SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara (HACSC) today announced the appointment of Katherine Harasz as executive director. Harasz, 52, has been serving as the agency's interim executive director since July 2015. Harasz joined HACSC's leadership team in 2012 as deputy executive director and general counsel.
"Following a nationwide search, we are not only confident in our choice but also delighted to be working with Katherine Harasz, who is deeply committed to the agency's mission of keeping families housed," says Kathy Espinoza-Howard, HACSC board of commissioners chairwoman. "She already has assisted the agency in navigating through tumultuous years of congressional budget gridlock, unprecedented sequester cuts to Section 8 funding, and a government shutdown. Katherine is uniquely qualified to continue managing the agency while advocating at local and national levels on behalf of Silicon Valley's low-income families."
Harasz has more than 25 years of administrative and legal expertise at the city, county, state and federal levels in all aspects of real estate acquisition, development and construction of public and public-private projects; finance; environmental quality; public records; and labor and employment law.
Prior to joining HACSC, Harasz was deputy county counsel at the County of Santa Clara where she worked with several county departments, advisory boards, the Board of Supervisors and other public agencies including HACSC. She also was associate counsel with the City of San José Redevelopment Agency, where her practice focused on public-private partnerships, construction, real estate and development.
Harasz serves on the boards of the National Leased Housing Association, NOVA Workforce Development, Destination: Home and the Continuum of Care Program for Santa Clara County. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida.
More than 14,000 low-income families in Santa Clara County rely on the federal housing assistance they receive through HACSC to help pay their monthly rent. In addition, HACSC manages more than 30 affordable housing properties that provide affordable rental units to about 2,700 families.
About HACSC
HACSC is the nation's tenth largest public housing authority and the largest provider of affordable housing assistance in Santa Clara County, helping make rental housing safe and affordable for low-income families through Section 8 voucher programs and below-market rental properties. Designated a Moving to Work agency by Congress, HACSC assists approximately 17,000 households through innovative policies for the delivery of assisted housing. For more information about HACSC, visit www.hacsc.org.
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SOURCE Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara
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