JACKSONVILLE (Feb. 5, 2024) – The Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) had an emergency board Friday and appointed Vanessa Dunn as the agency’s Acting Chief Executive Officer for a 60-day period.
Dunn, who had been serving as JHA’s Chief Operating Officer for nearly two years, replaced Dwayne Alexander who resigned.
Prior to joining JHA, Dunn served as executive director of the Washington Housing Authority in Washington, North Carolina. She also served as Director of Housing Services for the Housing Authority of the County of Wake in North Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Johnson C. Smith University and a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina Central University. The JHA board will be meeting in the coming weeks to begin the process of selecting its next CEO.
“I want to thank my fellow board members for coming together today on short notice to address this leadership issue,” said JHA Vice Chair Heather Horovitz. “And I also want to thank Vanessa Dunn for her willingness to step up and lead the Authority at a time when we have so many exciting projects ahead of us.”
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About JHA
Established in 1994, JHA provides approximately 2,000 public housing and 1,000 affordable housing units to low- and moderate-income residents in developments and scattered sites around Jacksonville. JHA also administers about 8,500 housing choice vouchers. In addition, JHA administers several resident service programs, including homeownership programs, career training and self-sufficiency programming. The authority is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners who are appointed by the Mayor. For more information, visit www.jaxha.org.