CHELSEA ANDREWS, HOC PRESIDENT / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2022 – PRESENT

Like the leaders who preceded her, current HOC President/Executive Director Chelsea Andrews brings a spirit of innovation, experience and passion to the task of heading an organization dedicated to providing affordable housing and supportive services to residents of Montgomery County. Since joining HOC in July 2022, Ms. Andrews has steered the agency through its ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, deployment of the innovative Housing Production Fund (HPF) and the 2023 opening of The Laureate and The Leggett, two major new apartment communities that have reset the bar for what affordable, mixed-income, multi-family developments can be.

Ms. Andrews oversaw development of a new Five-Year Strategic Plan and the articulation of the set of core values that will guide HOC’s way forward.

“I’m honored and proud to lead such a dedicated group of people who work so hard on behalf of our customers,” Ms. Andrews said. “I’m equally proud to be continuing the work of the women who built the foundation of this great organization over the years.”

JACKIE SIMON, HOC COMMISSIONER / CHAIR
2014 – 2023

Jackie Simon served on the Board of the Housing Opportunities Commission from March 2014 through June 2023. She has been a stalwart supporter of affordable housing throughout her life and career and has fiercely advocated for the rights and opportunities for people with disabilities. During her tenure as Chair from 2017 through 2020, HOC opened The Lindley, a new mixed-income, multi-family apartment community in Chevy Chase. Ms. Simon also oversaw the conversion of public housing units at the Elizabeth House, as well as the initial phases of development at Elizabeth Square – The Leggett senior housing complex. Ms. Simon also was at the helm for the critical pre-development planning of three innovative construction projects – Residences on the Lane, Hillandale Gateway and Wheaton Gateway.

Ms. Simon’s impact on HOC and its customers over the years has been immeasurable. She has been extremely interested in the Tony S. Davis Memorial Scholarship for HOC high school graduates. She championed the Fatherhood Initiative Program, which each year assists hundreds of men become better fathers. Importantly, she always has stressed the importance of ensuring that HOC’s resident services programs and real estate developments provide far more than the minimum requirement for accessibility by seniors and individuals with disabilities. 

SHAUNA M. SORRELLS,
LPA DIRECTOR 2016-2019; HOC CHIEF OF STAFF 2019

Although Ms. Sorrells was with HOC for less than four years, she left a lasting impact on our agency and on everyone with whom she worked. She was an expert in affordable housing issues, a role model for aspiring women leaders and a true professional who was driven by the passion to make a positive difference in our community.

As the Director of the Legislative and Public Affairs Office, Ms. Sorrells significantly raised HOC’s profile among stakeholders at all levels of government and throughout the non-profit community of Montgomery County. She expanded the scope and caliber of work of the LPA office and guided HOCP to embark on new fundraising endeavors, most notably the bi-annual Inspire Celebration. 

After her untimely passing, HOC and HOCP created the Shauna M. Sorrells Memorial Award, which is given at each Inspire Celebration gala to agencies and individuals who show the same dedication to improving the lives of the underserved as did Ms. Sorrells.

SALLY ROMAN, HOC COMMISSIONER / CHAIR, HOCP BOARD DIRECTOR
2007 – 2017

Sally Roman’s service on the Board of the Housing Opportunities Commission from 2007 through 2017 brought HOC a wealth of experience in housing and Montgomery County community issues. 

Prior to joining HOC, Ms. Roman spent 15 years at the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning, where she served as both a Master Planner for Housing and Demographics and the Department’s lead planner for housing issues. After retiring from Park and Planning, Ms. Roman worked very closely with the Montgomery County Council to update the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) Law. 

Under her leadership as Commission Chair from 2015 to 2017, HOC undertook significant development, redevelopment and modernization projects to ensure every Montgomery County resident has access to high quality, amenity rich, affordable housing. During Ms. Roman’s tenure, HOC launched the HOC Academy to expand tools and resources that help prepare HOC customers, both youth and adults, to excel in the classroom and the workplace.

