The PHA Board of Commissioners meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 3pm at 1800 S. 32nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145 unless otherwise noted below.

PHA Board Meeting Minutes are available for viewing online.

 *Please note, PHA Board Meeting Minutes are best viewed using Firefox or Google Chrome. For immediate assistance please call 215-684-4112 or email at info@pha.phila.gov.  

Chair Lynette M. Brown-Sow is the Vice President of Marketing and Government Relations at the Community College of Philadelphia. In 1980, she founded L.M. Brown Management Group, a certified minority/female-owned consulting firm that provides professional services to corporations, non-profits, and governmental entities. As an entrepreneur, Ms. Brown-Sow helped to create Health Pass, one of the nation's first health insurance organizations, in the mid-1980s. In 2008, Mayor Michael Nutter appointed her to the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment, which she chaired from 2010-2013. In 1991, then-Mayor Edward Rendell appointed Ms. Brown-Sow to the position of Deputy Mayor of Administration to manage appointees to all boards, commissions, and non-civil service positions.

Vice-Chair Herbert Wetzel is the Executive Director of Housing and Community Development for the Philadelphia City Council. He is also a founding member of the board of directors and former executive director of the Greater Germantown Housing Development Corporation. Mr. Wetzel has a long history of community development activities and during the past 20 years he established a small business in the Germantown section of Philadelphia to create neighborhood-based economic development and also served as Director, Deputy Executive Director and, upon appointment by former Mayor John Street, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.

Rev. Bonnie Camarda has served as Director of Partnerships for the Salvation Army of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware since 1999, as a tireless advocate for the underserved. Rev. Camarda co-chaired Mayor Nutter's Faith Leaders Advisory Task Force for Community Safety with the goal of maximizing the neighborhoods' spiritual assets, social capital and civic values. She is a non-violent activist encouraging mutual trust and respect through amnesty programs that provide musical instruments to Philadelphia schools for weapons turned in to authorities. An avid supporter of education, Rev. Camarda serves as Moderator for the Faith and Community Partnerships of the School District of Philadelphia. She is also the past president of the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia, which she helped co-found. 

Asia Coney is one of two Resident Commissioners who were elected in April of 2014 by PHA residents, pursuant to a process created under the Pennsylvania Housing Authorities Law, Act 130.  Commissioner Coney is the President of PHA's Resident Advisory Board. A Philadelphia native, her dedicated community activism over the last thirty-six years has included: advocating for public and assisted housing safety, greater resident input into PHA decision-making, and improvement of existing public housing conditions; conducting local and national workshops; ensuring compliance with federal and state directives regarding the quality of resident life; and working closely with PHA in its creation and implementation of resident programs.  She has served on numerous City Boards, including the Redevelopment Authority and the Malt and Beverage Board, and was the Director of Tenant Support Services, Inc., which terminated operations in 2012. Her community activism has included the following marches: being one of two Chairs for the 1997 historic Million Woman March; Chair of the "Sistahs of the Million Woman March" in 2007; and serving as a key organizer of the 1997 Grays Ferry March, to reduce violence and race riots. 

Frederick S. Purnell, Sr. is the Deputy Director for Housing and Community Development for the City of Philadelphia.  As the City's Deputy Director for Housing and Community Development, he oversees, reviews, and implements housing policy and strategy across the various housing and housing support/community development agencies throughout the City. Before joining the City, Mr. Purnell served as the Executive Director of Wilmington Housing Authority for 16 years. He was also a key executive and a long time employee within the Philadelphia Housing Authority for several years.  He has been instrumental in several multimillion dollar mixed income and low income developments, and is a recognized leader in community development in this region. Mr. Purnell is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Central High School and Pennsylvania State University. He has received several certifications, commendations, and board appointments relevant to housing and community development, and is a proud life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.  He is also a licensed realtor in the state of Delaware and resides in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia.

Ethel Wise is one of two Resident Commissioners who were elected in April of 2014 by PHA residents, pursuant to a process created under the Pennsylvania Housing Authorities Law, Act 130. Commissioner Wise is President of the Wilson Park Family Resident Council, a native of Philadelphia and has a personal history of involvement, community engagement and commitment to bettering the lives of those in public housing for over 40 years. As President of the PHA housing development at Martin Luther King for approximately 32 years, Commissioner Wise developed an effective job bank, a food bank and a town watch program that was recognized as one of the best in the country, and, in 1993, she received the Mayor's Community Service Award. Commissioner Wise also created and managed PHA's Lobby Monitor Program, which promoted resident safety and resident employment with a well-defined career path. She has been a leader in providing national and local training for Resident Councils on HUD regulations and also has served as a Democratic Party Committeewoman for the last 25 years.