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RHA employs approximately 80 people with duties ranging from maintenance and inspections to administration of the various RHA programs and complexes.
Phone
Fax
(775) 786 - 1712
TTY
(385) 770 - 7166
Resident Maintenance
Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m
Our Address
1525 East Ninth Street Reno, Nevada 89512
Dr. Hillary Lopez
Executive Director
The RHA executive director packs a wallop into her 5’1” frame. Hilary Lopez, Ph.D. has an extensive background in affordable housing financing, preservation and modernization in the public and private sectors. She has worked most of her career helping housing authorities and non-profit agencies across the nation build, rehab, and maintain public housing and other affordable housing stock. She’s also originally from Brooklyn and still appreciates a good slice of pizza, but the Truckee Meadows has been home for nearly 30 years. Dr. Lopez holds a course certificate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bard College, a Master of Science in Resource and Applied Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of Denver.
She is also certified as a Housing Development Finance Professional from the National Development Council and is a recognized HOME Program Specialist in Administration by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Phone
775.329.3630
Heidi McKendree
Deputy Executive Director
For someone who claims to have lived an unremarkable life, Heidi McKendree sure has packed a whole lot of public assistance into her work days. Heidi is the deputy executive director at RHA and in her 15 years with the organization, has served as the family self-sufficiency coordinator, elderly services coordinator, grants writer and director of rental assistance. Working one-on-one with low-income families, ensuring they have clean, safe, affordable homes, and then overseeing millions of dollars in federal aid each year, we’d say she’s more remarkable than she thinks.
Heidi is a graduate of Southern Oregon University in Ashland with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology. She came to the RHA after several years working as a discharge planner and social worker for a skilled nursing facility in Portland. She fell in love with working with older people there and relished hearing their stories. She accepted a position at RHA soon after moving to Reno and has never looked back.
E-mail Address
hmckendree@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 x234.
Lindsay Dobson
Executive Assistant
Her professional yet humble demeanor and sunny personality make Lindsay a perfect conduit between the executive staff, other RHA employees and the community. The quick-witted executive administrative assistant for the organization also serves as the clerk of the board of commissioners.
Lindsay’s position frequently involves juggling last-minute changes, but she handles it with grace, compassion and just enough humor to deescalate any situation. Her time as a sketch comedy performer at Reno Improv probably contributes to that.
Lindsay’s background includes various positions in healthcare and veterinary services.
E-mail Address
ldobson@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 ext. 214
Linda Long
Director of Administration
Linda Long is the director of administration at the RHA. She and her accounting team manage millions of dollars in more than 60 different funds for the housing authority. She studied accounting at Truckee Meadows Community College and Southern Oregon University. Linda has a diverse background including real estate management, motor vehicle finance administration, CPA firm tax preparation, and more.
She’s an Enrolled Agent with the IRS, which sounds dark and ominous, but means that if you’re in tax trouble, she can help you out.
Linda and her husband of 30 years have an inherited cat and enjoy their grandpuppies. When asked about her hobbies, she asked if work counts. No, Linda, it doesn’t. In her off time she can be found watching baseball, reading, and spending time outdoors.
E-mail Address
llong@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 x264
Kristin Scott
Director of Asset Management
For a woman who loves all things water, it’s ironic that she lives in a desert. Kristin Scott is the agency’s Director of Asset Management. That means all 750 units of public housing and 200 units of other RHA affordable housing fall under her, and she and her staff of more than two dozen maintenance and property managers oversee every bit of it. Kristin worked in assistant manager and asset management roles at RHA before being selected as a director, and laughs that working in housing was natural for her. Her mom is a property manager, her husband is a property maintenance worker, and she’s managed people and projects most of her adult life. She swears she’ll move closer to the water one day, but for now, Kristin strives to ensure all RHA residents have a consistent housing experience and that her employees understand the career progression available to them at RHA.
