Marjorianna Willman comes to the Housing Authority of New Orleans from the Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) where she served as Executive Director and previously Chief Operating and Legal Officer. Her oversight included leading a staff of over 150 employees focused on increasing and creating affordable, safe, and energy-efficient housing across Louisiana. Her areas of expertise include creating policy, community development, and delivering impactful programs benefiting Louisiana’s citizens. The veteran leader served in New Orleans as the Director of the Office of Housing Policy and Community Development. Under her tenure, she led the city to be named one of the seven High Performing Grantees by the U.S. Department of Treasury. She is also known for creating an eviction diversion program in partnership with the local courts that received the 2021 Innovation Award from the Louisiana Bar Association. Willman’s decades of experience working in the affordable housing industry includes the administration of federal, state, and local funding for housing development, disaster recovery, rental assistance, supportive services, and homelessness solutions.

“Ms. Willman’s education, experience, and leadership made her the best candidate for this position,” said Percy Manson, President of the HANO Board of Commissioners. “Her passion and knowledge of affordable housing exceeded the expectations for HANO’s next Executive Director. Her proven track record gives me the confidence that she will work hard to elevate the housing needs of our residents and the city of New Orleans while following the guidelines of HUD.”

“I am exhilarated for this opportunity to make an impact in delivering affordable housing in the city that I love,” stated Marjorianna Willman. “Working together with community, federal, state, and local partners, a team of dedicated HANO professionals, and other stakeholders, HANO will quickly become a high-performing model agency,” added Willman.

Paul Irons, Principal of New Orleans Restoration Properties stated, “Having worked with Marjorianna in multiple professional capacities, I've witnessed firsthand her exceptional professionalism, fairness, solution-oriented approach, and unwavering commitment to both the development community and the residents we serve. Marjorianna's deep understanding of both the business and development aspects of housing makes her an ideal leader for fostering the vital public-private partnerships essential for our city's growth."

Ms. Willman is a licensed attorney. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center. She also earned a certificate in Executive Education Leading in an Era of Complexity from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Ms. Willman was featured as a Legal Leader in the Spring 2023 issue of Affordable Housing News. She assumed the role as Executive Director on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.