NYCHA Notables

Sibyl Colon

When Manhattan Administrator Sibyl Colon heard frantic knocking on her apartment door last fall, she rushed out of the shower to find her neighbor of 25 years collapsed in the hallway. After screaming for her son to call 911, Ms. Colon knew exactly what else to do. She applied CPR to the unconscious woman until the ambulance arrived.

“Had I not taken a CPR course right here at NYCHA, that lady would be dead,” Ms. Colon said emphatically. In an email to then-General Manager Cecil House, she noted, “I am so glad that I was able to recall what I had learned from that course to help save my neighbor’s life.”

Not long after, Ms. Colon happened to encounter Human Resources trainer Herman Rolle, whose course on CPR she had taken 15 years ago. “He was so happy to learn how I used his course and wanted to know all about it,” she said.

If these events sound dramatic, it’s only fitting. Readers may recall that Ms. Colon has a second career as a playwright and producer, and discussed her work on ABC’s “Here and Now” last year. “My plays are loosely connected to my life, so it may only be a matter of time before I use this experience,” she said.

David Farber

What’s next for someone who worked on record deals for artists like Run-D.M.Z., developed stadiums for the Staten Island Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones, negotiated the relocation of the Fulton Fish Market to the Bronx, and then led the transformation of the City’s Hudson Yards into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood in Manhattan’s far west side?

As explained in his recent profile in CityLand, the answer for David Farber, NYCHA’s EVP for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, was to play a leading role in NYCHA’s evolution into a 21st-century organization. David is among a notable group of professionals who were singled out by the New York Law School publication for contributions to building a better New York.

David was attracted to the position by both the complexity and scale of NYCHA’s mission and by his “strong belief in keeping New York’s affordable housing a key component in preserving the city’s diversity.” Under the leadership of Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye, the article notes, the Authority is looking for “new ways to fund its operation and engage with residents.”

You can read the full article, “NYCHA General Counsel David Farber on Meeting NYCHA’s Challenges,” at www.citylandnyc.

Eileen Cepeda

Growing up in Coney Island Houses made Eileen Cepeda determined to find a path toward  self-sufficiency. Doing her own online research, she found a free, eight-week HUD funded program that trained NYCHA residents for positions as administrative assistants. At the end of the training, the job placement officer thought she found the perfect match and referred Eileen to a position at NYCHA. Working as an assessment specialist for Resident Employment Services, Eileen enrolled residents into the NYCHA Resident Training Academy, where job preparation, training and placements are available.

“I understand why some residents feel that the odds are stacked against them,” she said. “When they hear my story, they can relate to me.”

Eileen is now using her background and training as a REES zone coordinator for the South Bronx, where she provides housing assistants with information that can help them connect residents to resources in their area that can set them on their own path to opportunities much like the one that Eileen found.

Elena Tenchivoka

When Elena Tenchivoka, project manager in Operations for Support Services, applied in 2011 to Civic Corps — the City’s branch of the national AmeriCorps program — she got lucky. Already interested in urban green initiatives, she was assigned to NYCHA, where Resident Green Committees were being formed.

“Working closely with concerned residents on environmental and energy issues that greened their development and cut NYCHA’s utility costs was really exciting and a great way to learn about working in a large organization,” Elena said. After graduating from Brooklyn College with a Masters in Urban Policy and Administration, Elena landed a job with her first choice employer, NYCHA, where she now manages the waste management recycling program. The program will launch a major recycling initiative this month.

In addition to a job at NYCHA, volunteering at Civic Corps led to another fortunate outcome for Elena —she met her husband, a fellow AmeriCorps volunteer, and was married last year.