MHACY Announces Appointment of Wilson Kimball as President and CEO

Carlos Laboy Appointed Chief Operating Officer

YONKERS, NY (April 6, 2020) — The Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers (MHACY) announced today the appointment of Wilson Kimball as President and CEO. Kimball succeeds Joseph Shuldiner who is retiring after having served as MHACY Executive Director for the past 13 years.

Kimball, whose appointment is effective April 13, has served as Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Yonkers since 2013. Under her leadership, the city has undergone a remarkable economic renaissance with more than $4 billion in private investment, more than 10,000 renovated, rehabbed or new apartments including over 3,000 affordable units and more than 500 new hotel rooms. Yonkers has also won 26 grants valued at more than $20.7 million for crucial capital projects such as the Saw Mill River Daylighting Phase 1, 2 and 3, the Ashburton Avenue corridor and Putnam Rail Trail.

Prior to her tenure as Yonkers Planning Commissioner, Kimball served as Senior Vice President of Operations for the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority in New York City. She has also served as Counsel to First Lady Libby Pataki advising her on policy issues including economic development, women and children’s health and tourism.

Kimball holds a BA in Government from Skidmore College and an MBA in finance from Pace University Lubin School of Business. She also holds a JD from Fordham University of School of Law where she was named Stein Scholar and editor of the International Law Journal. A resident of Yonkers, Kimball currently serves on the boards of the Business Council of Westchester; Yonkers Industrial Development Agency; Community Planning Council and Philipse Manor Hall.

As part of the leadership transition at MHACY, it was also announced that Carlos Laboy, who has served as Deputy Executive Director of MHACY since 2014, has been named Chief Operating Office. Prior to joining MHACY, Laboy served as Executive Vice President for Operations for the New York Housing Authority (NYCHA). Laboy, who is a Yonkers resident, has nearly 30 years of experience in public housing operations including serving as Executive Director of Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration in San Juan.

“On behalf of the Board of Commissioners of MHACY, I am delighted to welcome Wilson Kimball as our new President and CEO, and Carlos Laboy as Chief Operating Officer. Wilson brings to this important position a wealth of knowledge and experience through her many years as the city’s Planning Commissioner as well as Senior Vice President of Operations at Battery Park City.

Carlos has excellently served MHACY for the past six years and brings extensive experience in public housing operations. This is a great team and we look forward to their leadership especially during these difficult times,” said James J. Landy, Chairman of the MHACY Board. “I would also like to sincerely thank Joe Shuldiner for his many years of dedicated leadership of MHACY. He leaves a great legacy of accomplishment. Joe will be missed by everyone who has had the pleasure of working with him,” he added.

“I look forward to working with an incredible team of people at the Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers, including the Chairman of the Board, Jim Landy, and Chief Operating Officer Carlos Laboy. In the past eight years, working with Mayor Mike Spano, I have learned how important affordable housing is to the City of Yonkers. I am eager to get to work and roll up my sleeves as we work to provide more affordable housing in the City of Gracious Living,” said Kimball.

“Wilson is a perfect choice to head up MHACY,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “Wilson helped lead Yonkers’ unprecedented economic development growth the last seven years and I know her passion and expertise will translate well in providing quality affordable housing to our residents. I also want to extend my deep appreciation to former Executive Director Joe Shuldiner for his wisdom in spearheading the city’s largest affordable housing renovation in over 50 years – we wish him the best as he embarks on his well-deserved retirement.”

“First and foremost. I would like to say that it has been my honor to serve as Executive Director of the Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Yonkers and to get to know the residents here,’’ said Shuldiner. “I am so proud of the hard work of our dedicated staff and of the major improvements we have made to the living conditions here at MHACY. We have achieved so much. I will miss you all.’’

Shuldiner is recognized as a national leader in the field of affordable housing, having previously managed three of the largest public housing agencies in the nation: New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. At MHACY, he was responsible for mounting a massive renovation program to rehabilitate 1,800 units of affordable housing across the city which involved a complex and unique funding plan combining public and private funding. The three-year program is nearly complete with the renovation of more than 1,300 units either in progress or finished. Shuldiner was recently presented with the Clara Fox Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Annual New York Housing Conference luncheon held December 4 in New York City.