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Michelle de la Uz, Commissioner
 Michelle de la Uz has over twenty years experience in public and community service and became Executive Director of Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) in January 2004, after serving as Co-Chair of FAC’s Board of Directors. Michelle oversees the organization’s mission of advancing economic and social justice and comprehensive programs serving more than 5,000 low and moderate income people directly through the Fifth Avenue Committee and its non housing affiliates which have combined budgets of more than $10 million, real estate assets of over $100 million and a housing development pipeline of nearly 1000 units representing total development costs of more $400 million.
Under Michelle’s leadership, the number of multi-family, mixed use housing and commercial spaces under FAC’s management has more than doubled; the agency completed NY State’s first LEED Platinum supportive housing project and Brooklyn’s largest affordable LEED Gold project and the agency’s real estate development pipeline has increased by more than five fold. Additionally, FAC has been awarded the 2011 NY and National Non Profit Developer of the Year Award, 2010 American Planning Association NY Metro Paul Davidoff Award for Leadership in Housing and Equal Opportunity and 2009 Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Award, among many other awards.
Prior to FAC, Michelle was Program Director for the Center for Urban Community Services in Washington Heights and Harlem and oversaw social services in supportive housing for 400 low-income tenants with special needs. From 1995-99, Michelle was Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez’ first Director of Constituent Services and directed her South Brooklyn District Office. She was active in advancing transportation, environmental justice, waterfront/port development, immigration reform and employment policy initiatives. Michelle is the first in her working-class immigrant family to graduate from college, is a product of bi-lingual education, a former trustee of Connecticut College, and recipient of the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award. She is a Board member of the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) National Board, New Partners for Community Revitalization, Inc. and the former Chair of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, among others.
Michelle is an alumna of Connecticut College, Columbia University and of Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education Program. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Michael Hermann, and daughter Eliana Pilar.
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