Wright has said she was not involved in the hiring process after she became a candidate.
The narrative says the search was conducted by GDPM board chairman William Vaughn, and board members Tanisha Jumper and the Rev. Wilburt Shanklin. Of the 168 pages of applications received, the field was narrowed to six candidates and then the three chosen for interviews.
Public records show the other two interviewees were a current executive at GDPM and an Englewood woman who is a bureau chief for a state agency in Columbus.
“Ms. Wright, after her initial interview, was deemed to be the leading candidate for the CEO position,” after a Jan. 3 interview, the narrative says. She was the only one granted a second interview on Jan. 8, and on Jan. 13 was offered the job.
None of the three board members kept notes or scoring documents at any point, according to the agency.
The full, seven-member board agreed to hire her at a non-public meeting Jan. 15, and then voted publicly on Jan. 23.
The applicants who did not make the final cut included CEOs of for-profit and non-profit entities, including some who oversee non-profits focused on housing for the poor. Of 15 applicants reached by the newspaper, none said they received a call back or interview request after submitting a resume.
Wright’s employment contract was signed by Vaughn on Feb. 3. In addition to her pay, it says she will get 25 vacation days per year, a cell phone allowance and up to a full year compensation if terminated without cause.
Interim CEO Al Prude was paid $123,157 before he was fired in December for no publicly stated reason. Before him, former CEO Gregory Johnson, who was paid $169,744, resigned in 2012.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development limits agency director salaries at $155,000, though local agencies can pay more if they use non-federal funds.
GDPM has a $47 million budget, 154 employees, 2,700 public housing units and 3,900 vouchers serving roughly 8,000 families in the greater Dayton region.
The agency’s board is appointed by the Dayton mayor, Montgomery County commission and county judges
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