Mayor Nominates Minneapolis Public Housing CEO to Head Chicago’s Housing Authority

CHICAGO—Interim executive director and CEO of the Minneapolis Housing Authority Tracey Scott has been nominated by Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot to serve as CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority.

Scott has more than 25 years of experience working to expand access to housing for low-income across the country. She currently serves as the interim executive director and CEO for the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and previously held prior senior executive positions with the Atlanta Housing Authority.

City officials state that CHA’s Acting CEO James L. Bebley is expected to stay on as chief operating officer to the agency.

Scott became the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s interim executive director/CEO in August 2019. She had been MPHA’s deputy executive director since 2017, following a career at the Atlanta Housing Authority. The MPHA Board appointed Scott to the post on an interim basis following the departure of Gregory Russ, while it conducts a national search for the next permanent executive director. Russ left the MPHA to serve as the CEO of the New York City Housing Authority.

As VP of innovation and policy for the Atlanta Housing Authority, Scott developed agency-wide supportive housing programming and led the administration of the Section 8 voucher program serving more than 10,000 families.

“Tracey’s breadth of experience and dedication for improving public housing make her a perfect fit to lead the Chicago Housing Authority as we embark on our ambitious agenda to transform our city’s economic landscape,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Stable housing is a first step toward creating opportunity and building a future for Chicago’s communities, and I look forward to working closely with Tracey and the team at CHA to provide access to safe, affordable housing for all our residents.”

At the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Scott oversees a team of 300 to ensure the delivery of housing programs and services for more than 26,000 seniors and families. Under her leadership, the MPHA developed a new public housing community for homeless families, combined with services from the county. Scott also initiated MPHA’s first project utilizing tax credits in a $26-million rehab of a 184-unit property under HUD’s RAD program.