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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.   

Property Manager Sheree Odums and Vice President of IT Service Management Cindy Anderson  

Sheree Odums is a Property Manager at Johnson Houses

Sheree Odums has been with NYCHA for nearly three decades. She started her career as a Housing Assistant at Polo Grounds and was later promoted to Assistant Manager in the Leased Housing Department. She is currently a Property Manager at Johnson Houses.   

Ms. Odums joined the CMLA to learn from like-minded colleagues and to discuss with them ways to grow and be successful in their careers.  

“When I first heard about the leadership program, I immediately wanted to be part of it,” said Ms. Odums. “I signed up and called [Vice President for Employee Engagement] Ms. Yvette Andino some weeks later to see if I had been selected. As a newly appointed Property Manager coming from Leased Housing, the program was beneficial for my transition. I learned new avenues to use daily, met new colleagues, and the trainings were excellent. Cindy Anderson was my mentor, and she is a wonderful and pleasant person. I enjoyed our conversations during her visits with me. She has an IT background, and I had several questions – she always provided assistance when needed. I would recommend the program for all newly appointed persons.” 

Cindy Anderson is Vice President of IT Service Management

Cindy Anderson joined NYCHA in 2021 as Vice President of IT Service Management. Prior to joining the Authority, she worked for a natural gas utility company in Las Vegas for more than eight years in various roles, including business analyst and application team manager. She has also held network engineering and analyst positions for several telecommunication start-ups in Las Vegas. 

Ms. Anderson, who has had many mentors throughout her career, joined the CMLA to help colleagues receive the coaching and encouragement necessary to tap into their full potential. 

“I’m happy that I was able to participate in the first cohort of this amazing program,” said Ms. Anderson. “I learned about the unique challenges my mentee faces in her role, and we worked together to adapt skills and techniques to apply to those situations. The greatest benefit of the CMLA to me was the new connections the participants made across different areas of NYCHA. I greatly enjoyed getting to know my mentee, learning together, and having fun along the way!”