HDP Board of Directors

As the President & CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), Lisa Jones is the President of Housing Development Partners (HDP) and Chair of HDP’s Board of Directors.

In her more than 20 years of service in the areas of affordable housing and homelessness, she has developed and implemented housing assistance approaches that focus on the unique needs of the people being served. She has adhered to the additional values of building relationships, collaborating with community organizations, promoting transparency in government.

She previously served as SDHC’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. In that position, she oversaw key strategic and policy initiatives across agency divisions, including SDHC’s Strategic Plan, SDHC’s Moving to Work designation, and homelessness initiatives.

Before joining SDHC in 2017, Ms. Jones worked for seven years for the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino in the positions of Operations Manager, Director of Housing Administration, and Vice President of Housing Services. Concurrently, for several years, she also acted as Executive Director of Knowledge and Education for Your Success, a nonprofit affiliate of the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino.

SDHC is an award-winning public housing agency in the City of San Diego that provides innovative housing assistance programs for households with low income or experiencing homelessness. The San Diego City Council, in its role as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, oversees SDHC. SDHC helps pay rent for more than 17,000 households with low income annually; is a leader in collaborative efforts to address homelessness, such as the Community Action Plan on Homelessness for the City of San Diego; and creates and preserves affordable rental housing, with more than 27,000 affordable units in service in the City today with SDHC’s participation, of which SDHC owns or manages more than 4,100 affordable rental housing units.

Ms. Jones holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Leadership and Management with the University of West Anglia, England. She also is an alumnus of the Impact Center’s Women’s Executive Leadership Program.

Gary Gramling serves as Vice Chair and Secretary of the Housing Development Partners (HDP) Board of Directors and is a member of the HDP Audit Committee.

Mr. Gramling served on the San Diego Housing Commission’s Board of Commissioners from February 17, 2009, through April 7, 2017, including seven years as Chairman of the Board. He earned the prestigious Elizabeth B. Wells Memorial Award from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) in 2016 for excellence in developing support for housing programs.

He has more than 30 years of experience in the building industry.

Mr. Gramling has served on the Boards of Directors of HDP and HDP Mason Housing Corporation since 2010.

Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell was appointed to the HDP Board of Directors in June 2022.

He also serves as the Chair of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Board of Commissioners. He was appointed to SDHC Board of Commissioners on February 4, 2020, and reappointed on September 21, 2021, and February 25, 2025.

Mr. Mitchell is the Senior Vice President, Chief Legislative Officer for Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E).

Mr. Mitchell also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Sharp Hospital Board of Trustees, the Lucky Duck Foundation and the University of Redlands.

He previously served as the Senior Vice President, Diversity & Community Partnerships for Sempra and prior to that served as Vice President of State Governmental Affairs and External Affairs for SoCalGas and SDG&E.

Before joining the Sempra Utilities in 2005, he served as Vice President of Public Policy and Communications for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Redlands.

San Diego City Councilmember / Housing Authority Member Sean Elo-Rivera has represented San Diego City Council District 9 since assuming office in December 2020. He served as City Council President from December 2021 through December 2024. He is also Chair of the City Council’s Environment Committee, Vice Chair of the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee, and a member of the City Council’s Rules and Budget and Government Efficiency Committees.

Councilmember Elo-Rivera also serves as first alternate to Council President Joe LaCava on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors; alternate to Councilmember Vivan Moreno on the SANDAG Borders Committee; representative on the SANDAG Transportation Committee; first representative and alternate Chair for the San Diego Consortium Policy Board; representative on the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors; representative on the MTS Executive Committee and Taxicab Committee; and representative on the San Diego Community Power Board of Directors.

Before joining the City Council, he served as an elected member of the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees and as the Executive Director of Youth Will.