NYCHA Employee Graduates from the NYC Leadership Institute
For nearly four months this past year, Ajene Eustace, Director of the Capital Projects Division’s (CPD) Construction Safety & Quality Department, spent one day a week discussing and learning with his colleagues across City government about how to lead organizational change at their agencies as part of the NYC Leadership Institute. Mr. Eustace joins other NYCHA graduates of the program, which is run by the City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).
“We learned a lot, both about ourselves and City government, through the seminars on leadership philosophies and management skills ,” Mr. Eustace remarked. “For instance, we learned how to create powerful and dynamic work teams. Through role-playing, we learned how to actively listen and manage difficult conversations with leaders and staff. I particularly enjoyed seminars on data analytics and resources to acquire, sort, and filter publicly available data.”
Mr. Eustace said that one of the best aspects of the Leadership Institute was the opportunity to present on the skills and insights acquired – which helped him become a better public speaker. His individual presentation focused on how to improve construction safety at NYCHA, and his group presentation involved how to foster racial equity in the policies, procedures, and hiring practices of another City agency.
“In addition, having a season-long relationship with gifted leaders from about 20 different City agencies means that I have a strong team assisting me in everything that I do here at NYCHA,” he noted. “My colleagues make great resources!”
Mr. Eustace joined NYCHA in 2014 as Deputy Director of CPD’s Quality Assurance Department. In 2018, he was promoted to his current position. “I love my work because we save lives everyday by ensuring that the hazards of construction are managed adequately on site to protect workers, the general public, and residents.” His department performs its mission by reviewing and approving contractors’ “site safety programs” and randomly auditing construction sites across the city.
He encourages colleagues who are interested in carrying out strategic change to apply to the Leadership Institute: “It is an experience you will never forget. The skills learned and relationships built will stand the test of time and make a positive impact on the lives of the people of this great city!”
