mentor in the first cohort of the Coaching and Mentoring Leadership Academy,” said Ms. Bell. “I had the honor of mentoring Ms. Toni Williams, an Assistant Manager. We learned different skills from each other’s job and the different responsibilities we both have to complete in our day-to-day operations. The 16-week program went by fast, but it was a great learning experience and I have met a lifelong friend.”