NHA has new CEO

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — More than three months after the suspension of former CEO Chester Carl, Navajo Housing Authority has hired a new chief executive officer.

Aneva Yazzie was selected to be the permanent replacement of Carl, who was suspended by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Oct. 24, 2006, after accepting several thousand dollars in cash and gratuities from a Nevada contracting company doing business with NHA. Marlene Lynch, chief financial officer, was appointed at the acting CEO immediately after Carl's suspension.

Yazzie officially began her position Friday, attending meetings in Washington, D.C.

"To be given this opportunity and the many challenges it has is what I'm really looking forward to," said Yazzie, in a news release.

Yazzie will have big shoes to fill becoming the CEO for the largest Native American housing organization in the country, which oversees over 80,000 housing units across the Navajo Nation. Carl, who was previously prominent in the Native American housing arena, admitted to a federal agent on Sept. 27, 2006, that he accepted gifts from Bill Aubrey, owner of Lodgebuilder's Inc.

Yazzie has been working in the housing sector for over 20 years, and has been employed with the Department of Interior and Department of Housing and Urban Development. Yazzie came on board with NHA in September 2006 as the chief operations officer, and prior to that was the deputy director for the State of Ariz. Department of Housing.

"I really want to put back accountability and responsibility overall," said Yazzie. "At all tiers of management and at all our field offices."

One of Yazzie's primary goals is to adopt legislation in the Navajo Nation Council that would bring a uniform building code for residential construction on the reservation. The legislation would then make it mandatory for developers coming to reservation to be aware of the construction codes.

"Bringing quality construction back into the reservation is key," she said.

The Office of Inspector General in Washington, D.C., and the HUD office in Washington D.C. could not comment on the current investigation of Carl.