Each year, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority presents the annual Egan Excellence Awards in recognition of outstanding achievement by employees of the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The award—named in recognition of former FCRHA Chairman and a pivotal player in the Northern Virginia housing community, Conrad Egan—recognizes exceptional contributions in service, leadership and collaboration that assist the FCRHA in achieving its mission.
“2020 has been a year like none other in our lifetime and the volume and complexity of the challenges confronted by the entire staff of HCD was immense due to this global pandemic. At every turn and at every level, our resilient staff met these challenges head-on with solutions-focused thinking and a dedication and persistence which demanded success in all our endeavors.”
- Melissa McKenna, Vice Chair, FCRHA
Over the past year, there have been many milestone achievements – including breaking ground on the Residences at North Hill; key investments in The Arden and New Lake Anne developments which are also under way; and significant efforts to connect tenants with rental assistance in the wake of the impacts from COVID-19. But many of the achievements of housing staff are represented in the simple, but meaningful, everyday tasks that promote the well-being, safety and self-sufficiency of the Fairfax County community – one individual and household at a time.
In addition to thanking the entire HCD staff for their outstanding performance in the face of such significant difficulties, disruptions and challenges caused by COVID-19, the Commissioners of the FCHRA awarded the following Egan Awards for Excellence:
Excellence in Service: Mohamed Giwhane
Mohamed Giwhane, Project Manager in the Design, Development and Construction Division, has been instrumental in furthering the development work on a number of key affordable housing development projects – including a complex collection of projects on the Little River Glen campus, and Autumn Willow. He works tirelessly at his craft and does not settle for “average” as he always is looking for opportunities to implement improvements and to find more cost effective and efficient approaches to achieving project goals.
Excellence in Leadership: Seema Ajrawat
Seema Ajrawat, Director of the Financial Management and Information Systems and Services Division, has been a key contributor in leading several initiatives to improve the efficiency of HCD’s financial operations, budgeting and audit. Through her leadership and partners with other senior leaders, she works to ensure that routine operations and more high-priority, complex projects are properly funded. Her leadership has also been influential in improving several data management processes and security – further strengthening the FCRHA’s reputation as a high-performing public housing authority. The flexibility and creativity in her approach to complex challenges is demonstrative of extraordinary leadership.
“To our Egan Award recipients, and to the entire HCD Staff, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude for your professionalism and for the great care and concern with which you serve our residents and clients. We cannot thank you enough for all of your contributions to our mission. No matter how large or small you may think them to be, each is a critical component to our overall success as an organization.”
- Melissa McKenna, Vice Chair, FCRHA
Comments