Vlada Kenniff Named First-Ever President of the Public Housing Preservation Trust
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that after an extensive search, Vlada Kenniff has been named the first-ever President of the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust. The Trust’s Board approved Vlada’s appointment at its September 7 meeting.
Vlada is a dedicated public servant with an in-depth understanding of NYCHA’s needs and challenges. Many of you may have had the opportunity to work with her directly during her more than six years at NYCHA, where she progressively rose to become the Senior Vice President for Sustainability in the Asset and Capital Management Division — demonstrating a commitment to improving the quality of life of NYCHA residents through her work. Prior to NYCHA, she spent over a decade at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection working on a range of projects, including water conservation, green infrastructure, and climate resiliency.
As President of the Trust, Vlada serves at the pleasure of the Board and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Trust, as outlined in the legislation which established it. She will be responsible for overseeing the executive and administrative functions of the Trust, including planning and developing the Trust’s core capabilities such as its ability to independently conduct financial operations and manage large-scale residential construction and rehabilitation projects — as well as building and leading the Trust’s communications, engagement strategies, and interagency relationships.
The Trust was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2022 following substantial advocacy from NYCHA and Mayor Eric Adams. As a fully public entity, the Trust will bring billions of dollars in federal funding to finance comprehensive renovations for thousands of NYCHA apartments, while always maintaining residents’ rights – including permanently affordable rent and keeping NYCHA properties 100 percent public.
As ex-officio Chair of the Board for the Trust, I’m excited to continue to work with Vlada to improve NYCHA campuses and quality of life for residents. Please join me in congratulating her on her appointment.
Sincerely,
Lisa Bova-Hiatt
Chief Executive Officer
About Vlada Kenniff
Vlada Kenniff, Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President for Sustainability in NYCHA’s Asset and Capital Management Division. In this role, she is responsible for leading NYCHA’s comprehensive Sustainability Agenda for the nation’s largest public housing authority, working toward a decarbonized future and healthier homes while leveraging ongoing and future capital work to provide training and hiring opportunities for NYCHA residents.
In the past several years, Ms. Kenniff has focused on transformative waste management programs such as procuring the first pneumatic system as a retrofit to an existing building, mechanical waste collection, and waste yard redesigns. In the clean energy space, Ms. Kenniff has been leading the work to transform heating and cooling through the Clean Heat for All Challenge and launching the NYCHA Clean Energy Academy and the ACCESSolar Program, which are focused on training and hiring NYCHA residents.
More recently, Ms. Kenniff has focused on raising funds for NYCHA through federal and state sustainability and resilience grants for necessities like tree care in NYCHA’s urban forest, micromobility charging infrastructure, and cooling and stormwater management on NYCHA’s campuses.
Prior to joining NYCHA in 2017, Ms. Kenniff spent over a decade at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection working on a range of water conservation, demand management, rate studies, green infrastructure, and climate resiliency projects. Ms. Kenniff earned her Ph.D. in information studies from LIU Post, an M.S. in city and regional planning from Pratt Institute, and a B.A. in environmental studies from Pace University.
