News from the Chair & General Manager

Dear Colleagues,

The end of the year is an opportune time to take stock: to consider where we are today, our vision for the future, and how we’re going to get there. There are a lot of changes in the works at NYCHA, with more to come. Every employee has a hand in NYCHA’s progress, and our transformation efforts are being recognized, as you’ll see below.

NYCHA Employee Receives Public Service Award

We’re pleased to announce that Denise Guess, Manager of the Citywide Initiatives unit in the Resident Engagement Department, received a 2019 Isaac Liberman Public Service Award. Sponsored by The Hundred Year Association of New York, the award recognizes her efforts to significantly enhance the prestige of the City in the eyes of the public. A NYCHA employee for over 13 years, Denise currently manages a team that engages residents on initiatives spearheaded by NYCHA, sister City agencies, and non-profit organizations. Denise once said, “The most rewarding part of my job is connecting residents to services and seeing the end result,” a testament to how much she enjoys making a difference in our communities.

NYCHA’s Section 8 Program Scores an “A”

For the fourth year in a row, NYCHA’s Section 8 program – the country’s largest – has been recognized as a “high performer” by HUD, the highest designation possible. Every year, HUD reviews all the Section 8 programs in the nation through its Section 8 Management Assessment Program, and NYCHA again scored above 90 percent for the years 2017 and 2018. Kudos to the Leased Housing Department for its commitment to providing excellent service to both residents and landlords.

Staff Appointments and Promotions

Daniel Greene was appointed Chief Compliance Officer. Since April, Daniel has served as Acting Chief Compliance Officer, overseeing efforts to ensure that NYCHA meets its legal, regulatory, and ethical responsibilities. Prior to joining NYCHA, he was General Counsel of the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery and Senior Counsel at the New York City Law Department.

Jacqueline Hernandez was appointed Corporate Secretary. Prior to serving as Acting Corporate Secretary since July 2018, Jacqueline was Senior Advisor/Executive Assistant to the Corporate Secretary since 2011. She joined NYCHA’s Law Department in 2003, rising through the ranks from Agency Attorney III to Assistant Chief to Chief. Before launching her career in public service, Jacqueline worked as counsel for insurance carriers and private law firms.

Jeffrey Lesnoy started last month as Controller. A financial leader with over 30 years of experience, Jeffrey most recently served as Vice President and Controller at Siemens; he was previously Senior Vice President and Controller at AIG Credit. His experience driving process improvements and raising billions of dollars of capital will be invaluable as NYCHA transforms its properties through the PACT initiative and strengthens property-based budgeting.

DaVida Rowley-Blackman joined NYCHA as the Senior Advisor to the Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships. DaVida held leadership roles at City agencies such as the Parks Department and the Human Resources Administration (where she helped implement the Jobs-Plus initiative at 27 NYCHA developments), and she’ll help ensure the continued success of NYCHA’s REES, Family Partnerships, Resident Engagement, Community Development, and Health Initiatives departments.

Thank you for putting residents at the center of everything we do. Together, we’re making a difference for New Yorkers and our organization.

Sincerely,

Greg Russ
Chair & Chief Executive Officer

Vito Mustaciuolo
General Manager