Upon leaving the Commission board, Ms. Roman became a board director of HOC’s non-profit affiliate, the Housing Opportunities Community Partners, Inc. (HOCP), where she continued to use her experience and wealth of knowledge.

ANNIE B. ALSTON, HOC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
1971 – 2011

Ms. Alston joined HOC even before the agency was reorganized and rechartered in 1974. With 39 years of service, she was the longest-tenured employee. 

Ms. Alston began her long and outstanding career in 1971 as an intake and placement clerk. In 1980 she was one of 26 people selected from a national pool of 600 governmental employees to participate in a two-year Department of Housing and Urban Development Intergovernmental Executive Leadership Program. After receiving a Master’s Degree in Public Administration she was promoted to Assistant to the Executive Director/Human Resources Director (1983) and served in that capacity until 2001, when she was promoted to Chief of Staff. In January 2009, Ms. Alston made history by being the first woman to be appointed Executive Director of HOC, the role she held until her retirement in February 2011.

Her impact on HOC cannot be overstated. She developed and implemented numerous policies and programs ranging from the Personnel Policy and Customer Service Guidelines to Emergency Preparedness and the Executive Leadership Program. Thanks to her comprehensive work experience at all levels, from the front-line to executive staff, Ms. Alston was the best fit for the role of chief negotiator for HOC during the agency’s adoption of its first Collective Bargaining Agreement with the UFCW Local 1994 Municipal & County Government Employees Organization. Her experienced guidance also brought  HOC through the first difficult years of the nation’s Great Recession.

Ms. Alston’s commitment, sound judgment, leadership, diplomacy, empathy, and extensive knowledge of the agency were instrumental in HOC’s growth into a nationally recognized public housing authority and housing finance agency.

Dr. LILLIAN DURHAM, RESIDENT SERVICES DIVISION DIRECTOR
1987 – 2011

Dr. Durham enjoyed a distinguished career with HOC for more than 24 years after joining the agency in 1987 as a Resident Services Supervisor II.  Over the next 10 years, she worked under the tenure of the Division’s Director, Patricia Scissors. Together, these two women trailblazers implemented innovative programs that improved the lives of thousands of HOC households. 

It was during this period that the Family Self Sufficiency Program (FSS) and Permanent Supportive Housing Program (PSH) were introduced at HOC. Thanks to the advocacy, wisdom and experience of Dr. Durham and Ms. Scissors in the 1990s today’s FSS and PSH programs help hundreds of families each year.

Dr. Durham also can be credited with the formation of the Resident Advisory Board, which gives HOC residents the opportunity to engage in the planning and evaluation of HOC services and programs. The groundwork established by Dr. Durham has helped to ensure the ongoing activity of the RAB to the present day.

PATRICIA SCISSORS, RESIDENT SERVICES DIVISION DIRECTOR
1973 – 2001

Ms. Scissors had an illustrious 40-year career in nursing and social work. For 25 of those years, Ms. Scissors worked in various roles at HOC. She began as the coordinator for elderly programs in 1973. She was promoted to a Resident Services Supervisor position in 1981 and then appointed as the Resident Services Division Director in 1986, a role she would keep until her retirement in 2001. 

Under her direction, the Resident Services Division expanded from a small operation of just three people to a major resident resource service with 70 staff and $10 million in new funding from federal, state, county and private sources. Many of today’s programs coordinated by HOC’s Resident Services Division, such as the Family Self- Sufficiency Program, the Supportive Housing Program and others have their roots in Pat Scissors’ tenure as director.

Ms. Scissors was one of the founding board directors of HOC’s non-profit affiliate HOCP in 1999. It was quite innovative at the time, for a public housing authority to create a non-profit affiliate. By working with community leaders, Ms. Scissors and her fellow founding board directors demonstrated progressive vision on expanding the ways public and private entities can work together to increase the quantity and quality of social service programs for the underserved. Pat Scissors continued to volunteer as an HOCP board director for more than 10 years after her retirement from HOC.