The Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority experienced more top-level staffing changes in the months since the Board of Commissioners suddenly fired former Executive Director Nathan Simms.
Three executive-level staff members who worked during Simms’ tenure — former Chief Compliance and Performance Management Officer Edward Davis, former Chief Operating Officer Demetria Walker Johnson, and former Chief Housing and Real Estate Officer Debra Stephens — have also departed.
On Thursday, the housing authority’s interim Executive Director Michael Clark introduced a new slate of executive officers during a Board of Commissioners meeting. Karen Rose is the organization’s new interim chief housing officer, and CaShawn Easter is the new interim chief administrative finance officer. Rose and Easter were both appointed from within the housing authority, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
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Finally, Chief Development Officer Steve Morales is now also serving as the agency’s interim deputy executive director.
In an email, housing authority spokesperson Leha Byrd confirmed Davis, Johnson and Stephens had departed the organization. It was unclear whether they resigned or were fired. Byrd declined to answer further questions about the nature of their departure, saying the housing authority does not disclose information around personnel matters.
The board voted to fire Simms at its Nov. 6 meeting. Clark, a former deputy executive director for the housing authority, was appointed by the Board of Commissioners a month later to temporarily lead the agency.
During the meeting Thursday, Clark said more changes were coming for the housing authority. He said the agency was working to fill open positions, including maintenance workers.
“It takes a minute to turn an organization like this,” Clark said.
After leading the housing authority for just over two years, Simms was fired in a surprise, unscheduled vote by Board of Commissioners members following a closed discussion at their Nov. 6 meeting. Board members have declined to say why Simms was fired, and efforts to reach Simms have been unsuccessful.
Davis and Johnson were hired in mid-2024, during Simms’ tenure as executive director, according to their LinkedIn profile pages and announcements in Inside Business. It is unclear when Stephens was hired by the organization, and Byrd declined to answer.
Johnson did not respond to a request for comment. Attempts to reach Davis and Stephens were unsuccessful.
The changes come as the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Norfolk continue to redevelop the former Tidewater Gardens housing project into Kindred, a mixed-use development project, and plan to demolish and redevelop the Young Terrace and Calvert Square projects in the coming years.
During Thursday’s meeting, Clark acknowledged it could take some time to make the planned changes and improvements to the housing authority.
“I’m just saying, ‘Please acknowledge that that’s what we’re trying to do,’” he said.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
https://www.dailypress.com/2026/02/14/norfolk-nrha-turnover/
