News

ARHA board promotes housing director as acting deputy CEO

By James Cullum
ARHA properties in Old Town, Alexandria. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

With its interim chief executive officer stepping down today (Friday), the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners has promoted its director of housing to help provide continuity of leadership.

ARHA’s interim CEO Rickie Maddox submitted her resignation last month, leaving behind Alexandria’s struggling housing authority nearly a year after its previous CEO Erik Johnson was fired for living in a public housing unit — and the organization’s nine-member board resigned and was replaced. Now, Board Chair Mark Jinks says that Janell Diaz, ARHA’s director of housing, has been appointed the acting deputy CEO.

“The ARHA Board has not yet selected a new Interim CEO,” Jinks told ALXnow. “Since Rickie Maddox’s last day is Friday and since a selection of a new Interim CEO by the Board has not occurred just yet, we needed to have senior leadership coverage of ARHA starting Saturday (June 20). Ms. Janell Diaz who is currently the Director of Housing Programs for ARHA (and manages the Housing Voucher Program) was appointed the Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ARHA to provide continuity of leadership coverage.”

Johnson is also suing ARHA for millions of dollars in damages.

ARHA owns and operates more than 1,100 housing units in Alexandria and administers the Housing Choice Voucher program to more than 1,600 residents in private properties citywide.

Maddox has been challenged with high staff turnover, delivering a budget, conducting unit-by-unit inspections of ARHA properties, and reorganizing rent ledgers, all while securing board approval for bond financing for redevelopment of the Ladrey Senior Hi-Rise apartment building in Old Town North.

After Maddox’s announcement, Jinks told ALXnow that the organization will conduct interviews for a new interim CEO and that the national search for a permanent CEO will likely start this month.

“Since we expect the hiring process for a new CEO to take about five months, the Board will need to hire an Interim CEO for that duration and has started the search process for an Interim CEO,” Jinks said.

The Alexandria Times was the first outlet to report this development.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.