NYCHA CEO Delivers Keynote at Commercial Observer’s Public Projects Forum
On June 18, NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt delivered a keynote address at the Commercial Observer’s Design and Construction Public Projects Forum, which brought together hundreds of housing professionals at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan to discuss the innovative public projects shaping our city’s future.
CEO Bova-Hiatt discussed the challenges confronting New York City’s public housing, as well as the innovative solutions that NYCHA is implementing to improve residents’ homes and quality of life, such as the PACT, Trust, and Comprehensive Modernization initiatives.
“The crux of NYCHA’s issues stem from this simple reality: the majority of our buildings are more than a half century old, and they suffer from nearly $80 billion in capital needs following decades of federal disinvestment from public housing across the country,” CEO Bova-Hiatt said in her speech. “We need a new path forward to ensure a stronger and more sustainable future for NYCHA, so that it can continue to serve New Yorkers for another century and beyond.
In outlining how she and her colleagues are working to transform the Authority, CEO Bova-Hiatt said: “This is indeed a pivotal moment, and NYCHA’s stakeholders are coming together to address the challenges. NYCHA’s transformation is an extraordinary undertaking, especially considering our age and our scale, and we are passionately committed to moving forward and making progress, in service to residents and the future of this great institution…we are, essentially, reimaging what NYCHA can be, with resident engagement at the core of our efforts.”
Other leaders providing keynote speeches at the event included Michael Garner, Chief Diversity Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, and Jamie Torres-Springer, President of MTA Construction and Development.
The Commercial Observer is a prominent media company offering news and information about the commercial real estate industry, and it generally hosts several events every year dedicated to the ways that design and construction are transforming the urban environment.
Photos courtesy of the Commercial Observer/Berman Group.
