Carbondale Community Housing names Leanna Meadows as first executive director

Carbondale Community Housing, the nonprofit corporation established by the Carbondale City Council to develop and administer affordable housing programs, has hired Leanna Meadows as its first executive director, the city announced on March 25.

Meadows, introduced at the council meeting, said she was chosen after an extensive search and comes to Carbondale from Paducah, Kentucky. Her background, as described in the announcement, includes prior roles as a housing manager, director of housing and vice president for community medical and mental health services organizations; she holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in human development, nonprofit leadership and management from Murray State University.

At the meeting Meadows told the council she is "excited" for the opportunity and listed early goals: reduce the number of vacant structures in Carbondale; increase the stock of affordable, efficient and quality homes for low- and moderate-income households; and leverage grant funding for home rehabilitation to help residents remain in their homes. The agenda text described Carbondale Community Housing as a nonprofit corporation charged with developing and administering programs to revitalize neighborhoods and preserve affordable housing in Carbondale.

The hiring announcement was made during the council's staff reports and announcements. No formal council vote was recorded in the transcript for the hiring itself; the meeting minutes show the appointment was announced publicly.