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MU
RIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
February 13, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1- 523.01), and pursuant to section 4a of the District of Columbia Housing
Authority Act of 1999, effective December 31, 2025 (D.C. Law 26-80; D.C. Official Code § 6-210.01),
I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Mr. James Dickerson
17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20010
(Ward 1)
for appointment as an interim commissioner who has professional experience in affordable housing
development, operations, or finance member of the District of Columbia Housing Authority Board of
Commissioners, for a one-year term.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel B owser
Mayor
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Chairma~ndelson
at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To confirm the appointment of James Dickerson to the District of Columbia Housing Authority
16 Board of Commissioners.
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18 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA , That this
19 resolution may be cited as the "District of Columbia Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
20 James Dickerson Confirmation Resolution of 2026".
21 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
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23 James Dickerson
24 17th Street, NW
25 Washington, DC 20010
26 (Ward 1)
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28 as an interim commissioner who has professional experience in affordable housing development,
29 operations, or finance member of the District of Columbia Housing Authority Board of
30 Commissioners, established by section 4a of the District of Columbia Housing Authority Act of
31 1999, effective December 31, 2025 (D.C . Law 26-80; D .C . Official Code§ 6-210.01), for a 1-
32 year term.
3 3 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
34 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Mayor.
35 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
VitalStatistics: Bom inFortSmith,Arkansas,raisedinConwayArkansasHaslivedinDC Mt.Pleasant/AdamsMorganneighborhoodsfor53yearsMarried52yearstotheformerGraceMartin;threechildrenand6grands.
Education: Graduate,UniversityofArkansasatLittleRock,1971;Degree:B.A.inPoliticalScienceandSociology;Graduate,VirginiaTheologicalSeminary,Alexandria,VA,1975;Degree:MastersofTheologicalStudies(MTS)
Employment:
Present
2022-PresentBoardMemberDC HousingAuthorityReformBoard
2021-PresentBoardMemberMannaInc
1981-PresentFounderandPastor,NewCommunityChurch,614SStreet,NW,Washington,DC20001.TheNewCommunityChurchisoneofnineindependent,separatelyincorporatedchurchesthatgrewoutofandisstillaffliatedwiththeChurchoftheSaviorinWashington,DC.NewCommunityisasmallinner-citychurchthatisexplicitlyChristian,interracial,diverseinitsmembership,neighborhoodbasedand‘ecumenicalinitsdenominationalaffiliation.NewCommunityoperatesa varietyofcommunityserviceministriesintheShawneighborhoodnearHowardUniversity.
1981-2020Founder,andChairmanoftheBoard,MANNAInc.,6856EasternAveNW#100,Washington,DC 20012.Manna,Inc.isanon-profitlow-incomehousingdevelopmentcorporationthatpurchases,designs,renovates/constructs,marketsandsellsitspropertiestoDC residents.Mannaalsoofferedtrainingintheconstructiontrades(SkillBuilders),traininginhomepurchasingthroughitsnationallyacclaimedHomebuyersClub(HBC),managedacommunitydevelopmentcorporation(MannaCDC)focusedintheShawareaoftheDistrict.In2003,MannacreatedtheDistrict'sonlynon-profitmortgage‘company,MannaMortgage.Mannacurrentlyhas33employeesanddoesapproximately$6-10millioninbusinesseachyearandhasproducedover1,500homesfor1+"timelowerincomehomebuyers.
1976-84ProgramDirector,ForLoveofChildrenandHopeandaHomeProgram,171114"Street,NW,Washington,DC.Reorganizedandactivatedthisprogram,whichisdesignedtosave,supportandstrengthennaturalfamilieswhoarefacingsomesortofcrisis.FLOCoffersavarietyofservicesforfamiliesincrisisandutilizesanumberofcommunityandchurchservicevolunteers.Oneofmanyservicesofferedisthatofrenovatingandrentingunitstolargelow-incomefamilies.
RehabilitationConsultant,HousingCounselingServices,243618"Street,NW,Washington,DC HousingCounselingServicesisaUnitedWay/HUD-sponsoredcounselingagencyintheDistrictofColumbia.ServesHCSasaconsultant,advisingitsclientsandcounselorspertainingtorehabilitation,selection,andsupervisionofcontractorsandtrainingseminarsonhomerepairandmaintenanceskills.
