The Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale is authorized to include five members. The Mayor of the City of Fort Lauderdale appoints each member to serve a four-year term. The main responsibility of the Board of Commissioners includes creating a vision and direction for the Housing Authority and approving policies and procedures. Commissioners ensure that the Housing Authority operates within the law and according to HUD regulations. The Board elects a chairman and vice-chairman each year at the annual meeting. The current members of the Board of Commissioners are as follows:
CHAIR
Dr. Nicholas Tranakas
Doctor Nicholas Tranakas has been in private practice with Broward Surgical Associates for 14 years. He has completed a surgical oncology fellowship at Sylvester Cancer Center. His specialty is the surgical treatment of cancer, particularly cancer of the breast, melanoma, sarcoma, stomach, colon, and esophagus. He frequently lectures and provides authoritative interviews for news stories about cancer. Dr. Tranakas has served on the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Ft. Lauderdale since 2006.
VICE CHAIR
Keith Costello
Keith Costello is the President, CEO and co-founder of Locality Bank, a new digital first denovo bank which opened on January 12, 2022. It is the first new bank opened in South Florida since 2009. He served as the President & CEO of First GREEN Bank, a community bank headquartered in Orlando, Florida from 2016 until its sale in 2018. He was also President, CEO, and an organizing director of Broward Bank of Commerce, a new bank chartered in Florida on January 12, 2009. He has held senior roles at Bank of Florida, City National Bank and Nations Bank throughout a 30-year banking career entirely in S. Florida. He lives in Ft Lauderdale with his fiancé Denice Hayes, is a US Army Veteran and father of 4.
COMMISSIONER
Jason Kaye
Jason Kaye is a Managing Director at Greystone Housing Impact Investors where he focuses on the origination and structuring of affordable housing debt products nationwide. His experience in community development finance includes affordable housing debt and LIHTC equity, State, Historic and New Markets Tax Credits, syndications, CRA-focused private equity, CDFI investments, as well as private placement and Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA debt products. He held similar roles at Regions Bank, Bank of America and Citigroup. He started his career with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and worked on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “South Bronx Initiative” to redevelop and revitalize the South Bronx..
COMMISSIONER
Dr. Ty Richardson
With over 24 years of professional career experience, Ty started his career working with a Fortune 100 company and climbed the corporate ladder holding positions such as Branch Manager and Head of Business Development for a Credit Union, before leaving as a Regional Operations Manager overseeing European & Asia-Pacific call center operations to head to Silicon Valley, in order to launch a social network while coaching start-up tech founders. Failing to meet the “hockey stick curve”, Ty pivoted and spent three years as a digital nomad in the Caribbean building a six-figure marketing agency before returning to the U.S. and to finance, launching a commercial loan brokerage serving real estate investors and entrepreneurs alike. Today, Ty, in addition to his finance and marketing ventures, runs the YoPro Global Foundation, and a coaching practice, while providing business strategies to clients within another nine-figure global coaching organization. Ty also serves as a Board of Director for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, where he also Chairs the Rising Leaders Council; a member of the Board of Governors of the Fort Lauderdale Tower Club, where he Chairs the Purposeful Programming Council; and an Advisor to Animae Caribe Digital Arts Festival based in the Caribbean.
RESIDENT COMMISSIONER
Nicole Blake
Nicole Blake has worked in the Housing industry for over the last 5 years and has over 15 years of experience in customer service, implementing, and operating in various administrative fields. Her background includes a master’s degree in public administration from Nova Southeastern University with honors. She obtained an undergraduate degree in Supervision and Management from Broward College in 2017 and several certifications in business management, accounting technology, operational management, HCV rent calculation, and home health aide. Continuing to enjoy engaging within the community helping those in need with food drives, and sponsoring events to help those that need assistance.