Media release
The Seattle Housing Authority is pleased to announce the appointment of Jen Chan and Javania Cross Polenska to fill a Deputy Executive Director vacancy, returning SHA to a leadership model of two individuals co-leading as Deputy Executive Directors.
Chan comes to SHA after serving as Chief of Staff for Seattle City Light where she supported the CEO and a team of senior executives responsible for overseeing operations, engineering, customer care, technology, capital delivery, asset management, human resources, environmental, real estate, facilities and financial management for a multibillion-dollar operation with more than 1,800 employees. Prior to City Light, Chan served in senior management roles at the City of Seattle that spanned operations, finance and budget, public safety, human services, public health, education and public/private development partnerships. She has a BA degree from Tufts University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington.
Prior to SHA Polenska served as Deputy Director of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, a public-private partnership that connects Washington students to higher education opportunities across the state in science, technology, engineering and math. Polenska oversaw internal operations, awards administration, Scholar programming, human resources, information technology and finance. She has held leadership roles at organizations in Seattle, Chicago and Minneapolis. Her career spans education, advocacy and consumer marketing, with a focus on creating equity-focused policies, maximizing impact and growing teams through human-centered coaching and mentoring. Polenska has a BA degree and MBA from the University of Minnesota.
“Javania and Jen each have leadership philosophies and experience that are in close alignment with our values and aspirations,” said SHA Executive Director Rod Brandon. “Our continuing expansion to meet the growing needs of our community and the complementary skills of these two outstanding leaders make it the right time for SHA to return to a two-Deputy Executive Director model.”
“I believe people deserve the opportunity to live their best life, and there are too many systemic barriers that get in the way of that,” Polenska said. “I want to be part of creating access to affordable, safe places to call home, which goes a long way in helping people have good lives. For me it’s also a way to pay it forward, because growing up I was someone who was able to launch successfully because of public housing.”
"I’m excited and humbled to help further the goals of affordable housing, one of the most pressing issues of our time,” said Chan. “Having worked for 25 years in public service across multiple sectors, I know the transformative and multi-generational impacts that safe, high-quality affordable housing can have on people and their families. Housing can influence so many aspects of our lives such as health, well-being, economic mobility, educational outcomes and workforce potential. I am honored to be able to help people attain the foundation from which they can improve and enrich their lives.”