Sylvia Blanco

Executive Vice President
Housing Authority of the City of Austin

Sylvia Blanco is currently Executive Vice President of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA). She oversees various facets within the high performer agency, including its Operations, MIS, and Admissions departments. She provides executive oversight on several key projects including the Rosewood Choice Neighborhood planning initiative and Unlocking the Connection, a first of its kind digital inclusion initiative aimed at bringing broadband access, technology and literacy training, and access to a device for HACA’s more than 1,800 public housing families.

Ms. Blanco began her tenure at HACA in 1999 as a Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator. In 2000, she was promoted to Economic Development Coordinator, overseeing federal workforce development grant programs for Public Housing residents. In subsequent years, she worked in various facets of the organization, enabling her to learn the intricacies of running several key programs and departments. In 2005, Ms. Blanco was promoted to serve as HACA’s Vice President of Housing and Community Development, overseeing a portfolio of HUD-funded public housing properties and resident services in Austin. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin (’92).

Ms. Blanco currently serves on the Community Action Network’s Community Council and served as its 2012 Chair. She also serves on the Austin Community College Foundation Board, and she is a former Vice-Chair for the City of Round Rock’s Community Development Advisory Commission. Ms. Blanco was named the 2014 Executive of the Year by the Texas chapter of National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).