CLPHA is pleased to announce that April Black, Executive Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA), was elected to CLPHA’s board of directors at the board’s September 2023 meeting.
“I am excited to have April Black join CLPHA’s board and be a part of shaping our organization’s national goals and priorities,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, president of CLPHA’s board and CEO of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. “April’s leadership in Tacoma demonstrates dedication, innovation, and, above all, compassion. I am confident that her perspective will help CLPHA continue to promote forward-thinking, resident-focused programs and policies.”
“CLPHA congratulates April on her election to our board,” said CLPHA Executive Director Sunia Zaterman. “April has long been a vital voice in CLPHA’s membership, sharing with her peers her expertise and successes from THA’s groundbreaking cross-sector programs and partnerships. April is a strong champion not only for her community’s lowest-income families, but also the staff of THA. I know that in this new role she will continue to advocate for the resources, policy changes, services, and partnerships that can help all low-income families thrive.”
April has worked for THA in several roles since joining the organization in 2009. In 2021, she became the first woman to serve as THA’s Executive Director since its inception in 1940. Building on the legacy of her predecessor, Michael Mirra, her impact on the public housing sector was felt almost immediately throughout the Pacific Northwest as she quickly began to implement groundbreaking policies designed to better the lives of THA clients and staff.
Coming from humble beginnings in rural Montana, April understands the economic struggles and hardships faced by extremely low-income households more than most. Her compassion, empathy, and determination to combat poverty drove her to pursue a career in public housing over 20 years ago. She began working for housing authorities while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Communication Studies at the University of Montana. Since then, she has worked at the Missoula (MT), Bremerton (WA), and Tacoma Housing Authorities in a variety of roles, establishing a reputation among industry peers as an innovative, rule-breaking thought leader.
About Tacoma Housing Authority
Established in 1940, Tacoma Housing Authority provides high-quality, stable and sustainable housing and supportive services to people in need. It does this in ways that help them prosper and help our communities develop equitably. THA develops and manages real estate and provides rental housing. In partnership with thousands of private landlords, it helps families pay the rent in the private rental market. It delivers supportive services to help families succeed as “tenants, parents, students, wage earners and builders of assets who can live without assistance.” THA seeks to do its work in ways that help our community be an “attractive place to live, work, attend school, shop and play,” and that help Tacoma be “safe, vibrant, prosperous, attractive and just.”
About CLPHA
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) is a non-profit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis, and public education. Its membership includes more than 75 of the largest and most innovative public housing authorities across the country. The CLPHA membership collectively owns and manages nearly 40 percent of the nation’s public housing stock, administers more than a quarter of the Housing Choice Voucher program, and provides a wide array of other rental assistance. CLPHA members also make vital services available to the more than one million low-income households they serve in federally-assisted housing.
Learn more about CLPHA and its work at https://clpha.org/