We would like to announce that ISDV Director George Forbes recently transitioned to a new role at HUD as Director of Data Governance in the new Office of the Data Officer (OCDO). George spent 5 years in the ISDV Division, initially as Assistant Director and then promoted to Director in 2018. During his time in ISDV, George actively spearheaded many impactful initiatives. For example, George:

• Built a collaborative team of statisticians, data analysts, policy analysts, engineers, project managers, communication specialists, and IT consultants
• Finalized Protocol Beta, resulting in an improved inspection standard for HCV units
• Trained 200⁺ PHAs since the inception of the UPCS-V Demonstration
• Deployed the ExAM4 Inspections app, capturing over 120k UPCS-V inspections and yielding an 84% user satisfaction rating
• Encouraged IT and data modernization efforts across the division in collaboration with the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Center of Excellence (CoE) initiative.

As the new Director of Data Governance, George will continue supporting the IT and data modernization efforts across HUD in conjunction with the GSA’s CoE initiative. While George is deeply missed, he is remembered for his innovative vision, strong leadership, transparency, and candidness. George also has a special talent for effectively melding diverse skillsets into a HUD success story. We wish George and his service dog, Buck Andrew, the best of luck on their new journey with the OCDO.

We kindly welcome Kevin Laviano to the team as the new (Acting) Director of ISDV. Kevin is already known to many ISDV stakeholders, as he has more than 30 years of experience in various leadership and management positions at HUD. More than 70 percent of his tenure at HUD has been spent in the Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH). Prior to joining ISDV, he served as a manager in REAC’s Quality Assurance Division and team leader of the Communication and Marketing team for National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). Kevin also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with an emphasis in Project Management from Ashland University and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Kent State University.

Kevin looks forward to building upon the success of ISDV by moving the Demonstration forward and fortifying relationships of trust with ISDV’s staff and partners. A self-described collaborator, he also vows to work in partnership and full transparency as HUD embarks upon framing “a new [physical] inspection protocol model.”

To accomplish these and other goals, Kevin will rely on teamwork, in addition to his own expertise in housing innovations. While serving as Director of Public Housing in the Cleveland Field Office in 2014 and also as a Division Director in the same office six years prior, Kevin provided oversight and monitoring of Public Housing Authority (PHA) finance and capital projects of PHAs, while managing various teams including financial analysts and engineers.

In 2009, Kevin worked on a national team to monitor and track stimulus funding provided to PHAs in conjunction with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to ensure reporting of spending activities to the Department. Years prior, he served as a special assistant and subject matter expert in HUD’s Recovery and Prevention Corps (RPC) office.

Kevin’s collaborative efforts have not gone unnoticed. He is a 2014 recipient of a Secretary’s Award and a Federal Employee Wings of Excellence award for his leadership in creating the “Home for the Holidays” initiative in which he collaborated with a host of HUD, Federal, and local service providers in Cleveland, Ohio to provide 75 homeless veterans with housing vouchers.

Kevin is an optimist and sees a successful outcome when confronted with a challenge. For him, failure is not an option. He plans to use his seasoned collaboration skills to navigate obstacles and achieve goals, as he leads ISDV forward. He also plans on helping ISDV’s partners reach their goals. “We are only successful if our partners and stakeholders are successful,” he said.

Outside of work, Kevin enjoys spending time with his family, attending his children’s sporting events, and boating on Lake Erie.

#DYK that ISDV provides the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) office with fact-based information, insights, and best practices derived from the inspection data collected on HCV units participating in the UPCS-V Demonstration? 

The ability to collect inspection data in real-time enables programs to effectively manage and maintain their housing portfolio by utilizing fact-based information to drive data driven decisions. #LearnUPCSV

The map visualization to the right depicts the number of Demonstration participants across the US who have completed training to participate in the Demonstration. To date, over 200 PHAs have completed in-person UPCS-V training with our Field Team, as indicated by the green bubbles.  

This visualization provides value to UPCS-V Field Team Advisors and others by supplying timely information to support fact-based decisions. The Field Team can utilize this visualization to optimize resources and mange PHA relationships as the Demonstration continues to expand.