Cook County Housing Authority Adds Three Commissioners Amid Board Turnover

On March 19, 2026, the Cook County Housing Authority welcomed three new commissioners after the Cook County Board approved appointments last week: certified public accountant Bruce Schiff, real estate development consultant William Little and retired government employee Zenobia Johnson-Black. County officials said the additions follow two resignations and the expiration of an existing term.

The new members replace Commissioner Nilda Soler, whose term expired in 2025, and Normah Salleh-Barone and Eric Slaughter, who both stepped down in February. Soler was first appointed in 2014 and served two terms; Salleh-Barone was appointed in 2020 with a second term set to run through 2030; Slaughter was appointed in 2022, with his term due to end in 2027. Slaughter told reporters he left to focus on other business obligations and to allow fresh leadership to take on ongoing challenges; he declined to say whether his departure was related to a prior investigation that found his conduct amounted to unintentional sexual harassment and was discriminatory.

The agency’s seven-member board serves five-year terms, with appointments made by the Cook County Board president and confirmed by the Board of Commissioners. One resident-designated seat remains open after Commissioner Elaine Kroll’s term ended in September 2025; a resident commissioner has been identified and will be introduced at the County Board’s April 16 meeting, with a vote scheduled for May 14, the president’s office said. The authority, recently removed from HUD’s troubled list, manages more than 1,800 units and serves over 25,000 people in suburban Cook County.