Mission Elevation Success Stories: Housing Alexandria
“We don’t see Mission Elevation ending after graduation, we see it evolving into how we do our work here at Housing Alexandria.”
— Elisa Mondragon, Chief Operating Officer, Housing Alexandria
Housing Alexandria, a nonprofit developer based in Northern Virginia, is dedicated to creating homes and community-focused spaces that empower the residents of Alexandria. With over 840 affordable homes delivered and 400 additional rental units currently planned for construction, the organization has significantly impacted the Alexandria region. As Housing Alexandria has grown, CEO Jon Frederick and COO Elisa Mondragon recognized the need for strategic guidance to tackle new, ambitious projects. To address this, they joined Cohort 6 of VCDC’s Mission Elevation program.
The Mission Elevation Program begins when participants build a performance challenge aimed at sustainable outcomes for their organization. Elisa highlighted how this process led her and Jon to reevaluate and redesign their plan for improving Housing Alexandria’s property management strategy. By engaging in the performance challenge and tools from Mission Elevation, Elisa and Jon realized that they needed to create a more resident-focused approach by integrating in-house staff and third-party resources. A key tool in their success with this performance challenge was adopting a “balcony view” perspective.
Using the “balcony view” approach, Elisa and Jonathan began to “see things from 10,000 feet up” so that they could make big-picture decisions to boost resident satisfaction. The pair also found success in using other capacity-oriented ME tools with their staff, empowering the larger Housing Alexandria team to assess the value, capacity, and support required for projects. This has ensured that resources have been allocated wisely to support feasible and impactful initiatives.
“The moment that we started sharing our strategy with the team, the team has really become committed to it,” Elisa said. “They’re excited; they're prepared. What has really made it sustainable is not just that we’re doing this change, but that everyone is committed to that change.”
Elisa and Jon valued the opportunity to connect with other nonprofit leaders in their cohort, especially as fellow Virginia-based organizations. Comparing challenges and successes related to local governments, boards, populations served, and fundraising has helped them think outside the box and use new, creative strategies. Elisa reflected on how the program also strengthened her and Jon’s relationship as co-workers.
“The trust and comradery has been built between me and John,” Elisa said. “It has really made our communication a lot more fluid. It has allowed us to disagree more, in a way where we’re able to have very constructive conversations,” Elisa said.
Following their successful graduation from the program, Elisa feels that her experience with Mission Elevation isn’t quite over. She and Jon plan to integrate their performance challenge and the program's tools within their respective departments at Housing Alexandria. Notably, they feel more prepared to undertake the hard work required to achieve their mission to build more affordable and accessible housing for Alexandria residents.
“We don’t see Mission Elevation ending after graduation, we see it evolving into how we do our work here at Housing Alexandria,” Elisa said.
Learn more about Housing Alexandria’s work and housing development in Northern Virginia on their website here.
