A NEW PUBLIC HOUSING BOSS?

Housing Authority plans to negotiate a salary with its top choice to succeed veteran Executive Director Laura Glynn

By Mark E. Vogler

Katelynn M. Lemieux said she is giving up her part-time housing authority administrative duties in several communities to become the next full-time executive director of the Saugus Housing Authority, succeeding Laura Glynn – a beloved director who is resigning from the position she’s held for more than 10 years. “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Saugus Housing Authority as its newest Executive Director,” Lemieux said in a statement to The Saugus Advocate this week.

“I am eager to work with the well-respected Laura Glynn, engage with the residents, staff, Board of Commissioners, and community partners. I couldn’t be more blessed,” she said.

Lemieux, who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Wilmington Housing Authority and a consultant for the Amesbury/Merrimac Housing Authority, said she plans to begin her new job by mid-March. But Lemieux needs to negotiate a contract and have it approved by the state before her appointment is official.

The Saugus Housing Authority voted 5-0 at Wednesday’s meeting to begin contract negotiations with her. Authority Chair William Stewart and member Maureen Whitcomb said they plan to meet with Lemieux next Tuesday (Feb. 20) to begin the negotiations. The position was advertised with a salary of up to $112,000 a year – but Lemieux is unlikely to get the full amount. The negotiations will also involve benefits and work schedule.

“With immediate plans of relocating closer to the Saugus community and my resignation from various boards, I am truly dedicating myself to the Saugus Housing Authority,” Lemieux said.

“Until recently, I volunteered my time as a housing advocate, a Board Member of the Amesbury Affordable Housing Trust, a Board Member of Community Action, Inc., and secretary of the North Shore Housing Executive Directors’ Association (NSHEDA),” she said.

Previous to Wilmington and the Amesbury/Merrimac Housing Authorities, Lemieux has worked with the Melrose Housing Authority and other Housing Authorities throughout the North Shore as a consultant. “Serving as a consultant has allowed me to serve at all program levels and sit in every seat at a Housing Authority,” Lemieux said.

“I help with training, I get hands-on with my staff, I know what a reasonable workload is, and I know when to pitch in when it is needed,” she said.

The best of three candidates

Lemieux is one of three candidates who were interviewed by the Housing Authority last month. Also seeking to succeed Glynn were Maria Medeiros, the former executive director of the Middleboro and Needham Housing Authorities, and former Swampscott Housing Authority Executive Director Irma Chez. The Authority met in executive session last week (Thursday, Feb. 8) to discuss who was the best-qualified person for Saugus. Lemieux said she received a call after last week’s meeting, letting her know that she was the Authority’s choice.

“She was far more qualified than the other two,” Stewart said in an interview after Wednesday’s (Feb. 14) meeting.

“The other two had very little experience. Katelynn has quite a bit of experience. She also is a consultant in different communities in the Merrimack Valley. The other two didn’t have enough experience to jump into the executive director’s job,” Stewart said.

In her statement to the newspaper, Lemieux said she is bringing eight years of experience in property management and housing experience to the executive director’s position. Having worked as an Administrative Assistant/Receptionist for the commercial and residential property management company Ozzy Properties enabled Lemieux to learn and understand the importance of customer service, she said. “I acted as the liaison between existing/potential tenants and members of property management to ensure that every individual felt heard and received the highest quality of customer service,” Lemieux said.

Lemieux cited a quote from former U.S. Rep Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat who represented New York’s Fourth Congressional District from 1997 to 2015: “Public housing is more than just a place to live, public housing programs should provide opportunities to residents and their families.”

“Believing in that sentiment, I look forward to contributing to and improving the authority’s portfolio and enhancing the lives of our residents,” Lemieux said.

“Given my talents in leadership, collaboration, and community engagement, I believe that the position of Executive Director is the ideal opportunity to utilize my abilities and continue the success of the Saugus Housing Authority,” she said.

The Katelynn Lemieux Resume

  (The following are highlights from application material submitted by Katelynn Lemieux to the Saugus Housing Authority.)

EXPERIENCE

• Tenant selector, Georgetown Housing Authority – April 2022–Present. Screening of applicants and tenant selection
• Executive Director, Wilmington Housing Authority Jan. 2022–Present. Directed a part-time office with three employees. Managed a total of 69 units of elderly/handicapped housing, 13 units of family housing and 11 housing choice voucher program units
• Public Housing and State Voucher Coordinator, Melrose Housing Authority, Aug. 2020–March 2022. Oversaw 305 units of state-aided elderly/disabled housing, 17 units of state-aided family housing
• Consultant, LHA’s of Massachusetts, May 2019–Present. Trained staff on the State-Aided Public Housing Applicant Waitlist, CHAMP
• Housing Manager and Tenant Selector, Amesbury and Merrimac Housing Authorities, July 2017–July 2020. As the housing manager and tenant selector, oversaw 297 units of state elderly/disabled and family housing programs in Amesbury and Merrimac
• Administrative Assistant/Receptionist, Ozzy Properties, Feb. 2016–July 2017. Acted as a liaison been existing/potential tenants and members or property management

FISCAL MANAGEMENT

• Experience overseeing $2.5-million in budgets
• According to the Saugus Housing Authority’s Annual Plan, it has a state budget of nearly $1.6-million

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

• Experience overseeing $2.8-million of Capital Improvement Projects

PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

• Nearly eight years of overseeing and working with a staff of at least seven employees

KNOWLEDGE OF STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS

• Massachusetts Public Housing Administrator (MPHA) Certification and Public Housing Manager (PHM) Certification Training Completed

WORKING AND FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF THESE PROGRAMS

• State-aided Public Housing Programs
• Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
• Project Based Section 8 Vouchers
• Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP)
• Department of Mental Health Vouchers (DMH)

EDUCATION

• Massachusetts Public Housing Administrator (MPHA) Certification
• Northern Essex Community College: Completed these courses – Introduction to Human Services, Introduction to Psychology
• High School Diploma: Pentucket Regional High School, West Newbury, Mass., May 2007
• High School Dual Enrollment Program: Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Fla., Dec. 2006

• High School Education: Sebastian River High School, Sebastian, Fla., Sept. 2003-Dec. 2006.