Like This Trio, We Invite All Members to Get More Involved
PHADA President John T. Mahon.
During PHADA’s recent Washington meeting, I had the opportunity to appoint three new leaders to our governing Board of Trustees. I wanted to use this opportunity to share information about those dynamic individuals who have either participated in our Rutgers University Executive Director Education Program (EDEP) or previously served on one of our committees. Their designation illustrates how that kind of prior experience can lead to a Board appointment.
To say the least, there is much happening in our industry right now. At the same time, there is a lot of personnel turnover in the industry, and we are always looking for dedicated professionals to be active and engaged. With this in mind, please read more about PHADA’s newest leaders and see the additional information below on how to get more involved.
Zulieka Boykin, Housing
Authority of the County
of Monterey.
Zulieka Boykin is the CEO & Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey (CA). She oversees more than 1,800 affordable housing units and administers almost 5,000 Housing Choice Vouchers. With more than eighteen years of experience in affordable housing management and real estate development, she has successfully guided teams through major renovations and new construction projects.
Zulieka is a strong advocate for educational and housing programs that promote social and economic independence, such as the Family Self-Sufficiency and Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership programs. She played a pivotal role in administering a homeownership program that enabled low- to moderate-income families to purchase homes at affordable levels, fostering long-term stability and generational wealth. Zulieka holds two advanced degrees: an MBA with a focus in accounting and a Master of Management with a concentration in operations and human resources.
Mindy Cochran,
Arlington Housing
Works.
Mindy Cochran has been with the City of Arlington/Arlington Housing Works (AHW) in Texas for a total of 17 years, and in her current role as Executive Director of Housing since 2017. AHW is a voucher-only agency, administering more than 3,000 HCVs. The agency also has numerous other rental assistance programs, five different housing rehabilitation programs, and nine different homeless assistance programs.
As liaison to the Arlington Housing Finance Corporation, Mindy guided the creation or retention of over 1,500 units of affordable housing. She is active in her community including roles with TX Health Community Impact, Tarrant Leadership Council, United Way’s Financial Stability Partnership Committee and Resource Sharing Group Steering Committee, Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, and Good Shepard Community Church.
Mindy’s previous experience includes 4 years in housing non-profit management and 5 years in bank auditing. Mindy received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in management from Troy State University.
Oscar Durán, Municipal
Housing Agency.
Oscar Durán is the Executive Director of the Municipal Housing Agency of Council Bluffs and the Iowa Community Housing Alliance. In Council Bluffs, he oversees a portfolio serving nearly 1,100 households, while through Black Sailboat Community Development, he supports small-scale projects and nonprofit partners across the region.
For more than 15 years, Oscar has worked at the crossroads of housing and community development, leading efforts in affordable housing finance and development, neighborhood revitalization, nonprofit strategy, and coalition building. His experience spans both urban and rural communities, where he has partnered with residents, nonprofits, and local leaders to design creative, people-first solutions.
Durán earned a master’s in urban sociology with a focus on community development, where his thesis explored the performance of neighborhood development. Oscar said that housing is more than a service; it is a ministry to his community and a platform for evolving how practitioners approach grassroots neighborhood development.
We Welcome More of You
I want to thank these three professionals for agreeing to serve on the association’s Board. I know they will help successfully guide PHADA’s housing policy, legislative and professional development objectives well into the future.
As I mentioned above, we would appreciate having many more of you become involved with our various committees. You can read more about those opportunities here. Simply scan the QR code and send in your request and information. Also, please note we will have a nominating committee meeting in January to select Trustee nominees. If you like, please contact Membership Director Norma Bellew at: nbellew@phada.org for more information regarding that process. Thank you!