Vivian Brady-Phillips is an experienced public sector leader and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA), which provides affordable homes to 1 in 14 Jersey City residents. Under her leadership, the JCHA has attracted new investments to renovate and redevelop affordable housing, and has established innovative resident programming in partnership with nonprofits, government agencies and educational institutions. These efforts include the launch of JCHA’s “Connect Home” digital inclusion initiative that offers residents digital literacy training, internet connectivity and new computer labs across multiple sites; an array of new, comprehensive afterschool and summer youth development programming; and expansion of early childhood centers through a collaboration with Greater Bergen Community Action.
Prior to joining the JCHA, Ms. Brady-Phillips served as a Deputy Mayor of Jersey City and, in that capacity, spearheaded a wide range of community development and social service initiatives, from workforce development and small business expansion to park improvements and community justice. In particular, she focused on championing and building strategic public-private partnerships. These efforts included creation of the Jersey City Fund, which offers forgivable loans for small businesses in underserved communities, and development of Jersey City Youth Works, a comprehensive, multi-program employment and enrichment initiative that serves 1000 young people annually in partnership with the local businesses, public schools, youth-serving nonprofits, and universities. She also worked closely with the Jersey City Municipal Court and the Center for Court Innovation to help establish both a community court and a youth court program that help first-time youth offenders get back on track.
Ms. Brady-Phillips currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation and is a member of the Jersey City Affordable Housing Trust Fund. She also is a member of the New Jersey Regional Advisory Board of Power, a national nonprofit that enables young adults and veterans to embark on technology careers.
Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Ms. Brady-Phillips was the Executive Vice President for External and Legal Affairs at the NYC Leadership Academy, a nationally-recognized nonprofit that prepares public school leaders and advises school districts nationally. A lawyer by training, Ms. Brady-Phillips practiced litigation at several prominent New York City law firms after earning her J.D. from NYU School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Snow Public Interest Scholar. She lives in Jersey City with her husband and daughter.
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