Sonja Nelson

Sonja Nelson is the Vice President of Resident Initiatives with Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) in Columbus, Ohio. As the management lead for the Resident Initiatives (RI) department, her team provides a connection to resources and supports that enable residents to be safe, stable, and economically mobile. The RI team manages various HUD grants and programs including the People focus of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant and RISE EnVision Center. Her department also oversees the case management and service coordination support provided by third party organizations that serve the residents at CMHA properties across Franklin County, which is comprised of approximately 14,000 households, 40,000 residents. Prior to joining CMHA, Ms. Nelson was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the social enterprise, The Firm Development Group, LLC. She acquired corporate experience spanning over 15 years, including 10 years with Nationwide Insurance Company. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting Information Systems from DeVry University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management. She is a graduate of the United Way Project Diversity Leadership program and serves on many local committees.