Milwaukee Mayor Johnson: Selects board appointees for the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson will appoint new members to the board of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee in the coming days.  Those names will be submitted on July 2^nd to the Milwaukee Common Council for consideration.

The Mayor will name Charlotte Hayslett as one of those appointees.  Hayslett most recently served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Visit Milwaukee where she was the first African American woman on that agency’s leadership team.  As a child and in her early adulthood, she was a resident of public housing in Milwaukee having lived in Lapham Park, Westlawn, and in HACM scattered sites properties.

The Mayor will also name Karen Gotzler, a Milwaukee resident with extensive experience in public housing operations. For the past quarter-century Gotzler has been a consultant, contractor, or employee of public housing authorities. She is currently the Director of Asset Management for the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura.  She has extensive experience in economic and housing development.

Brooke VandeBerg, the current Vice Chairwoman of the HACM board will be nominated for another term on the board.  VandeBerg, a professional in the financial services sector, has served on the HACM board since 2018.

“I appreciate the expertise and commitment each of these candidates bring to the Housing Authority board.  They are all supporters of quality public housing and will provide direction to improve HACM’s operations,” Mayor Johnson said. “In my meetings with these candidates, it is clear they will be focused on solutions to the issues at hand.”

Other candidates for HACM board positions are under consideration, including a nominee to fill a designated HACM resident board position. It is possible an additional nominee will be named early next month.

At the same time he is advancing board appointees, the Mayor continues to support HACM’s efforts to resolve pending issues raised in federal reviews of operations.  The Mayor is working with current board members to bring on a nationally recognized public housing consultant to assist in addressing challenges HACM faces.  A formal announcement on the consultant will be made once a contract is finalized.