Opportunity, Transformation, and Excellence

On December 16, about 230 NYCHA staff came together at the NYPD headquarters’ cavernous auditorium to discuss “opportunity, transformation, and excellence,” the theme of the Quarterly Leadership Meeting.

Director of Community Development Leroy Williams kicked off the daylong event: “We’re bringing back this NYCHA tradition because it’s a great way to discuss where we are today, our vision for the future, and how we’re going to get there.” He asked staff to take a moment to reflect on the theme of the convening, noting that these concepts are “the fundamental steps of change: We seize an opportunity to transform in order to become more excellent. And that’s so relevant for where we are right now at NYCHA.”

Introducing his vision for the future and the work that lies ahead, Chair and CEO Greg Russ said: “Our job is to begin to build a new NYCHA. This is our chance, this is our moment. Bring your ideas to the table to do so. We’re going to pursue every capital dollar we need, and we’re going to engage each other in a different way to change this organization and adapt to the times and the needs.”

“The creation of a new NYCHA is going to be hard work,” Chair Russ continued, “and we’re going to have to move our resources around,” adding more resources to our developments. Chair Russ also said that NYCHA must make significant changes to improve the work order and procurement processes and reduce bureaucracy.

“Let’s create a new NYCHA together. You all have the experience to do this transformation work,” Chair Russ told staff. “You are a resource, you are really valuable, and let’s cash in on this resource in order to chart our course for the next 50 years. We are going to foster a workforce that is invested, present, and engaged. As Mayor Ed Koch once said, ‘I have always believed that public service is the noblest of professions if done honestly and done well.’”

General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo referenced some of the progress NYCHA has already made: bringing down the number and length of heat outages, getting recognized by HUD for the fourth year in a row for having a “high performing” Section 8 program, and getting approval from HUD to convert 62,000 apartments to Section 8 funding through the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). “Everyone at NYCHA is part of those successes,” GM Mustaciuolo said. “As the proverb says, ‘It takes a village.’ That means everyone in the village has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment. And we are that village.”

Chief Compliance Officer Daniel Greene gave an overview of the HUD agreement, discussing how it outlines residents’ rights and NYCHA’s responsibilities and promotes our partnership with the monitor. “The agreement requires us to be accountable and productive and transparent about our progress,” Mr. Greene said. He noted that through hard work and collaboration, three action plans related to the agreement have been approved by the monitor so far (on heating services, PHAS, and our plan for $450 million in State funding for boilers and elevators), we have set up three new departments (Compliance, Environmental Health & Safety, and the Quality Assurance Unit), and have created a way for residents and the public to submit complaints.

Staff then provided updates on NYCHA’s progress in five critical areas impacting residents: heat (Chief of Staff Joey Koch and Director of the Heating Management Services Department Javier Almodovar), elevators (Chief of Staff Joey Koch and Acting Director of the Elevator Services & Repair Department Richard Solivan), lead (Vice President of Healthy Homes Rassoul Azarnejad and Director of the Lead Hazard Control Department Raj Radhakrishnan), pests and waste (Director of the Department of Prevention & Intervention Strategies Elena Tenchikova), and mold (Senior Director of the Office of Mold Assessment & Remediation Vlada Kenniff).

Executive Vice President for Strategy & Innovation Eva Trimble discussed the organizational changes that are on the horizon: “We’re rethinking NYCHA from top to bottom, changing everything we do. We will spend the next six months thinking about what the new NYCHA will look like. The actual reorganization will take longer. It all starts with a vision and a strategy. We want to hear from you and residents about how to make NYCHA better.” Director of Strategic Planning Arvind Sohoni then had attendees visualize specifically how the Authority should look and feel five years from now.

Director of Employee Engagement Yvette Andino led the presentation of awards to the latest group of NYCHA Changemakers: City Research Scientist Emma Boundy (for her “diligence, excellent attention to detail, collaborative spirit, and unparalleled professionalism”), Community Coordinator Deneisha Wheeler (a “team player who is always willing to help her co-workers and go the extra mile to assist residents”), and Director for Performance Tracking & Analytics Sybille Louis (for creating a “work environment based upon transparency, collaboration, and a commitment to delivering the best possible services”).

The keynote speaker was Shaun Donovan, HUD Secretary and Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama administration and former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He described some of the successes public servants have accomplished, both in New York City and on the national level, thanks in part to innovative thinking. “I believe that public housing and NYCHA can be the place that you imagine it to be,” he said. “It can be a place that every family and community is proud of. You as public servants can achieve that.”