‘Self-Employment,carpenter,churchretreatleader,publicspeaker,communityorganizer,teacherandorganizationalandprogrammaticconsultanttochurchesandnon-profitsworkinginlowincomecommunities.
D
ickerson page 2
1975
-76
Group Work Supervisor in an "Alternative School", North Little Rock, Arkansas. The school was designed to
assist adolescent students who, for a variety of reasons, had been suspended from public school. "Alternative
School" was operated in conjunction with the North Little Rock Public School James M. Dickerson
1972
-75
Founder and Director, Rehabilitation of Men and Housing, Inc. (“ROMAH”), Washington, DC. ROMAH
was a non-profit home repair-remodeling business that provided training, counseling and employment for
ex-offenders, drug addicts, alcoholics and other unemployed inner-city adults. ROMAH subcontracted with a
number of non-profits to produce over 100 affordable homes to low income citizens in Washington DC.
1971
-72
Community Worker, The Potter’s House/Church of the Savior Ministries, Adams Morgan, Washington,
DC. Organized and coordinated community programs for low-income residents, i.e., established two small
groups for low-income senior citizens and one halfway house for ex-offenders. This involved coordinating the
r
ehabilitation and management of properties and supervision of the programs associated with the houses.
Also organized group clubs and activities for neighborhood youth.
1964
-71
Assistant Director, North Little Rock Boy’s Club, Little Rock, Arkansas. Coordinated and implemented
a variety of educational, social and recreational programs for over 1,000 low-income youth members ranging
in age from 8 to 18 years.
1961
-64
Janitor, Lineman, and Cable Repairman, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
B
oards, Associations, and Coalitions
include among others
• F
ounding Member, Mayor's Commission on Homelessness,
1982-84
• Founding Member and Former Chairperson and Board Member, Coalition of Nonprofit Housing
D
evelopment, Co-Chair, Advocacy and Constituency-Building Committee
• Secretary, Coalition of Community-Based and Economic Development Organizations
• Former Board Member, DC Housing Finance Agency
• Former Advisory Board Member, Affordable Housing Program, Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta
Georgia)
• Founder and Board Member, Consortium for Services to Homeless Families (ConServe)
• Founder and Organizer, I Have a Dream Neighborhood Civic Association (Shaw area of DC)
• Founder, Organizer and Current Chairperson, Our Block Civic Association, (Mt. Pleasant)
• Committee Member, DC Home Committee, American Institute of Architects
• Graduate, Leadership Washington (1988); awarded "Leader of the Year," 1990
• Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher: ( Kripalu Yoga Center, Lennox, Mass.) Graduated, Dec.
2000
• Greater Washington Urban League, Whitney M. Young Award: “Black and White and Great
Together.” March 8, 1995
• Washington Magazines, Washington of The Year, 1997
• National Association of Realtors, HOPE Leadership Award, May 2003
• Board Member, New Community for Children (After School and Child Advocacy Program)
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
James Dickerson
Mr.
James Dickerson has been intimately involved in affordable housing,
neighborhood revitalization, and ending generational poverty and
homelessness in Washington, DC for over 45 years. He was appointed by
Mayor Marion Barry to the DC Housing Finance Agency Board of
Directors and confirmed by District Council in 1990. He directed FLOC’s
(For Love of Children’s) Hope and a Home program, a transitional
housing program.
Mr. Dickerson founded MANNA, Inc. to provide low and moderate
income families with quality affordable homeownership and housing
choices that gave them the opportunity to realize their dreams in the DC
neighborhoods where they have lived. In over 35 years , MANNA has
built or preserved more than 1,300 homes throughout Washington DC and has trained many
hundreds of families to become successful first-time homeowners. Today, MANNA has a
reputation for hard work, proven success, and productive partnerships with Department of Housing
and Community Development and other government agencies, business and community- based
organizations throughout the District.
In addition to founding MANNA, Mr . Dickerson was instrumental in the establishment of the
Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development.
A Ward 1 resident, Mr. Dickerson earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology
from University of Arkansas at Little Rock and his Master of Theological Studies from Virginia
Theological Seminary.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Kimberly A. Bassett, Steven Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: November 21, 2025
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of a resolution appointing Raymond Skinner, James
Dickerson, Ronnie Harris, Denise Blackson, Leroy Clay III, Christopher Murphy,
and Teresa Silla as members of the District of Columbia Housing Authority
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced Resolution and
found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Kimberly Ulan, Associate General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at
202-727-2292, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth Cavendish