MMHA Key Staff
Skip Sipos, Executive Director
Skip Sipos was hired as the Housing Authority’s Executive Director in March of 1994. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Cleveland State University and graduated from Leadership Medina County in 1997. He completed the Executive Director Training Program from Rutgers University via the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association in 2011. He is also a certified Public Housing Manager.
Skip previously served as the Executive Director of the Buckeye Area Development Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. He served there for eight years. The organization focused on community and economic development activities and rehabilitated over 200 homes during his tenure as well as redeveloped over 50,000 square feet of commercial space.
Skip’s duties at the Housing Authority include overseeing the agency’s many properties and programs. He most recently oversaw the construction of Santee Landing, a 45-unit, affordable family housing development in Wadsworth, Ohio. He reports directly to the Authority’s Board of Commissioners.
Gary Blake, Deputy Director
Gary serves as the Deputy Director for the Housing Authority. He oversees the Housing and Program Departments which include the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV), Shelter + Care (SPC), several Emergency Housing Assistance Programs (EHAP), and our portfolio of Housing Properties. In total, these programs serve over 1300 households each month.
Gary was hired in 2013 as the Finance Director. He was promoted to the Chief Operating Officer 2017 after successfully leading both Housing & Finance Departments. He was promoted to Deputy Director for the Authority in 2020. Gary previously worked for Medina County Job and Family Services from 2006 to 2013. He served in Finance, SNAP & Medicaid Family Unit, & Aged, Blind, Disabled Medicaid Unit. Gary worked as a General Manager for McDonald’s for 20 years.
Gary directly supervises the Program Director and Housing Manager. Together, these departments strive to meet the mission of affordable or emergency housing availability to eligible Medina County citizens.
Gary received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from The University of Akron in 1993. He also earned a graduate designation from Hamburger University - McDonald’s Corporation. Gary also has a specialized designation - Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) from the National Association of Home Builders. Successful HCCPs have demonstrated a thorough understanding of the complex net of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit regulations that keep owners and managers in compliance.
Gary and his wife Julie live in Congress Township with their big, blended family – seven boys and three girls. You can often find them watching soccer when away from home and work.
Kelly Parker, Program Director
Kelly Parker serves as the Program Director for all compliance matters at the Housing Authority. She was hired in 2004 as the Family Self-Sufficiency Case Manager. She then served as Program Manager for 14 years. She previously worked for Lucas County Job and Family Services as a Social Service Case Manager for 3 years.
Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from State University of New York at Fredonia in 1999. She also earned a Master of Education degree in Adult Learning and Development from Cleveland State University in 2005.
Kelly earned a certificate in Lean Mastery through the University of Akron Workforce Training Solutions in April 2021. She also earned a certificate in Housing Choice Voucher Executive Management in 2008.
Rob Ebner, Finance Director
Rob Ebner serves as the Finance Director, coming to MMHA May 2021. He came to the Authority from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB), a $100M 501(c)(3) serving as their Controller. During his tenure at GCFB, he automated several processes, including bank reconciliations, and month end closing.
Prior to working at GCFB, he was the Chief Financial Officer for the Battered Women’s Shelter/Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina Counties (BWS/RCC). He served 5 years in that role, overseeing the BWS/RCC acquisition and remodeling of their current building at 974 E. Market Street, transforming it to a 154-bed capacity facility and growing the operations to an annual budget of over $7M through new public and foundational support.
Rob graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) in 1992 with a BS in Accounting and passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam in 1995.
Rob serves on two boards as their Treasurer:
- Medina Cares from 2017 to 2021, which helps those with living expenses who are facing a short-term medical crisis and,
- Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS) since 2017, the professional organization for Social Studies teachers licensed in Ohio.
Ed Witt, Maintenance Director
Ed Witt has joined the team at Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority to continue his mission of serving others through his extensive experience in facilities and project management. Ed brings a wealth of knowledge in building systems, preventative maintenance programs and fiscal responsibility to the Housing Authority.
Ed comes to the Authority from MetroHealth Systems where he served as Facilities Manager responsible for 23 satellite locations comprised of hospitals, surgical centers, emergency departments, clinical and business use spaces. Daily facility operations included the supervision of all mechanical and life safety systems as well as strict adherence to regulatory compliance, and ultimately, the safety and comfort of all patients, staff members and visitors.
Personally, Ed has enjoyed serving his church as a parish council member, usher, eucharistic minister, and as a member of the finance committee. He has also devoted his time teaching and coaching youth baseball and basketball and is a lifelong fitness enthusiast.
Ed and his wife Misty reside in Brunswick Hills. Their children include Brandon, owner of an investment real estate firm in Phoenix, Emily, a current medical school student, and Shane & Chad who attend Brunswick Schools and serve the community as altar servers and as Greater Cleveland Young Marines.
Aarika Newlon, Housing Director
Aarika Newlon joined the Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority in September of 2014 as a Management Assistant and has worked her way up to the Housing Director position. She now oversees the day-to-day of the Housing team that manages 550+ units of affordable housing throughout Medina County.
Aarika is certified as a Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM), Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS), Tax Credit Specialist (TCS), Fair Housing Coordinator (FHC) and Management and Occupancy Review Specialist (MORS). She also completed the Lean Mastery program through the University of Akron Workforce Training Solutions and was certified in April 2021.
Aarika previously worked at the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority as the Intake and Property Manager along with various retail establishments.
Aarika and her husband Brian enjoy spending time with their two young boys who keep them extremely busy with all their beloved sports and activities.
Jessie Kane, Program Director
Jessie Kane currently serves as the Emergency Housing Assistance Programs (EHAP) - Program Director. She oversees the emergency team’s day to day work, along with several housing initiatives and programs that are administered throughout the department. Jessie came to the Authority from the United Way of Summit & Medina in January 2023. During her time with United Way, Jessie was a rapid rehousing case manager, and then transitioned to United Way’s family case manager, working primarily with families in the school system who were experiencing a housing crisis. Prior to her role with UWSM, Jessie spent 18 months completing her field work at a family shelter in Summit County.
Jessie graduated with honors from the University of Akron with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. Jessie is trained in best practices in trauma informed care, mental health first aid, and housing first.
Jessie and her husband Logan enjoy being parents to their daughter Ellie. They are avid sports and Star Wars fans. Jessie and her husband are committed foster parents for a local Golden Retriever rescue. They have two goldens of their own, and always make room for a golden in need.
Piper Morgan, Program Director
Piper Morgan currently serves as the Program Director for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program. She supervises the management assistants and oversees 699 households per month who receive the assistance. Piper’s responsibilities for the Authority include program compliance, quality control, and landlord outreach and advocacy. Piper has been with the Housing Authority since 2017 starting in the Emergency Department. She came to the Medina Housing Authority from Community Action Wayne/Medina, where she was a center manager for preschool programs.
Piper graduated from Slippery Rock University with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Special Education and Community Services. She is a recent graduate of Leadership Medina’s LEAD institute. She is also a Certified Voucher Specialist.
Piper is a lifelong Medina resident and shares three adult children with her husband Terry. She has two dogs, enjoys cooking, reading, playing bingo with her friends and is an avid sports fan.