Today, MPHA announced the appointment of Dominic Mitchell as the agency’s new Deputy Executive Director. Mitchell has spent nearly 15 years serving with the St. Paul Public Housing Agency (PHA), most recently as the Director of Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Programs.
“Dominic brings both the technical skills and an energy to learn and contribute to the forward-thinking culture at MPHA,” said Abdi Warsame, Executive Director/CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “Being able to attract one of the region’s top housing leaders to MPHA is a testament to the agency’s long history of success and innovation as a housing authority, and I am eager for Dominic to begin in his role.”
“I am incredibly excited to be joining MPHA in a role that will afford me additional opportunities to deliver positive change in our community,” said Dominic Mitchell, Deputy Executive Director at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. “Joining MPHA is an opportunity to both learn from and contribute to an agency pioneering new and exciting housing programs in our region. Having worked closely with MPHA colleagues throughout my career, I know I am joining an agency comprised of committed professionals providing safe, stable housing to nearly 26,000 people every day.”
Mitchell began his career with the St. Paul PHA serving as a member of their legal team. Upon graduating from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, Mitchell was inspired to enter public service rather than pursue a traditional legal career. Mitchell saw the dedication of agency staff working directly with residents and program participants to solve their unique, individual needs, and was called to do more. Shortly thereafter, he began working directly with the PHA’s HCV Programs.
During his time leading St. Paul PHA’s HCV department, Mitchell led a 25 percent expansion in their Housing Choice Voucher Programs, while also building out the agency’s project-based voucher portfolio to over 30 unique sites across St. Paul. Mitchell established and deepened partnerships with HUD, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Ramsey County, the county’s Continuum of Care (Heading Home Ramsey), the City of St. Paul, dozens of private property owners and developers, and various non-profit housing and service providers. He worked hard in these collaborations to create additional affordable housing opportunities, and to enhance the quality of life for all voucher-holders and those who needed housing.
“Throughout my time at St. Paul PHA, we emphasized quality, integrity, and respect in our work with residents and program participants,” said Mitchell. “I worked tirelessly to improve the quality of care program participants received in St. Paul, and I cannot wait to bring that same focus and improvement to MPHA. MPHA has embraced a variety of impressive and innovative programs and strategies in its efforts to preserve and produce housing for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and I am eager to assist in leading those efforts.”
In his new role, Mitchell will help MPHA continue to maintain its ‘high performer’ status with HUD, while helping strengthen its operational competencies in its Housing Choice Voucher, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, Rental Assistance Demonstration, public, and deeply affordable housing portfolios.