CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Ending a five-year vacancy at the top, the Clarksville Housing Authority finally named a new executive director on Wednesday: former City Council member Wanda Allen. At the same meeting, the CHA took steps to look into payments that have led the interim executive director, Dawn Sanders Garrett, to make over $300,000 a year.
Allen will take over the role on a permanent basis from Garrett, who has been the interim director since October 2020.
During Wednesday’s meeting, on a single nomination with only Allen named, the CHA board voted 4-2 to select her. Voting yes were Calvin Lockett, Trina Hill, Kaitlin McLaughlin and Bill Summers. Voting no were Wayne Wilkinson and Randy Heath. Mary Franklin abstained.
Following a national search by the Gans, Gans & Associates firm, there were two other finalist candidates. The three were interviewed on Jan. 17.
The board discussed next steps in setting Allen’s salary and benefits, which will involve discussions with Allen and the search firm.
About incoming director Wanda Allen
Allen previously worked for HUD as a portfolio management specialist overseeing public housing agencies across Tennessee. An Army veteran, she also served one term on the Clarksville City Council from 2021-24. She is pursuing an Ed.D. from Liberty University in Community Care and Counseling, and she has master’s degrees from APSU in Social Work, Business and Political Science/Government.
In a statement to Clarksville Now, Allen said she is deeply honored and grateful to have been chosen, and she is looking forward to finalizing the terms of her employment.
“Serving this community has been a lifelong commitment of mine, and stepping into this role is both professionally meaningful and personally significant,” Allen said. “Throughout my career as a soldier, social worker, nonprofit leader, elected official, and housing professional, my work has focused on supporting individuals and families during some of the most critical moments in their lives.
“Housing is foundational to stability, opportunity and community strength, and I take the responsibility of this role very seriously. My immediate priority is to listen, learn and work collaboratively with residents, staff, community partners and local leadership to ensure the Housing Authority continues providing safe, affordable, and quality housing while strengthening services that help families move toward long-term stability and self-sufficiency,” she said.
Development contracts questioned
Following the director discussions on Wednesday, the board went into closed session to discuss what board attorney Brad Gilmore characterized as a “legal matter.”
Under Tennessee state law, the only exception to the Sunshine Law (TCA 8-44-102) is for “present and pending litigation” or litigation that is likely to be filed, in which the body has been or will be named. During such a closed session, the body’s attorney can provide a briefing, and members can ask the attorney informative questions, with no deliberation allowed.
When the open meeting resumed, board member Wayne Wilkinson made a motion to request that the directors of the Housing Development Corporation attend the next CHA meeting on Feb. 18, and that “prior to that, the CHA Board members be provided copies of all annual reports filed by the development corporation, annual financial statements prepared by the development corporation, copies of the most recent contract with Ms. Garrett, and copies of the updated bylaws.”
The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.
Clarksville Now has reached out to Wilkinson for additional comment.
Interim being paid $300,000 per year
Clarksville Now has been reporting on questions surrounding Garrett’s pay since January 2023, when a dispute over the matter led a Housing Authority board member to resign.
In addition to her pay for a now-five year contractor-based stint as an interim director, at over $240,000 a year (though with no benefits or tax withholding removed), Garrett also receives pay as a consultant for the development corporation. In 2022, that added up to an additional $68,000.
In 2024, Garrett’s development-related consulting services earned her an additional $60,200, at $200 per hour, while in 2025, leading up to mid-December, she was paid $42,600 for her consulting services.
By comparison, the mayors of Clarksville and Montgomery County make $209,976, plus benefits.
Garrett and Lockett have recently explained the extended interim director period and contract work have been necessary because of the problems Garrett inherited when she took over the CHA, and because of the complexity of the RAD conversion that paves the way for the redevelopment of Lincoln Homes.
The next Housing Authority board meeting will be Feb. 18 at 3:30 p.m. at 721 Richardson St.
Clarksville Brown contributed to this report.
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