Sabrina DeLay

Sabrina DeLay, Resolution Specialist, Office of Multifamily Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development

I’m an efficient, articulate, and creative problem-solver with a track record for success rooted in cross-organizational collaboration. My success stems from the rapid development of knowledge and relationships and I excel in clear, insight-driven analysis and decision-making. I fancy myself a locksmith of possibilities: crafting the unique keys to achieving success. I’m a 2011 Presidential Management Fellow and I currently work in in the Office of Multifamily Housing as a Resolution Specialist. In my spare time, I am a competitive volleyball coach where I focus on leveraging individual strengths and talents to achieve team success. I believe in developing a whole athlete and that victory on the court is an extension of the work put in off the court. I was married this past fall, am searching for my next adventure and reminding myself to take a moment to breathe, enjoy in the abundance and stay open to the possibilities.

Meet the Finalist:

“Sabrina is highly intelligent yet grounded, with a unique ability to interact with a variety of people from different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and ages. Sabrina’s customer service is exceptional, and she handles difficult situations with evicted tenants and homeless veterans with patience and poise.” –Nicole Willingham, Financial Analyst, US Housing and Urban Development. Willingham nominated DeLay for the Exemplary Leaders category.

DeLay tells people that she performs risk mitigation to the FHA Insurance Fund as well as affordable housing units for HUD. However, if you ask her coworkers, they would say her biggest dedication is to helping them do their jobs better.

“Sabrina has improved the culture of our organization by handwriting notes to thank and encourage colleagues, motivating peers (prompting two of us to become GovLoop featured bloggers), and providing training that inspires even the most change-adverse employees,” says Willingham.

In addition to motivating her co-workers, DeLay has proven to be a true team player at every level. For example, when her office building was wasting significant amounts of money on plumbing issues, DeLay recognized that a simple Dollar Store purchase could solve the problem. After OMB rejected her suggestion of drain covers, she took it upon herself to make the purchase and installed the covers herself. DeLay hopes others will see her go the extra mile and attempt to imitate her actions, creating a better work environment for all.

DeLay realized that public sector workers often feel like their daily tasks aren’t contributing to the overall agency mission or really making a difference. She is there to remind those people that there is a bigger picture to consider. She finds herself serving as more of a facilitator, helping her colleagues realize the partnerships they already have. “That’s where I think I’ve been really successful, is in building those relationships, and connecting that back to either programmatic regulations or goals,” says DeLay.

To foster inclusiveness and aiming high among employees, DeLay is addressing the problems from the source. She is developing a new employee guidebook titled “Crafting Your Own Adventure” to help new employees throughout the onboarding process understand the real impact they can make at a federal level.

Outside of helping her fellow govies, DeLay created a regional leasing strategy that involved executing a 90-day action plan resulting in providing housing for 134 homeless veterans. In addition, she was a subject matter expert and coordinator for the Troubled Housing Authority Portfolio where “her efforts resulted in a 56% decrease in troubled housing authorities,” says Willingham.

DeLay’s hard work was validated when she was labeled as a HUD Changemaker, a recognition awarded to less than one percent of all employees. When she received this award, she was a part of a team called Delivering Together, a group working to improve the processes in the Department for Public Housing. Specifically, she was working on creating a centralized calendar of due dates that HUD users could reference as they seek public housing resources.

It is no doubt that this will not be the last time you hear of this certified Changemaker. What is her advice to aspiring public servants? “Trust the process, take advantage of every opportunity that come your way, and if you can, which is sometimes difficult in government, try to do it with a smile.”

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