Influential Woman · Government

Darnelle Joseph Lacoste

Ombudsperson/ Constituent Service Manager, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

Boston, MA

2011Years experience

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's degree from Pine Manor College Degree Master's in Public Administration with concentration in Public Policy from Suffolk University

Her Story

About Darnelle

I have been working in housing for over 15 years, and I've always been passionate about helping others as a natural problem solver. Currently, I serve as the Constituent Service Manager and Secretariat Ombudsperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. When we became a Secretariat about 3 years ago, I was tasked to create a constituent service team to better serve our constituents seeking assistance with housing resources and navigating challenges with getting benefits. My role involves handling legislative inquiries as part of the legislative team, where I serve as a liaison between program managers, program directors, division heads, and constituents who need their questions answered and connections to proper resources. Before this role, I was the constituent service coordinator for the Emergency Assistance Shelter Program, and prior to that, I was a homeless coordinator for the Department of Housing and Community Development. I've also worked as a resident service coordinator and assistant property manager, so I've always worked in the realm of housing and really enjoy all aspects of it. Housing is such a major factor in everyone's life because it affects your health, your mental well-being, and your emotional well-being. Without sustainable housing, it really can affect you, so it's always been my goal to help get people connected. Right now, we're in a major housing crisis in Massachusetts, and our secretary is tasked to create just about over 200,000 new housing stock. I'm also an entrepreneur - my husband and I own The Private Office Barbershop located in Hyde Park, Boston, and we have eyes on doing several other things in the community to uplift it.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Darnelle

01What do you attribute your success to?

I'd attribute my success to my faith and my family support. I have a very supportive husband, I have 3 beautiful children, and I have a great relationship with my mother and siblings. That support system has been essential to everything I've been able to accomplish in my career and personal life.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received was to do it because you love it, and the money will come later. As long as you love what you do, you're always gonna feel some type of fulfillment. I found that to be true for me throughout my career in housing and public service.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

The advice that I'd give young women entering my industry would be to always have the grit, because there are days that you're gonna wake up and the work is hard, but I think that we truly are able to do hard things, especially when you find your why. And my why is to be able to wake up and say, you know what, I've helped someone that has been in a difficult situation navigate that situation. My advice to young women is to have the grit, don't give up, get your education, and find your why.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think the biggest challenge is the lack of resources right now. But I think that the biggest opportunity is that there's a lot of opportunity for relationship building and becoming more critical thinkers in terms of being more creative with problem solving. Because there's such limited resources, I'm becoming a better problem solver by just being more creative with the ways that I'm able to navigate and get people connected to what they need.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Integrity, compassion, and being empathetic towards others are my most important values. I try to meet people where they are in life. I tend to work with people sometimes that are really at rock bottom in their situation, and I'm just trying to find a way to uplift them and let them know that everybody goes through things, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Keep Exploring