Banuelos Also Elected New AHA Board Chair

Allentown, PA – Fred J. Banuelos, a member of the Allentown Housing Authority (AHA) Board of Commissioners since 2016, was named in October as Commissioner of the Year by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

Banuelos, an Allentown resident, was presented with his award at the NAHRO national conference in New Orleans on Oct. 7.

On Oct. 23 he was elected chair of the AHA Board of Commissioners, succeeding long-term chairman Donald Senderowitz, who continues to serve on the board as vice chair.

Banuelos was nominated for the NAHRO recognition by AHA Executive Director Julio Guridy, who was named to that position in January after serving on the AHA board for almost a decade. He currently works as Community Development Business Development Manager for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, and he previously worked at the Harrisburg Housing Authority. He also serves on the Lehigh County Housing Authority.

“The awards are great, but it is really about representing the people,” Banuelos said. “I am honored to represent the people of the Allentown Housing Authority. One of the things I am really excited about is working with our new executive director and working closely with the City of Allentown to meet the affordable housing needs of city residents.”

The Commissioner of the Year Award honors a current commissioner, or one who has served within the past 12 months, who has demonstrated excellence in advocating for and developing the financial, political, and community support necessary to ensure the continuation and expansion of housing or community development programs, according to NAHRO.

In a letter informing Banuelos of the award, NAHRO Chief Executive Officer Mark Theile said “You have demonstrated excellence as a respected leader in the industry as a whole and for the Allentown Housing Authority specifically. Your extensive knowledge of poverty and affordable housing issues, and your contributions to the Harrisburg Housing Authority, the Housing Authority of the County of Dauphin and with the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, have had a tremendously positive impact on the residents you have served.”

In his nomination submission, Guridy said Banuelos “has been an ardent advocate for hiring minority- and women-owned contractors and vendors, and he has been instrumental in developing and supporting the agency’s Family Self-Sufficiency program.

“Fred was chosen as Commissioner of the Year from among almost 20,000 public housing commissioners throughout the country,” Guridy said. “It is a great pride to us that he is from our Allentown Housing Authority.”

Banuelos is also the recipient of the first MARC NAHRO Elizabeth Scott Glenn Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, and he was recognized as one of the top 100 Latinos in Pennsylvania at the 2022 Pennsylvania Latino Convention.

 

The mission of the Allentown Housing Authority is to develop and manage quality affordable housing for low income households, provide fair housing opportunities, and positively impact the quality of life for residents in our community. We have been providing, safe, decent and affordable housing for low-income families, senior citizens and disabled residents of the Allentown region since 1937. To learn more about the Allentown Housing Authority, its programs and its properties, please go to www.allentownhousing.org

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Allentown Housing Authority