Board of Directors

Dr. Jackie L. Newman is the Executive Director of Springfield Housing Authority. Under her leadership, she manages over 747 units of public housing and administers over 2,600 Housing Choice Vouchers. Springfield Housing Authority has self-developed, expanded, and diversified its HCV program. Dr. Newman served as Chief Executive Officer for Peoria Housing Authority from April 1, 2018 through June 30, 2022. Under her direction, PHA developed Providence Pointe, which is 140+ units of affordable housing using a variety of mixed financing methods.

Dr. Newman is actively involved in many local, statewide, and national initiatives, including serving on the boards of Housing Action Illinois, United Way of Central Illinois, and Member of Chicago Federal Home Loan Bank Advisory Council; she serves as President of Illinois Association of Housing Authorities (IAHA); President of the Illinois National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (ILNAHRO); incoming Sr. VP of the North Central Regional Council (NCRC) and is a member of the Board of Governors for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

Dr. Newman holds a Bachelor’s of Art in Management, a Master of Arts in Public Administration, and a Doctorate of Public Administration. Dr. Newman is a lifelong resident of the Springfield community where she resides with her husband, Pastor Roy Newman. In 2005, she and her husband, Pastor Newman, founded Fresh Visions Community Church. She is active in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and is involved in various ministries. She continues her love for gospel singing through the gospel ministry group, Pastor Jerry Jones & The Fantastic Jones Family.

Alan Zais has worked over 30 years with public housing programs. Serving as the Executive Director of NIReACH (formerly the Winnebago County Housing Authority), the Boone County Housing Authority, and President of the Winnebago Homes Association - his expertise and experience allows him to serve approximately 2,000 families with $160 million in redevelopment and new construction programs. These programs consist of HOPE VI, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Rental Assistance Demonstration, and USDA rural housing. NIReACH is a member of the MTW Collaborative and the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. He serves as the Illinois Governor’s appointee to the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s Affordable Housing Committee and the Illinois Reentry Task Force, the past chair of the NAHRO International Research and Global Exchange Committee, President of the North Central Regional Council of NAHRO and Senior Vice President of the Illinois Chapter of NAHRO, as well as the community boards of the RAMP CIL, Rockford Crimestoppers, and OSF College of Nursing. Mr. Zais holds a BA from Western Illinois University, an MPA through Walden University, and a Harvard University Kennedy School of Government graduate, Achieving Excellence in Community Development.

Kim Holman - Short has had a long and successful career in affordable housing, serving as the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Bloomington and the Housing Authority of McLean County. With 24 years of experience in that role, she has made significant contributions to these organizations and the communities they serve.

Kim’s involvement and contributions to various organizations and committees are truly remarkable. Her dedication to the affordable housing sector is evident through her extensive service. She has served on the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Board of Governors, Members Services Committee, Housing Committee, Steering Committee, and Housing America Campaign. She has also been a past president for the North Central Regional Council (NCRC of NAHRO) and the Illinois Chapter of NAHRO. She currently serves as Treasurer for ILNAHRO.

Kim’s commitment to NAHRO is further demonstrated by her participation on NAHRO’S Nomination and Election Committee and National Conference Planning Committee. In recognition of her outstanding service, she received the Charles A. Thompson Award for Distinguished Service by NCRC in 2010. As an Emeritus member of NAHRO and NCRC, her contributions continue to make a lasting impact.

In addition to her involvement with NAHRO, Kim has served on the Assisted Housing Risk Management Association and volunteered her time with organizations such as the United Way of McLean County and the Central Illinois Workforce Deveopment Board. She has also been actively engaged with local boards and committees, including her work on the City of Bloomington Human Relations Commission.

Lorraine Hocker has served as the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lake County Housing Authority since 2018. She is responsible for the administration of over three thousand, five hundred affordable and low-income housing units throughout Lake County, Illinois. Consists of Housing Choice Vouchers, Special Voucher Programs, and 495 Public Housing Scattered Site units, 7 Senior/Disabled buildings, and approximately 160 Scattered Site units, which are in the process of Section 18 Demo/Dispo. She has more than 23 years of affordable housing administration experience and has been a Licensed Real Estate Agent for eight years. Lorraine serves on various NAHRO Committees as well as participates in various housing and community organizations in the Lake/DuPage area. Lorraine received a B.S. in Management and is currently working on her MBA/MPA at NLU.

Latina Faulkner, a native of Chicago, has over 12 years of experience in the banking industry. With experience in data privacy regulations, fraud prevention, and cybersecurity protocols, she successfully contributed to a $4 trillion-dollar company. Being a part of a massive banking business, she continued her success by transitioning into the housing industry with Springfield Housing Authority. In addition to having a background in anti- money laundering compliance and risk management, she was able to receive many awards in the areas of home compliance, tax accounting, along with several other outstanding achievement awards. She also served as Springfield Housing Authority’s program integrity specialist, executive office administration, and currently, she serves as Springfield Housing Authority’s HCV Manager.

Jeff du Manoir began his journey in Housing in 2010 in Hamilton, Canada with a multi- year project of business process reengineering and then implementing a new housing management platform. He moved to America in late 2012 and rejoined the housing space in the summer of 2013 as the head of NEC Software Solutions’ North American business unit, overseeing customer support, implementation, and business development. Much of Jeff’s time is spent supporting Housing across Canada at the provincial and local level. Jeff also supports Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Healthcare as the primary verticals of NEC. Jeff chairs the NAHRO National International Research and Global Exchanges Committee, as well as serving as VP International for the NCRC NAHRO Region. Jeff is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.

