Updates from the CEO – Spring 2025
Dear Colleagues,
As we settle into spring, I’d like to take a moment to update you on some recent news across the Authority.
New Leadership Appointments
Erin N. Villari joined NYCHA as Chief Administrative Officer in February. In this role, she oversees administrative services such as human resources, building services, and the Customer Contact Center, as well as information technology and procurement. With a deep interest in social service delivery through public-private partnership, Erin began her career in New York City government over two decades ago as an intern in the NYC Department of Homeless Services, where she served in various roles across budget and finance in her 10-year tenure at the agency. She subsequently served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of Finance in the NYC Department of Social Services and the Chief Strategy Officer in the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. Most recently, Erin served as the Deputy Comptroller for Administration at the Office of the New York City Comptroller.
Prior to joining City administration, Erin worked as a New York City public school teacher in Washington Heights as a Teach for America corps member and directed school-age and preschool children’s programs at a non-profit community center in Portland, Oregon. Erin is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she received her MPA with a focus in public finance. She received a BA with highest honors in American and women’s studies from the University of Virginia. She lives on Long Island with her husband, three children, and dog.
Scott Bryant is the new Vice President of Strategic Services in the Asset and Capital Management Division (A&CM). Dylan Baker-Rice, who was serving as Acting VP of Strategic Services for the last few months in addition to Deputy Chief Asset and Capital Management Officer, is now fully focused on the latter role. As VP of Strategic Services, Scott oversees five A&CM teams: Capital Planning and Administration, Project and Operational Excellence, Business Intelligence, Vendor and Contract Management, and Business Operations. He aims to strengthen operational effectiveness, cross-department collaboration, and value-added services across A&CM.
Scott brings 25 years of government and related experience to NYCHA. Most recently, he held roles with several technology startups, including as an Engagement Manager for the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, overseeing development of an inspections management system, and as a Client Director for a no-code application development solution provider, managing state, local, and federal portfolios. His startup experience involved coordinating with the City of New York and other jurisdictions on recent initiatives like NYC Food, NYC Cupid, and rent relief/homeowner assistance. Before that, Scott spent nearly a decade with the City of New York, primarily with DCAS, where he worked in procurement, fleet management, sustainability, and other areas. As Productivity Officer, he drove agency-wide process efficiencies. As the Executive Director for Strategic Performance and Innovation, Scott led business analytics, IT implementation, program administration, project management, and emergency management logistics regarding Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Maria. At these and other roles at DCAS, he regularly collaborated with agencies like the NYPD, FDNY, DSNY, and Parks on citywide initiatives, including the Citywide Vehicle Fuel Management System. Previously, Scott served on Capitol Hill, working for the State Department and with the Department of Defense. He holds an MA in strategic studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a BS in communications from Northwestern University.
Jana Pohorelsky was appointed Chief of Staff to Chief Operating Officer Eva Trimble in February. Before joining NYCHA, Jana was Vice President of Government and Community Relations at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where she worked on community development, affordable housing, and job growth within industries such as the green economy, technology, and life sciences. She began her career in homeless services and policy at NYC-based nonprofits, including Project Renewal and Community Solutions.
Jana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She was born and raised in Brooklyn.
Earlier this year, Mayor Eric Adams appointed Joan Tally to the NYCHA board. Joan is a community development professional with a 30-year career financing affordable housing, having worked in each of the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She brings a passion for collaboration, mentorship, and building partnerships to her current work in consulting and non-profit board service.
Until her retirement in March 2024, Joan was Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Morgan Stanley’s community development finance business. She joined Morgan Stanley in 2014 to help lead and expand production of community development loans and investments with a particular focus on building Morgan Stanley’s presence in New York City and New York State, with affordable housing agencies and wider industry partners. As COO for the business, she oversaw internal and external business relationships, operations, and day-to-day administration. From 2001 to 2014, she held positions of increasing responsibility at the New York City Housing Development Corporation, one of the nation’s largest municipal housing finance agencies, eventually serving as Executive Vice President for Real Estate and Chief of Staff, where she directed real estate lending and asset management activities for a multifamily portfolio of more than 1,000 developments with over 250,000 apartments. Joan’s previous experience includes planning and development work at the Manhattan Borough President’s Office and with Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC. Joan is a member of LISC’s New Markets Tax Credit Advisory Committee and previously served as Chair of the LISC NYC Local Advisory Committee. She also serves on the board of Settlement Housing Fund, Inc., a New York City-based non-profit affordable housing developer that prioritizes resident outcomes. Joan received a Master of Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts from CUNY’s Hunter College.
Organizational Changes
As part of our transformation efforts, we are continually looking at ways to strengthen our organization, to improve how we work and our delivery of services to residents. For instance, our Environmental Health and Safety team – which previously reported to me – is now housed under the Chief Compliance Officer on an interim basis, to streamline critical work that tangibly impacts residents’ quality of life.
Policy direction and oversight of language access services and American Sign Language (ASL) services is moving to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). Dedicated staff in ODEI’s Reasonable Accommodations Unit will coordinate the Authority’s provision of ASL services for residents, Section 8 voucher holders, and applicants, handling them as reasonable accommodation requests. ODEI can be reached at 212-306-4468 or odei@nycha.nyc.gov. The Language Services Unit, which coordinates translation and interpretation across the Authority, remains within the Department of Communications. Additionally, oversight of employee reasonable accommodation requests has transitioned from HR to ODEI; employees seeking a reasonable accommodation can email emp.rar@nycha.nyc.gov for more information and assistance.
Grants support for NYCHA grant submissions has moved to RSPI’s Office of Resident Initiatives under the leadership of Shanna Castillo, Senior Director, Resident Initiatives; Carly Wine, Senior Strategic Project Manager; and Christina Kata, Grants Support Specialist. Please reach out to this team if your department is interested in pursuing public grants and needs additional project management and hands-on support. They may also reach out to your team if they come across a grant opportunity that may be worthwhile to pursue. Last year, Resident Initiatives, in partnership with RSPI and Operations program units, helped secure $12.6 million in public funding to support NYCHA operations and resident programming – and we’re always looking at ways we can obtain additional funding for NYCHA communities.
Engage with the CEO
As part of our “Coffee with the CEO” series, I meet informally with small groups of employees from across the Authority to discuss how we can work together more effectively to achieve our goals as an organization. If you’d like to participate, please complete the information here. Participants are chosen randomly, and you’ll be contacted if you are selected.
Do you have a general question about NYCHA? You can send your questions to AsktheCEO@nycha.nyc.gov and check NYCHANow and Connect to see if they were selected to be answered as part of our “Ask the CEO” column. Please be advised that featured questions will be published with the names of the employees who submitted them.
Thank you for all that you do – I am proud to work alongside you each and every day as we strive to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. In these uncertain times, there is one thing that I am entirely certain of: thanks to your dedication and determination, together we will overcome any challenge that comes our way!
Sincerely,
Lisa Bova-Hiatt, Chief Executive Officer
