DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas Adds Talent to Its Leadership Team to Ensure Excellence in Affordable Housing Program Management and Delivery

DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas (“DHA”) announced several appointments to its executive leadership team including two chief administrative officers and a new chief financial officer. DHA welcomes Sonya Barnette formerly with Fort Worth Housing Solutions, and David Storms, formerly the regional environmental officer for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as its new chief administrative officers. DHA’s new chief financial officer is Debra Roling, who has served as DHA’s finance director since 2024.

The chief administrative officers will be responsible for housing operations, client services, the Housing Choice Voucher program, capital programs, IT, and the agency’s education foundation. The chief financial officer appointment replaces Chetana Chaphekar, who retired earlier this year. Chaphekar joined the DHA executive team in 2010 and served as DHA’s CFO for the past 15 years. She and Roling have partnered closely over the last year to properly transition the critical fiscal responsibilities of the CFO role.

Barnette brings more than 30 years of public housing experience to the team, most recently serving as the deputy director and senior vice president of Housing & Client Services for Fort Worth Housing Solutions. Barnette joined Fort Worth Housing Solutions in 1993 as a resident liaison coordinator. She grew her career there and was responsible for the oversight of public housing, housing choice voucher program, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) site conversions, relocations, and multiple grant-funded programs, including Continuum of Care, Directions Home, Health Community Collaborative, Single Room Occupancy (SRO), Family Self-Sufficiency/Homeownership Program, Choice Neighborhood Implementation and Resident Services.

Storms served in various roles at HUD for 23 years, including facilities management specialist/HOPE VI grant manager, division director, and regional environmental officer. In his last role with HUD, he was responsible for HUD Region VI (TX, LA, OK, AR, NM) and worked with HUD program areas to ensure compliance with the department's responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Storms also promoted and helped develop collaborative partnerships with federal, state, and local partners to streamline the environmental review process for HUD-funded projects throughout Region VI.

As CFO, Roling is responsible for managing and leading the finance and accounting functions of the organization, including the management of processes and systems, reporting, budgeting, and audits. She is also responsible for the development and management of the finance and accounting team, ensuring that DHA has top talent in these critical areas. Roling joined DHA in 2024, bringing to the team decades of accounting and finance experience across a wide variety of corporate, nonprofit, and government roles. Roling previously served as the chief financial and administrative officer for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas for 20 years. During her tenure with Girl Scouts, she was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as Nonprofit CFO of the Year (2015). She has also held roles in accounting and finance at Yum! Brands and LG&E Power Inc.

Roling is a certified public accountant and certified internal auditor, having earned a Bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Kentucky and her MBA from the University of Louisville. Debra is active in the finance community as a member of the AICPA, Financial Executives Institute, Institute of Internal Auditors, and the Texas Society of CPAs.

DHA is the 10th largest public housing agency in the nation and manages the fourth largest Housing Choice Voucher program. The agency supports housing for 55,700 people each day including 40,000 people in the Housing Choice Voucher program and 6,131 public housing households. As the scope and complexity of public housing continues to evolve, it is essential to have a strong leadership team to ensure good client service and stewardship of resources.

“I am very excited to welcome these executives to our leadership team,” said Troy Broussard, president and chief executive officer for DHA. “We strive to deliver excellence in every facet of our organization, and I believe these experienced leaders will enable us to continue making our agency stronger and continue to serve our communities with great care and diligence.”

About DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas
(a/k/a The Housing Authority of the City of Dallas, Texas or DHA)

DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas provides quality, affordable housing to low-income families and individuals through the effective and efficient administration of housing assistance programs. The agency aims to create opportunities for program participants to achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. DHA provides housing opportunities to ~55,700 people through public housing developments and Housing Choice Voucher programs. Our mission is to provide affordable, quality housing and access to supportive resources across North Texas. DHA is governed by its Board of Commissioners and administers housing programs funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. DHA is an independent, local government entity that is not affiliated with the City of Dallas’s Housing/Community Services department, which is governed by the City of Dallas. For more information about DHA, please visit www.dhantx.com.

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