November 23, 2011

Mayor Emanuel Announces Zaldwaynaka "Z" Scott as the New Chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority Board

Also nominates Carlos Ponce to CHA Board

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Mayor Emanuel announced today that Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott will be the new Chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) board, effective immediately.

“The Chicago Housing Authority’s board will play a crucial role in completing the Plan for Transformation and tackling the important challenges facing Chicagoans with affordable housing needs,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Z Scott has the track record of innovation as well as the experience needed to deftly lead this board.”

Scott will replace outgoing Chairman James Reynolds, who was named to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority board by Mayor Emanuel on November 18. Reynolds had served as Chairman of the CHA board since August 2010.

“Jim Reynolds served the CHA admirably during his tenure as Chairman of the board, and as a city we are thankful for his service,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Jim led the CHA through important reforms and advancements, and he will continue to advocate for reform in his new role on the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.”

Scott will oversee the ten-member board as Chairman; the members serve five-year terms. After Scott’s appointment, the board will have nine members and one vacancy.

Additionally, Mayor Emanuel announced today that he will nominate Carlos Ponce to be re-appointed to take the open seat on the CHA’s board that was vacated by Reynolds’ departure. Ponce served the CHA as interim CEO this summer, guiding the Authority before Charles Woodyard was named CEO in mid-October by overseeing revitalization of CHA properties and the implementation of new reimbursement policies for employees. Ponce had served on the CHA’s board from 2003 to 2011 before retiring to serve as interim CEO.

The Chicago Housing Authority currently provides public housing for more than 17,000 seniors and families and serves nearly 37,000 families in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The Plan for Transformation calls for completing 25,000 fully rehabilitated or renovated housing units by 2015, along with a complete integration of housing stock into the surrounding neighborhoods.

About Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott

Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott is currently a Partner at Kaye Scholar LLP. Previously, she was the Executive Inspector General for the Office of the Governor of Illinois, where she established and managed an internal compliance and investigative agency for Illinois government and Illinois public universities and worked closely with the state’s internal auditor and the Illinois Auditor General in matters related to integrity of state government functions. Previously, she was a federal criminal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office from 1987–2003, where she held various management positions, including chief of the General Crimes Section. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she served in the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. Scott was named to Illinois SuperLawyers in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

About Carlos Ponce

Carlos Ponce served on CHA's Board of Commissioners from 2003 to 2011. He resigned from the CHA Board of Commissioners in 2011 to serve as the interim CHA CEO for four months. He is also currently the Chief Executive Officer of Resonance Management and Technology Solutions, a strategic planning and change management consulting firm that focuses on helping clients align operational and human resources to achieve strategic objectives. Before that, Ponce served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Officer at Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and Chief Human Resources Officer at Chicago Public Schools, where he led the HR restructuring of the third-largest employer in Illinois. Ponce was born in Mexico and moved to Chicago at age four with his family. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

 

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