Three NYCHA Residents Appointed to NYCHA Board
More than 500 applications to serve on the NYCHA Board were received from residents last year. Coordinated with the Mayor’s Office of Appointments, the extremely competitive application process selected three members to replace resident board members whose terms had all expired.
After reviewing applications and conducting a thorough interview process, the Mayor’s Office of Appointments has decided to re-appoint Victor González and appoint two new resident board members, Jacqueline Arroyo and Jacqueline Young.
In announcing the appointments, Mayor Bill de Blasio remarked: “No one understands the challenges and importance of public housing more than our residents and I’m proud to welcome Jacqueline Arroyo and Jacqueline Young, who will join Victor González to share their first-hand experiences and knowledge.”
Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye further commented: “These resident board members bring years of service as community leaders and their personal experiences to the table to help us improve the quality of life for all our residents. Resident input is critical as we continue to implement NextGeneration NYCHA, our long-term strategic plan to create safe, clean and connected public housing.”
In a message to staff, Chair Olatoye later thanked the two outgoing resident board members, Beatrice Byrd and Willie Mae Lewis, for their leadership and service.
Following are brief biographies of the three appointees.
Victor A. González was appointed as the first NYCHA resident board member in 2011 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and he was reappointed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2013. A public housing resident for more than 50 years, Mr. González currently resides in the Rabbi Stephen Wise Towers on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He is the former president of the Wise Towers Resident Association and also served as an alternate member of NYCHA’s Resident Advisory Board. Mr. González has worked extensively with advocacy groups, organizing workshop meetings for residents and supporting activities that impact not only his development, Wise Towers, but also the surrounding community. During his tenure as a NYCHA board member, he has worked to streamline maintenance requests for apartment repairs and improve family services for formerly homeless residents and senior citizens. Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Mr. González received his bachelor’s degree from Mercy College and served for five years in the U.S. Air Force, honorably discharged after reaching the rank of Sergeant of Security Police. Following his military service, he spent 33 years working for the United Parcel Service, retiring as international team leader in customer service in 2005.
Jacqueline Arroyo is a resident of Louis Armstrong Houses, where she attends Resident Association meetings and NYCHA town halls on initiatives such as the Rental Assistance Demonstration program and NextGeneration NYCHA, the Authority’s 10-year strategic plan. While raising two children, Ms. Arroyo has pursued a career in City service, working for 15 years for two City agencies. She is currently employed in the New York City Department of Education as a supervisor in the Office of the Auditor General, and she has also worked at high schools located in the South Bronx, Williamsburg and lower Manhattan. Prior to that, Ms. Arroyo was employed at the Health and Hospitals Corporation. She participates in parent associations at her children’s schools and in fundraising drives to fight diabetes and breast cancer. Ms. Arroyo holds an associate degree and a Bachelor of Science in business administration, both from Boricua College.
Jacqueline Young is a 30-year public housing resident currently residing at Lenox Road Houses, who raised two daughters as a single mother. Ms. Young served as president of the Lenox Road Houses Resident Association from December 2014 to January 2017. She has worked on behalf of formerly homeless and low-income individuals for the past 20 years at three not-for-profit agencies and presently serves as low income housing compliance manager at Comunilife, a community-based health and housing service provider. Prior to that, Ms. Young served as a property manager for Services for the Underserved and as a senior property manager at Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation. She is active on pastoral committees in her church and in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. Ms. Young holds an associate degree from LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, a certification in property management from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and a Registered in Apartment Management (RAM) certification from Boricua College.
