Adams Housing Authority Interviews Executive Director Candidates
ADAMS, Mass. — The Adams Housing Authority held a special meeting on Tuesday to interview two candidates for the executive director position.
The authority's Board of Directors interviewed William Schrade, maintenance director at the Pittsfield Housing Authority, and Tina Danzy, executive director of the Great Barrington Housing Authority. The chosen candidate will begin on July 1, replacing current Executive Director Patricia Volpi.
Schrade said the director position would be a significant career step for him. He said he has spent the last 13 years working his way up, starting at the North Adams Housing Authority, to his current position and hopes Adams can be his next step.
"I don't shy away from opportunities, and I think it's a great opportunity to be able to expand what I've learned and move forward," he said. "I'm a people person. My management style with the maintenance staff that I deal with is that I am not a micromanager, but I'm not a delegator. We either succeed as a team, or we fail as a team," he said.
Schrade said, if hired, his first priority would be getting to know and understand the staff and residents. He said he has an open-door policy and wants to discuss problems directly.
"The first couple days, right off the bat, is sitting down with my staff, trying to get a good understanding of what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, what are their concerns, what they like, what they don't like, how they handle certain situations," he said. "The next step would be, on my own time, would be to sit with the residents and schedule a meeting, sit down with them, introduce myself. And I like to try to make myself a little bit open."
Schrade said his work in maintenance taught him to make sure facilities are up to standard for inspections. He noted his strong relationship with the Pittsfield Board of Health and the Pittsfield Fire Department.
"If I tell them I'm going to get it done, I'm going to get it done," he said. "On the maintenance side, those are the people you do not want against you. Because if you lie, and I call it a lie if you have not fulfilled your obligation to what the Board of Health asked you, you can be in a world of hurt."
The biggest challenge of the new job, according to Schrade, will be getting an in-depth understanding of the housing authority itself and that will take time. He recognized the smaller staff in Adams necessitates taking on more responsibilities.
"Every housing authority is different," he said. "How Patti [Volpi] has done a budget compared to how I've done mine. Or some of the challenges that Patti has that I don't know that walking in. I think that is going to be the first challenge."
Danzy said the executive director position in Adams should provide a chance to grow and improve. She has taken several courses and training programs relevant to the job to bolster her credentials.
"I recently took a certified financial specialist course; I've taken site-based budgeting. I've also taken, years back, I did the Housing Choice Voucher Program. I've taken occupancy specialist; just so many. I've taken just about anything I've been able to get my hands on. I love to take classes, and I love to learn whatever else might be beneficial for my position," she said.
Danzy said acclimating to a new staff would be her biggest challenge as executive director. The housing authority employees in Great Barrington, according to Danzy, have been excellent in her time there.
"I got my staff where I want them," she said. "They're great. Everybody does what they're supposed to. We work well together. And I would miss them. They're starting to become part of my second family," she said.
Danzy said one aspect of the job she is excited for, if hired, is working with the Adams Council on Aging. The COA, which is in the process of moving to the former Memorial School Building, is located right next to the housing authority's Columbia Valley Housing for the Elderly site at 4 Columbia St.
"I probably will be very receptive because we have three sites [in Great Barrington], and one of my sites literally abuts the senior center," she said.
The board plans on holding another meeting on March 3 to discuss and decide on a candidate.
Tags: candidate interviews, Housing Authority,
