Leadership and Administration

Before she was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood & Community Services, Faye was Director of the Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA) for 12 years, where she oversaw a department that provided needed housing services to City of Albany residents, including a variety of rehab grants and HUD Community Development Block Grants. Prior to that, she served as Commissioner of Youth & Workforce Services for eight years. In her current position, Faye oversees four departments at 200 Henry Johnson Boulevard that provide key services to City neighborhoods: Planning & Development, Buildings & Regulatory Compliance (BRC), Neighborhood Services, and the Albany Community Development Agency (ACDA).

Elissa is Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Neighborhood & Community Services (NCS), which aspires to provide friendly and easy access to the vital city services available to all residents regardless of where they live. NCS brings together the work of three important city functions including: Buildings & Regulatory Compliance, Planning & Development with the overarching function of supporting our City’s vital neighborhoods and residents through relationships with Neighborhood Specialists and responsive information provided by customer service professionals. Elissa has worked in Albany for over 30 years in governmental positions in government, the public sector and non-profits.  Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff to NY State Assemblymember Patricia Fahy and before that was Director of Development with Albany Public Library when they planned and built five branch libraries. She’s lived in the Delaware Avenue neighborhood for 29 years and practices meditation when she can remember to sit still.  

Dennis focuses on communications for the Department of Neighborhood & Community Services (NCS). "I see my job as building community and morale in the department,” Dennis says, “and sharing the good work we do here with the public." He writes newsletters for NCS as well as for all City staff, and his job includes creating social media for various departments. He organizes some special events for the Mayor’s Office, including Bike to Work Day and Henry Johnson Day. He also writes and edits public documents for the City of Albany as well as helps oversee staff enrichment and wellness activities. In his free time, Dennis likes to take photos, bike, and be in nature.

Phillip manages inter-departmental projects and works to improve the City’s SeeClickFix system through data and performance metrics. Prior to joining Neighborhood & Community Services, Phillip played a leadership role in the administration of a variety of City programs. He helped lead the team preparing the grant application for Cities RISE, winning the City of Albany $1 million from the NY State Attorney General’s Office for projects designed to mitigate urban blight and vacant buildings. During the COVID pandemic, he led the PPE Procurement Task Force, helping to find scarce PPE for the City’s first responders. Phillip has a Master of Public Administration degree from Rockefeller College at SUNY Albany. The tallest person at 200 Henry Johnson Boulevard, Phillip is often seen wearing bright, colorful shirts. Outside work, Phillip sings in the Albany Gay Men’s Chorus and enjoys film, hiking, and spending time outdoors.