Hatzakis named COO of HAPHousing

Date: 9/22/2009

SPRINGFIELD HAPHousing has named East Longmeadow resident Ellen Hatzakis Chief Operating Officer for the agency.

Hatzakis has been with the agency for the past 30 years and most recently served as Associate Executive Director for Finance and Administration. She started her career with HAP as a housing counselor in 1978 and served in a number of positions before becoming the Associate Executive Director for Administration and Finance.

She has had experience in first time home buyer counseling, mortgage default counseling, landlord training, homeless prevention and a variety of positions in rental assistance before becoming that program's director. In the COO position, she will take on the responsibility for coordinating internal operations and enhancing service delivery.

According to Peter A. Gagliardi, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, "There is not a more seasoned and talented professional in the affordable housing arena than Ellen Hatzakis who has worked her way through our ranks and is a valuable member of senior management. At a time of incredible change and challenge within the housing field, Ellen will bring her 30 years of experience to bear on her new position.

"As HAPHousing's new COO she will be in the position to build HAP's capacity to respond to an increasing number of opportunities to address a growing need for affordable housing, especially as an alternative to shelter," Gagliardi continued.

"With Ellen taking on these new responsibilities, HAPHousing will be better positioned to contribute to the public policy discussion and to expand strategies to end family homelessness, to redevelop foreclosed property, and to train the new wave of first time home buyers who are the key to revitalizing the housing market," he said.

Hatzakis takes over her new responsibilities immediately. She earned her bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts and lives with her husband, Michael Schoenberg, and her two sons in East Longmeadow.