Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens
Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens serves as chief of staff to the mayor and oversees city programs and services that address quality of life in our community, including Neighborhood and Business Development; and Parks, Recreation, and Youth Programs; as well as the Police and Fire Departments.
She was the third CEO of Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility Inc. and previously was Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Syracuse from 2010 to 2013.
Deputy Mayor Owens currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Greater Syracuse HOPE, the Consensus Commission on Local Government Modernization, and the I-81 Community Stakeholder Committee.
In 2015 the Gifford Foundation awarded her “The Kathy” award in recognition of her commitment to establishing community-impacting advocacy.
A graduate of Syracuse University Deputy Mayor Owens is most proud of her role as wife to Shaun Owens and mother of Simone and Isaac.
Purpose Built Communities Vice President Mikki Anderson
Purpose Built Communities Vice President Mikki Anderson’s career has been focused on affordable housing development, community engagement and capacity building. In her role at Purpose Built Communities, she provides pro bono consulting and technical assistance to local leaders implementing Purpose Built’s proven neighborhood revitalization strategy designed to create a healthy, mixed-income neighborhood with pathways to prosperity for the lowest-income families.
Prior to joining Purpose Built Communities, Mikki served for more than 13 years as Vice President of Development for The Michaels Organization, one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of affordable housing. During her time at Michaels, she played an integral role in the development of more than 1,600 affordable and mixed income housing units.
Ms. Anderson received a bachelor’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University and completed extensive post graduate studies in housing and community development both at the University of Illinois at Chicago and through the Chicago Rehab Network’s award-winning Community Empowerment Series.
SHA Executive Director William Simmons
Syracuse Housing Authority Executive Director William J. Simmons Esq. is a native of the Bronx and has lived in Syracuse since 1975.
From 1986 to 1994 he was director of airport services at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. He served on the Syracuse City School Board as commissioner of education for eight years. Mr. Simmons also served as Common Councilor for the 5th District of Syracuse from 2000 to 2008, while employed in a production/supervisory post at New Process Gear. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University in 2004 and has been a member of the New York State Bar Association since 2006.
Mr. Simmons was named assistant director of Syracuse Housing in 2006 and executive director in 2007. He is responsible for overseeing 2,440 public housing units, 184 tax credit units, 97 units of affordable housing and the administration of contracts for approximately 3,600 rental units as part of the authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). His mission is to provide quality, safe, and affordable housing for those in need.
During his tenure at SHA, he has been responsible for projects such as building the 50 Homes of Syracuse to provide a path to home ownership for low-income families and a $7.2 million rehabilitation of the Leonard Buildings on West Onondaga Street. Most recent is Freedom Commons, a LEED Certified, mixed-income, development on Burt Street that provides emergency, transitional, affordable, and supportive housing to reduce recidivism and improve public safety. For 10 years Mr. Simmons has played a role in shaping New York State plans and community input on for the Interstate 81 viaduct that has divided SHA’s Pioneer Homes neighborhood since the 1950s.
He also is president of the New York State Public Housing Authority Directors Association. He also is on the boards of Public Housing Authorities Directors Association, Center for Community Alternatives, University Hill Corp., CenterState CEO and President of the Dunbar Association Board.
Blueprint 15 Interim CEO Stephanie Pasquale
Stephanie Pasquale is Director of Neighborhood Advancement for the Allyn Family Foundation. In that role, she works with government, nonprofit, community, and private partners on housing and neighborhood redevelopment strategies to support inclusive, thriving neighborhoods. She also is interim CEO of the new Blueprint 15, an organization charged with delivering on a bold vision for holistic revitalization of the East Adams Street neighborhood.
In her previous role as Commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development for Syracuse she was responsible for oversight of the department’s five divisions and more than 75 employees. That included administration of more than $10 million in federal, state, and local funding each year.
Before that she worked in housing and community development finance posts at Home HeadQuarters, Worcester Community Housing Resources and the United Way of Central New York.
Director Pasquale earned her Master of Public Administration and bachelor’s degree at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where she was an adjunct faculty member for more than 10 years. She is on the boards of Blueprint 15, Good Life Youth Foundation, Greater Syracuse HOPE, the Housing and Homeless Coalition of CNY, Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency, and Christian Formation at Plymouth Congregational Church. She also has served on the boards of Christopher Community Housing, Syracuse Northeast Community Center, Onondaga Early Childhood Alliance, Planned Parenthood, Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County and the HomeOwnership Center.