Stephens oversaw public housing units, Housing Choice Vouchers, and homelessness-related housing efforts before her retirement; Gregory Brown has been appointed to succeed her.
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Morris County officials honored Kelly Stephens on June 11 as she retired as executive director of the Housing Authority of the County of Morris after more than three decades with the agency.
The Morris County Board of County Commissioners presented Stephens with a resolution during its public meeting at the Morris County Administration and Records Building in Morristown, recognizing her service to the county housing agency.
“For more than three decades, Kelly Stephens has dedicated her career to ensuring that some of Morris County’s most vulnerable residents have access to stable and affordable housing,” said Director Shaw. “Under her leadership, the Housing Authority expanded programs and strengthened community partnerships that provide critical support to families, seniors and individuals with disabilities throughout our county. We are grateful for her service and wish her the very best in retirement.”
Stephens joined the Housing Authority in April 1996 and later served in several senior roles, including housing programs director and assistant executive director. She became executive director on Jan. 1, 2019, according to the county.
As executive director, Stephens oversaw 424 public housing units across seven complexes and 642 Housing Choice Vouchers. The county said she also worked with the Morris County Continuum of Care to address housing instability and homelessness, and helped lead programs including the Mainstream Voucher Program and Foster Youth to Independence vouchers.
“It’s been a long and fulfilling career with the Housing Authority. We have helped some of Morris County’s most vulnerable residents and also expanded our work with the county’s homeless services system through collaboration with the Human Services department and local providers,” said Stephens. “I thank the county commissioners for their trust and support of the Housing Authority and for appointing such dedicated commissioners to our board. Every executive director should be fortunate enough to have a board so committed to helping achieve its goals.”
The county said Gregory Brown, the authority’s former deputy director, was appointed executive director last month and will succeed Stephens.
The transition comes as housing affordability, voucher access, and homelessness prevention remain major issues for Morris County residents and local governments.