Thursday, 21 September 2023—Following the resignation of Executive Director Joshua G. Hollins, Marjorianna Willman has been elected by the Louisiana Housing Corporation Board of Directors to be the Interim Executive Director starting October 1st, 2023. During the monthly board meeting on September 6th, the LHC Board of Directors decided during an executive session, where the board members voted unanimously.
Willman is familiar with LHC as she originally began her tenure with the Corporation in November of 2007, coveting the role of Deputy Program Director. She stayed in this position until March 2018, when she received the opportunity to become Executive Director of the New Orleans Office of Housing Policy and Community Development, where she stayed for over four years. In May 2022, Ms. Willman accepted the offer by Executive Director Joshua Hollins to return to LHC as the Chief Operating and Legal Offer. "LHC has made great strides within the last year and a half," explained Willman. "I will always be grateful to Mr. Joshua Hollins for leaving a successful career to come in and stabilize the agency and turn around its trajectory. The entire staff appreciates his sacrifice. One of the reasons that Mr. Hollins and I work so well together is that we share similar goals for the agency. Those goals are improving customer services and experiences, transparency, and fiscal responsibility. From a programmatic standpoint, it's important to me that we broaden our stakeholder base to include minority and disadvantaged organizations and further develop public-private partnerships and opportunities to leverage resources to better stretch the LHC dollar and increase the impact of investments. We have developed a policy that has increased homeownership opportunities, and I want to continue providing incentives to develop single-family homes by community development agencies and small developers. This is a great way for local developers to get involved in our programs."
“The Board of Directors are appreciative of the exemplary work and leadership that Executive Director Joshua Hollins has provided over the past 16 months and for charting the path forward,” said Chairman Alfred Harrell. On behalf of the board, we have full confidence in Marjorianna Willman to continue the trajectory that LHC is going and to continue its mission to ensure that every community and every citizen throughout our state has access to safe, affordable, and energy-efficient housing. Ms. Willman has the respect and confidence of this board, and we look forward to her leadership.”
Willman has worked alongside LHC staff to produce successful programs such as the Blue Tarp Roofing Repair Program, the Middle Market Loan Program, The Rural Rental Rehab Program, and many more to increase affordable housing in Louisiana. Willman looks forward to new ideas and working alongside the staff of LHC once she takes over this new position, "It is said that 'great leaders inspire greatness in others.' My plans are to create an atmosphere that supports growth and innovation among the team. LHC’s staff is very talented, knowledgeable, and, most of all, battle-tested. The LHC staff has responded to and rebuilt after many disasters, provided emergency housing, provided support for fluctuation in the marketplace, and is now identifying ways to respond to operating deficits due to the insurance crisis threatening multifamily developments. I don’t have to build a capable team; it's already here. I’m very fortunate for the LHC team."
Through her years of experience, Willman puts it point blank: affordable housing is essential, "Studies show that when families have access to housing, children perform better in school, adults are better able to maintain stable employment, and communities thrive. Everyone benefits from safe, decent, and affordable housing. Currently, there are not enough housing units and too many households one paycheck away from displacement. Every step I take and every decision I make in my new role will be to improve housing outcomes for the citizens of Louisiana."
Willman received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Louisiana State University (LSU), and she later attended LSU's School of Business, becoming certified in the Rising Star Program. Her studies then brought her to Southern University Law Center for her Juris Doctorate. She then attended the University Of Notre Dame, where she received her certification in Executive Education Leading in an Era of Complexity from the Mendoza College of Business.
