Each year, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) presents the annual Egan Excellence Awards in recognition of outstanding achievement by employees of the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The 2024 Egan Awards recognize exceptional contributions in achievement, collaboration, service, and leadership that assisted the FCRHA in achieving its mission.
Congratulations to this year’s Egan Awards recipients on your outstanding efforts!
Excellence in Achievement - Lauren Best
Lauren’s efforts are directly aligned with the mission of providing affordable, safe, and decent housing through the effective distribution of housing vouchers. By ensuring timely and accurate processing in voucher applications, she facilitates access to rental subsidies for low- to moderate-income individuals. This support is crucial in helping applicants secure stable housing, thereby contributing to their overall well-being and financial stability. Lauren commitment to outstanding customer service further enhances the experience for applicants, ensuring they receive the assistance they need to navigate the rental market confidently.
Excellence in Achievement - Sheila Matusic
Sheila’s dedication, knowledge, and collaborative approach make her an exceptional asset to HCD and the FCRHA. Sheila consistently demonstrates a strong understanding of the hiring process and the unique needs of each division at HCD. Her ability to identify top talent and ensure a seamless recruitment experience is commendable. She is always available to provide support and guidance to hiring managers, demonstrating her commitment to the team's success. Sheila's deep knowledge of HR policies and the One Fairfax policy is invaluable. Her understanding of equity and inclusion initiatives ensures that the agency’s hiring practices align with our organizational values.
Excellence in Collaboration - Khadija Watson, Africa Matthews, Santiago Sanchez, Mark Peters and Isabella Iyasere
This past year, a cross-divisional team collaborated to improve the occupancy rates for RAD units, leading to a significant increase in just one year. The team established regular meetings with third-party management to ensure that vacant units were ready to show, and asset managers also regularly visited properties and followed up with the site team. Team members established weekly meetings to discuss the status for each RAD property and to brainstorm collectively to solve challenges. Importantly, staff have made significant strides forward in managing the complexities of the process, making it easier for applicants to receive the guidance and support needed to successfully lease up.
Excellence in Collaboration - Brandy Thompson, Linda Hoffman, and Rick Dzubin
Brandy, Linda, and Rick have been nominated for their detailed work to prepare and present updates to the Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan. In the fall of 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development updated their regulations pertaining to the Housing Choice Voucher program. The regulatory updates are far reaching and require updates to many chapters of the HCV admin plan. Linda and Brandy have led these updates, working closely with the program staff in other divisions, senior leadership, and Rick in the Office of the County Attorney. The updates are clearly articulated and organized, making it easier for Commissioners to review and understand the proposed changes. Rick has reviewed each chapter and its proposed changes to ensure the policies comply with a myriad of federal and state statutes and are consistent across chapters.
Excellence in Collaboration -Mark Buenavista, Debashish Chakravarty, Mohammed Abdel- Kariem, Alexanne Yi, Margaret Johnson, Julie Chen, Lucinda Metcalf, Toni Clemons-Porter, Alan Weiss, Ryan Wolf, Erin Kozanecki, Betty Barnuevo, Michelle Chen, and Tingting Wong
In July, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority closed on the financing for the renovation of 120 units, the construction of 60 new units, and the renovation of the County’s senior center at Little River Glen. The efforts on this project were the epitome of flexibility. HCD staff created new systems to respond to the needs of its finance partners and worked incredibly hard to find creative solutions to challenges. Staff also collaborated closely with other County agencies to ensure the construction process was compliant with the financing requirements, even deciding to pivot the entire financing structure when it put too much pressure on County requirements. Thanks to a true team approach, more older adults in our community will soon have an affordable home.
Excellence in Service -Felicia Dunn
Felicia is the definition of an exceptional employee with a strong worth ethic who consistently demonstrates her commitment to the HCD mission. For over 25 years, Felicia has provided administrative support to HCD and is the agency’s go-to person, providing top-notch customer service. Felicia has immense institutional knowledge and exhibits a strong sense of ownership and the highest level of professionalism. She supports the agency’s One Fairfax efforts, provides guidance and support to hiring managers, trains new employees, coordinates property closing documents, and more. In sum, Felicia is a team player, flexible, dedicated, and trustworthy.
Excellence in Service -Grace Highman
Grace has been an outstanding staff member, mentor, and leader at HCD throughout her entire 17-year career, excelling in the toughest circumstances including severe market fluctuations and a global pandemic. Previously, Grace worked in the Homeownership and Relocation Services Division, presenting homebuyer orientations, managing re-sales, and resolving compliance issues. During the real estate market crash, she was instrumental in implementing the Home Equity Loan Program and Silver Lining Initiative Programs, to assist households in purchasing foreclosed market-rate properties. Grace also worked in the Rental Assistance Division, where she worked closely with non-profits to provide housing and services to households facing homelessness. More recently, Grace has worked as the Affordable and Workforce Housing Program Administrator. Her meticulous approach has been a true asset to overseeing a growing portfolio of 5,000+ units. Her attention to detail, rational approach, and positive attitude serves her well as she works closely with builders, developers, and attorneys.
Excellence in Leadership - Margaret Johnson
Margaret utilizes every opportunity as a training tool, always introducing new ways of achieving goals to provide better services for the communities and residents we serve. She always listens and collaborates with team members for suggestions to challenges. Staff frequently describe her commitment to customer services in all areas, working closely with families to prevent evictions and to make improvements to FCRHA properties for those who live there. Importantly, Margaret consistently creates a culture of learning among her team, collaborates to solve challenges, and prioritizes the voice of residents in her work.
Excellence in Leadership - Marwan Mahmoud
This past year, Marwan embraced his role as the co-lead for the Department’s ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion work in support of the One Fairfax Policy. Among his notable achievements are updating HCD’s Equity Impact Plan, coordinating equity training for new staff, participating in One Fairfax’s Equity Leads Community of Practice meetings, and coordinating culture sessions for HCD supervisors. This work, and much more, has all been accomplished in addition to his responsibilities as the Associate Development Director in the Capital Planning and Development Division. Marwan’s numerous contributions and leadership role in the Department’s equity work cannot be understated and have made a definitive impact.
Excellence in Leadership - Shanise Allen
Since February 2024, Shanise Allen has acted as the Equity Co-Lead for HCD and the FCRHA. leading the organization to a higher level of performance and achievement in One Fairfax activities. Shanise has ensured the completion of the cultural sessions with HCD staff and developed a set of actionable recommendations in response. She has also helped to launch the highly successful quarterly equity town hall meetings and collaborated with the Central Services Division on the creation of an online equity dashboard. Shanise consistently shows incredible dedication to the mission of the organization, and to the goals of One Fairfax. Thanks to her efforts and dedication, the organization is now better positioned with respect to the engagement of its employees and customers.
Congratulations to this year’s recipients!