NYCHA Technology Leaders Honored at GovTech 2023

NYCHA’s Information Technology team was well represented at the most recent iteration of the Digital New York City Technology Forum (or as participants call it, “GovTech”), held at the New York Marriott Hotel at the Brooklyn Bridge this past November.

GovTech is an annual conference which brings together tech-focused public-sector professionals and leading industry partners to connect on innovative approaches, discover new technology possibilities, and get inspired. This year, members of NYCHA’s IT team spoke about the Authority’s efforts to promote digital equity, inclusion, and accessibility for NYCHA’s residents, and NYCHA Client Services Manager Jonathan Wasserman was honored with a “Best of New York City” award for Outstanding IT Client Service.

NYCHA’s Director of IT Strategy and Partnerships Kirsty Jardine was a featured speaker on the “Bridging the Divide: Advancing Digital Equity and Accessibility for All” panel, a session aimed at providing attendees with “foundational knowledge on how to drive digital equity and accessibility forward” and to show them “the great work that is being done in New York City to improve the equitable use of technology.” Together with her NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) colleague David Seliger, Ms. Jardine discussed NYCHA’s efforts in a range of public policy areas, including the City’s efforts to increase NYCHA residents’ access to broadband internet services.

“That panel was wonderful!” recalled Ms. Jardine. “My colleague Dave from HPD is a great partner for such discussions, and there are a lot of wonderful synergies today between NYCHA and HPD to talk about together. The City has been working to bridge the digital divide by creating informal partnerships among its agencies to share knowledge of what people are doing in the digital space. It’s a very new niche, we’re kind of all trailblazers, and it’s so nice to have a forum like GovTech to talk about the strategies and the collaborations we’ve been working on.”

GovTech 2023 was also the forum for the recognition of the efforts of NYCHA Client Services Manager Jonathan Wasserman, who was honored with a “Best of New York City” award for Outstanding IT Client Service. The award citation praised Mr. Wasserman’s “outstanding contributions to the New York City Housing Authority,” including “years of unwavering dedication and service” as the “go-to IT expert for so many,” as well as his “unique blend of technical proficiency and a genuine client service spirit” which “has enabled him to excel in his role, with customers placing their trust in his expertise.” The tribute concluded by saying that “Jonathan Wasserman’s remarkable career at NYCHA and extraordinary commitment to customer service and innovative contributions make him the ideal candidate for the IT Client Services Award. His dedication to both technology and serving clients is an inspiration to all.”

Mr. Wasserman said that winning the award had come as a complete surprise: “I had no idea that I was even a contender! I was actually working with a client when everyone else in the IT Department found out; I only learned about it at the end of the day, after my last meeting.”

How did it feel to be recognized in such a rare and effusive way before his colleagues? Wasserman spoke modestly but did allow that he had been pleased to receive the honor.

Mr. Wasserman said that the recognition “was nice – especially when people showed up for the ceremony who wouldn’t have been there otherwise.”

About his approach to customer service, Mr. Wasserman noted: “I think it is really just trying to treat people with dignity and empathy. Just trying to understand their situation, and letting them know that you’re on their side, and that you’re there for them. The key to great customer service is developing a relationship of trust, where the client can feel safe enough to bring up even the challenges that they might not normally bring up.”

For more information about NYCHA’s technology efforts, contact the Business Client Services team at it.bcs@nycha.nyc.gov.