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Deputy Commissioners' Mini-Biographies
Alexandra M. Sewell Alexa currently serves as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner for Communications and Federal Affairs. Alexa has been at HPD since November, 2006, and previously served as the Assistant Commissioner for Federal Legislative Affairs. Prior to joining HPD, she served as professional staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. In her five years on the Committee staff, Alexa served the subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, and Science, Homeland Security, and VA-HUD and Independent Agencies. Before coming to the Senate, Alexa worked for the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Department of Housing and Urban Development as a policy analyst. She received a B.A. from Georgetown University in history and government, and an M.P.P. from the University of Southern California in 1998.
RuthAnne Visnauskas RuthAnne Visnauskas is the Deputy Commissioner for Development at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. She has been at HPD since 2006, and previously served as the Associate Commissioner for Preservation and Assistant Commissioner for New Construction Finance. Prior to joining HPD, she was the Director of Housing for Clinton Housing Development Company, a non-profit affordable housing developer that works on the west side of Manhattan. She received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a MUP from New York University.
Kimberly D. Hardy
Kimberly D. Hardy, Deputy Commissioner of Community Partnerships, graduated from North Carolina Central University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree Magna Cum Laude in Political Science. She went on to earn herlaw degree from Yale Law School. Ms. Hardy is admitted to practice law in the states of New York and New Jersey. Before Deputy Commissioner Hardyjoined HPD in June 1998, she served as Special Counsel to the New York Empowerment Zone Corporation. In 1994, Ms. Hardy was named Deputy Commissioner for Mediation at the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Prior to that, Deputy Commissioner Hardy was associated with the international law firm of LeBoef, Lamb, Greene & MacRae.
Laurie LoPrimo, Deputy Commissioner for Housing Operations, joined City government in 1986 at the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. She worked at the NYC Human Resources Administration before joining HPD in 1992. At HPD, Laurie has held positions of increasing responsibility in HPD including providing permanent housing for the homeless, returning City-owned residential buildings to private ownership through rehabilitation and sales programs, and developing and coordinating programs designed to enhance the economic self-sufficiency of tenants in City-owned and City-assisted housing. Laurie's current oversight responsibilities includethe HPD Section 8 and Family Self Sufficiency programs and the Divisions of Alternative Management Programs, Property Management, and Architecture, Construction,and Engineering. She has experience in the disciplines of strategic planning,project management, personnel, budget, facilities management, and contract monitoring. Laurie has her BS degree from St John's University.
- Joseph Rosenberg
Joseph Rosenberg, Deputy Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs, has been involved in the fields of housing policy and legislative relations for over 13 years. He previously served as HPD's Associate Commissioner of Intergovernmental Affairs, HPD's Assistant Commissioner of State Legislative Relations, Assistant Legislative Representative for the Mayor's Office of State Legislative Affairs, and the New York City Housing Authority's Legislative Liaison. Prior to entering the public sector, he was an associate with the law firm of Lurie and Nicholson. Mr. Rosenberg graduated from the State University of Stony Brook, with a degree in political science and earth and space sciences and earned his law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. He is admitted to practice aw in the State of New York. - Matthew Shafit
Matthew Shafit, General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs, graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton and Harvard Law School. He joined HPD as a Deputy General Counsel in September 1986 and became head of the Office of Legal Affairs in May 1995. Before coming to HPD, Deputy Commissioner Shafit worked for Rosenman & Colin, a private law firm.
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