Joe Grisson III is a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and respected community- focused leader with over 20 years of active involvement in public housing. After entering the community, he quickly established himself as a valuable liaison between the City of Aurora, community organizations, and the Aurora Housing Authority.

Joe is a versatile professional with a background in human services and communications, along with an MBA and pursuit of a Masters in Public Administration and Leadership (MPAL). He began his career at Fortune 500 companies from 1992 to 2005 before transitioning to entrepreneurship. Deeply engaged in the Aurora and Kane County communities, he serves on numerous boards, commissions, and panels, including Chairman of the Aurora Housing Authority since 2017. Joe is an Advisory Board Member for the Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry and Fox Valley Park District Commissioner.

Melissa Huffstedtler has served as Deputy Director of the Springfield Housing Authority since September 2005. Melissa started with the organization in 1999 as the Family Self- Sufficiency Coordinator. She briefly served as the Executive Director for Communities in Schools from 2002-2005 before returning to the SHA as Deputy Director in 2005. From 2018-2022, she served as Deputy Director of the Peoria Housing Authority Intergovernmental Agreement between the Springfield and Peoria Housing Authorities.

Melissa holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Melissa participates in a number of groups addressing poverty and homelessness. She serves on the YMCA Board of Directors and Heartland Continuum of Care Board and formerly served as Board Chair. She is an active member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), Illinois NAHRO and the North Central Regional Council of NAHRO.

Ron Clewer became a Market President for Gorman & Company in March of 2019. Prior to joining the Gorman & Company, he served as Chief Operating Officer of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, now Social Current, where he was responsible for operations of the National Operations Center in Milwaukee, WI and the Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. He was also charged with improving and advancing nonprofit human service sector outcomes through this strategic action network at a national scale.

He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Rockford Housing Authority & Bridge Rockford Alliance, providing affordable housing, advancing workforce initiatives, and innovative supportive services to more than 7,000 families annually.

Ron has more than 20 years of leadership experience and over 17 years of multi-use real estate development and asset management experience. Ron has been instrumental in developing creative community-building initiatives across the Midwest. He brings a vision and “can do” attitude to his work with a determination to merge the best practices for both private and public sectors. His passion lies in supporting quality; quality design, services and environments that cultivate and advance equity

With a Business Management degree from Benedictine University, he has received numerous awards for his leadership approach, pioneering community and neighborhood visions, affordable housing planning and operations, and legislative advocacy.

Dan Cruz is the Chief of Staff of the Chicago Housing Authority, a role he has held since 2021. He assists the Executive Office in overall agency operations and planning, focusing on intergovernmental affairs and community relations. Before joining CHA, he ran his own public affairs consulting practice, working on civil rights and philanthropic issues. His background also includes senior public relations roles at Ligado Networks, the U.S. Treasury Department, the General Services Administration, and the Massachusetts state government. He has worked on high-profile federal and local policy and regulatory issues throughout his career. He received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Northeastern University in Boston and was a University of Chicago Civis Leadership Academy Fellow.

Ms. Deb Alfredson, Deputy Director for Winnebago and Boone County Housing Authorities, and a Freedom of Information Act Officer, has worked in the social service realm for over 15 years. She has seen the need in providing housing as a foundational necessity. Deputy Director Alfredson has dedicated her professional career to the social service sector. Throughout her work, she recognized that housing is a fundamental component in providing individuals with the stability needed to overcome other barriers in their lives. This understanding has fueled her passion for advocating for affordable housing for all. Currently, Deputy Director Alfredson serves as the Vice President of Housing and Poster Contest for ILNAHRO, as part of her role as Deputy Director for the Winnebago and Bonne County Housing Authority. Her passion and experience for affordable housing is an unwavering priority for Deputy Director Alfredson.

Proudly hailing from Chicago, Angela West has been able to feel the pulse of many demographics. Launching her own radio show in 2012, Angela has been able to garner scores of thousands of listeners. Being an advocate in bridging the gaps in the Pan-African Diaspora movement, Angela is a proud recipient of the “Women as Bridge Builders” award from the United Nations Women’s Federation for World Peace. As a former Resident Religion Reporter for Chicago’s Voice Newspapers, Angela has been able to conduct interesting high-profile interviews that include former Nigerian President, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Ghanian King, Togbi Nyaho Tamakloe, Chicago Bulls athletes, and other influential leaders who wish to contribute to society in positive ways. Angela also worked in Education for 10 years on Chicago’s Westside and was instrumental in building partnerships with the Chicago Black Hawks as well as with the NFL Alumni. Angela has a very colorful and eclectic background. Never forgetting her church roots, Angela also worked with the National Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board which concentrated on outreach efforts in Liberia, Africa, Limpopo, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and more. Angela pursued her degrees in Communications, Media, & the Arts along with Interdisciplinary Studies from Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University. She regularly guest cohosts on various radio shows and enjoys providing inspiration and resources through empowerment groups and podcasts. Angela enjoys being a part of prayer groups, as she strongly believes in the power of prayer. An author, a mother, and the proud wife of Pastor Joshua West - Angela’s belief has always been - “When we respect each other, we can work together.”