PHADA and Rutgers Announce 2026 Class of Executive Director Education Program (EDEP) Graduates

PHADA and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, are pleased to announce the 2026 graduating class of the Executive Director Education Program (EDEP). PHADA and Rutgers congratulate the graduates on this extraordinary achievement and wish them continued success in their careers as housing professionals.

The 2026 graduates were celebrated at a luncheon during PHADA’s 2026 Commissioners’ Conference in Tampa, FL, on January 6. The video of the Class of 2026 Graduation speaker, Oscar Durán, Executive Director, Municipal Housing Agency of Council Bluffs (IA)., can be viewed here.

2026 EDEP Graduates

• Clarisse Adams, Executive Director, Okolona Housing Authority
• Melissa Berrien, Director of Resident Services, Rochester Housing Authority
• Teresa Bethea, Executive Director, Maxton Housing Authority
• Amanda Bone, Executive Director, Montgomery County Housing Authority
• Vicki Bonilla, Executive Director, EL Campo Housing Authority
• Catherine Bowler, Executive Director, Laconia Housing Authority
• Lisa Y. Brown, Assistant Executive Director, Housing Authority City of Alton
• Sybil Bullock, Chief Housing Officer, Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority
• Jose Capeles, Interim Director of Asset Management/Policy and Program Planning and Implementation Manager, Grand Rapids Housing Commission
• Brian Carter, Deputy Director, Shelbyville Housing Authority
• LaTonya Coley-Mckenly, Executive Director, Deerfield Beach Housing Authority
• Lanesha Combs, Vice President of Housing Operations, Fort Worth Housing Solutions
• Sierra Daniels, Executive Director, Housing Authority City of Mt. Vernon
• Shenae Draughn, President, Elm City Communities/New Haven Housing Authority
• Oscar Durán, Executive Director, Municipal Housing Agency of Council Bluffs
• Zackary Dye, Executive Director, Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Joyce Edwards, CEO, Ripley Housing
• Datanis Elias, Deputy Director of Occupancy and Admissions, Lawrence Housing Authority
• LaMont R. English, Chief Executive Officer, Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Lesley Foxx, CEO/Executive Director, Saginaw Housing Commission
• Robert Greathree, Executive Director, Columbus Housing Authority
• Robert Francis Hayes, Ph.D., Executive Director, Housing Authority of Corbin
• LaTrinda Peoples Hoyett, Executive Director, Tarrant Housing Authority
• Steven W. Hoyt, Property Manager, Bessemer Housing Authority
• Mandala Jones, CEO, Housing Authority of Clayton County
• Bryan D. Lewis Sr., Deputy Director, Crestview Housing Authority
• Thomas G. Mackin, Esq., Chief Administrative and Legal Officer, Lucas Metropolitan Housing
• Chloe Mansfield, Finance Manager, Ozark Housing Community
• Melody McClurg, Executive Director, Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Frank Miller, Director of Affordable Housing, Oklahoma City Housing Authority
• Emily Murphy, Executive Director, Sunbury Housing Authority
• Curtis Myers Jr., Deputy Director, Housing Authority of the City of Elizabeth
• Eboni Nugin, Executive Director, River Rouge Housing Commission
• Sharita Oates, Interim CEO, Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro
• Stacy Ollendick, Senior Programs Coordinator, Charles City Housing & Redevelopment Authority
• Charles Parks, Assistant Director Housing Choice Voucher Program, Oklahoma City Housing Authority
• Maggie Perez, Executive Director, Florence Housing Authority
• John Ritter, Executive Director, Bethlehem Housing Authority
• Lysandra M. Shaw, Executive Director, Newport News Redevelopment & Housing Authority
• Rosemary Steele, Executive Director, Thomasville Housing Authority
• Tamica Sutton, Executive Director, Mount Clemens Housing Commission
• Kristen Sutton-Blatchley, Director of Operations and Finance, Hocking Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Kimberly Taylor, Chief Operations Officer, Ripley Housing Authority
• Danielle Thomas, Senior Vice President / Chief Operating Officer, St. Petersburg Housing Authority
• Omar Tompkins, Executive Director, Russellville Housing Authority
• Cynthia Valles, CFO, Housing Authority of the City of Odessa
• Nikki Vazquez, Executive Director, Jamestown Housing Authority
• Cecil Williams, Executive Director, Crestview Housing Authority
• Richard Wymer, Executive Director, Columbiana Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Zena Zahran, Executive Director, Housing Authority of the City of Washington, Georgia

The PHADA-Rutgers University Executive Director Education Program (EDEP) provides a comprehensive approach to professional development for housing authority executive directors and has helped participants from around the country stay current with industry standards and gain new insight into the profession for more than a decade. Classes reinforce the technical, managerial, and strategic competencies required of a successful executive director, blending theoretical concepts with practical problem-solving techniques. The program examines critical functions that serve to define the executive director’s position and provides a structured environment in which mid-career professionals can hone their management skills and enhance their knowledge. Participants complete the rigorous 10-course curriculum over a period of 18 months.

Learn more about the EDEP Program here.

About PHADA

PHADA’s 1,900 member housing agencies represent over 1.9 million low-income housing units throughout the United States. Our members manage small, medium, large, rural, and urban housing authorities that run programs including public housing, housing choice vouchers, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), and a variety of other innovative public-private partnerships. The Association provides its members with important information, professional development, and advocacy to help them administer adequate, safe housing for those in need across America. PHADA also works closely with members of Congress in efforts to develop sensible and effective public housing statutes and obtain adequate funding for low-income housing programs, in addition to advocating before the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on a variety of regulations governing public housing nationwide.

About Rutgers

The Center for Government Services (CGS), a unit of the Division of Continuing Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has been providing timely and relevant training for state and local officials for more than 60 years. With a mission to improve the knowledge, competency, and professionalism of state and local government officials and employees, CGS (with its partner the Center for Executive Leadership in Government) trains more than 8,000 individuals each year through 22 programs that include more than 850 individual course, seminars, and conference.