E-mail Address
kscott@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630
JD Klippenstein
Director of Development
If there’s really such a thing as a self-professed housing nerd, it’s JD. Driven by his belief that housing is a human right, he has worked in homeless services, community organizing and public policy. His diverse experience helps him to think creatively and holistically about affordable housing, and dovetails nicely with his role as RHA’s director of development.
RHA’s development department is at the pointy end of the spear addressing our community’s significant need for affordable housing by developing new units and preserving existing affordable housing. With JD’s experience as the state director of a grassroots advocacy organization and the housing and grants specialist for Washoe County, this big-picture thinker is an integral part the organization’s future.
JD holds a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from the University of Nevada, Reno and a master of arts in community development from Loyola University Chicago.
E-mail Address
jklippenstein@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 ext. 212
Darren Squillante
Director of Human Resources
Darren Squillante joined the Reno Housing Authority as the Director of Human Resources in 2021. He has a diverse human resource background with more than 25 years of experience in private and public sector organizations. He previously worked as the Human Resource Officer for the State of Nevada with the Division of Child and Family Services, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, and most recently, the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services.
Darren holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego. He also has certifications from the HRCI as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM-SCP.
Squillante is pleased to provide human resource support for a smaller organization these days, where he can know everyone by their first name!
E-mail Address
dsquillante@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 x241
Samantha Arellano
Director of Information Technology
With travels to Portugal, Malta, Canada, Greece and more, this jet-setting woman sets a high bar for vacations. She sets them even higher for RHA. Samantha Arellano is the RHA’s director of information technology and in her six years here, has moved mountains. She’s currently overseeing the organization’s move from a paper-based workflow to an electronic document management system. And while she wouldn’t say that the pandemic was a dream come true (she admits to initially panicking at the thought of 60+ employees trying to work from home) it ended up being the catalyst for restructuring the entire RHA network, improving fiber capacity and firewalls, and ultimately replacing every PC with laptops and docking stations. Samantha contends her team is in the service industry and its role is to ensure everyone else at RHA can get their jobs done safely and securely. Samantha attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, holds a bachelor’s in information systems from the University of Nevada, Reno and is an avowed CrossFit fanatic.
E-mail Address
sarellano@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 x223
Jamie Newfelt
Director of Rental Assistance
She’s got an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and a masters in forensic science, but Jamie Newfelt found her true career calling in housing. Weird, we know. Eleven years after applying for a part-time office clerk position at RHA (while writing her thesis), she’s touched nearly every part of the rental assistance department and is now the director of rental assistance for the entire organization.
The rental assistance department oversees all of the regular and specialty housing voucher programs RHA administers, along with landlord incentive programs and housing quality standards inspections. Jamie’s staff of nearly two dozen is one of the largest at RHA and they help ensure more than 2,500 individuals and families have a safe, clean home in which to live.
A dancer since she was five years old, Jamie spends much of her free time volunteering and serving on the board at The Ballroom of Reno.
E-mail Address
jnewfelt@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 x219
Cori Fisher
Director of Resident Services
It was probably inevitable that Cori Fisher would work at RHA. Our Director of Resident Services, she grew up at the knee of her grandfather, Dick Scott, who just happened to be an RHA Commissioner for 17 years. In fact, for many years after leaving he would call and visit the office, just to see what we’re up to. It’s that kind of family connection that drives Cori in her position to help others.
Cori oversees all the workforce development opportunities for RHA adults, all the growth opportunities for RHA youth, and all the services and events for RHA seniors. Her staff touches residents in meaningful ways and she wouldn’t do anything different. From her background as a character leadership development coordinator at Boys and Girls Club to multiple roles at RHA, this avid hiker gets most excited about helping people reach their full potential. You need resources to help with education, nutrition, building a resume or healthcare?
She’s got ‘em in spades.
Cori is so passionate about the work we do at RHA, she says she can’t envision herself doing anything else. Except maybe watching the Dodgers.
E-mail Address
cfisher@renoha.org
Phone
775.329.3630 x242
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