Washington, DC – Today, at a public forum at Thurgood Marshall Public Charter School in Southeast, Mayor-elect Bowser appointed Polly Donaldson as the Director of the District Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The announcement came the day after Bowser made several key senior staff appointments, including Chief of Staff, Senior Advisor and Director for the District Department of the Environment (DDOE).
At DHCD, Donaldson will be responsible for leading the agency to create and preserve opportunities for affordable housing and economic development, and to revitalize underserved communities in the District of Columbia.
“Polly has more than two decades of experience overseeing and managing affordable housing and homeless service programs. She is a smart, committed public servant who has what it takes to help give the residents of the District of Columbia a fresh start,” said Mayor-elect Bowser.
“Mayor-elect Bowser is making the creation and preservation of affordable housing a top priority,” Donaldson said. “I know that together we will deliver a fresh start to ensure that District residents who work hard to make this city great have access to safe, high quality housing options.”
Prior to joining the Bowser administration, Donaldson served for more than a decade as the Executive Director of the Transitional Housing Corporation (THC), a non-profit, faith-based organization that develops and provides housing, social and employment services in Washington, DC. While at the organization’s helm, Donaldson has grown THC to a staff of over 50 and a budget of $5 million, allowing it to significantly increase the number of homeless families it serves annually from 40 to over 500.
Donaldson joined THC after a 17-year career in international community development in senior management positions at the Institute of International Education, Partners of the Americas, and The Center for Democracy. She was elected and served as the chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1-E in Mt. Pleasant.
Donaldson lives in Mt. Pleasant in Ward 1 with her wife Susan Rees and daughter Florence, and is an active member of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Dupont Circle. Donaldson holds a Bachelor’s degree in social and behavioral sciences from The Johns Hopkins University.