Cynthia McCleod, Project Director, offers 30+ years of experience in the human services field, twenty of them in public and assisted housing. Cynthia joined HOU in 2014 as Director of Resident Services for Oak Hill (a HOPE VI project, the former Allequippa Terrace) in Pittsburgh, PA. At Oak Hill, Cynthia established resident programs for social services, education, employment and entertainment. Today, in addition to overseeing Oak Hill, Cynthia is in charge of relocation for 762 units in Michigan and 181 units in Colorado for the Jonathan Rose Companies; 184 units in Pennrose, Pennsylvania;160 units for the Atlantic Housing Foundation; 100 units for Trinity Financial, and 190 units for Winn Companies in Connecticut.
Cynthia assisted Corcoran Jennison with RAD conversion at their Oak Hill site and served as Project Director for CNI Case Management services at Norwalk Housing Authority’s Washington Village. For the city of Shreveport, LA, Cynthia was instrumental in their being awarded the CNI Implementation Grant, and provided technical assistance and training to the Housing Authority of the City of Shreveport Family Self Sufficiency Team for coordinating services.
Prior to HOU, Cynthia served as a Senior Contract & Grant Administrator for the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh for fourteen years, where she procured contracts for resident services and was the primary grant writer, managing and monitoring all aspects of grant program implementation and managed HACP relocation and crisis response efforts. While employed by HACP, Cynthia lead and directed teams of 40+ staff members within the Resident Services Department, including Case Management, Youth Sports, Computer Training, Employment/Section 3 Opportunities and Public Safety. Her efforts garnered several awards for Team Leadership and Performance Excellence.
Cynthia has been involved in 412 Food Rescue, an organization that addresses disconnect between food waste, food insecurity and environmental sustainability; and A+ Schools, the community advocate and leader for educational equity and excellence in Pittsburgh Public Schools. She has served on the Board for Communities in Action for Peace, whose mission is to promote healthy communities by reducing violence and its causes in a non-traditional and culturally sensitive manner. She has also served the University of Pittsburgh, Office of Child Development Policy Council, in its focus on early childhood development and provided Technical Assistance to the Center of Spirituality Board of Directors.
Some of Cynthia’s proudest accomplishments include completion of the University of Pittsburgh, Masters Series Program in Community Organization and Social Administration; Project Management Institute, Project Management Professional Certification, NAHRO Certification in Property Management and HQS Inspections, Nan McKay, Self Sufficiency Services Coordination Certification; and HOU Employee of the Year in 2017. She is currently studying Leadership Development at Northwestern University.