Her Story
About Sheila
Sheila Barnett serves as Executive Director of the Goodland Housing Authority in Goodland, Kansas, where she oversees a small rural public housing agency responsible for 84 units across two high-rise towers and six duplexes. With a team of four staff members, she manages a diverse resident population that includes elderly individuals, college students, people with disabilities, and families. Her responsibilities span the full scope of agency operations — from lease administration, rent calculations, and maintenance oversight to grant writing, board relations, and emergency preparedness planning for the community. Over the course of her 36-year career in housing and redevelopment, Sheila has spent the last 14 years with the Goodland Housing Authority, including 13 years in her current executive leadership role. Earlier in her career, she managed Pioneer Presidents Place, a low-income tax credit property in Salina, Kansas, that served elderly and disabled residents in a historic, rehabilitated school building.
A deeply values-driven leader, Sheila's commitment to housing stability is rooted in her own experience of homelessness at age 18 — an experience that shaped her lifelong dedication to helping vulnerable families find and maintain secure housing. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Services from Fort Hays State University, along with a Public Housing Manager certification earned in 1994 and additional professional credentials from NAHMA and NAHRO. Her expertise extends across federally subsidized housing, privately owned properties, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developments, with hands-on experience navigating HUD and Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) requirements. Among her proudest professional achievements is her leadership in securing the grants needed to build the city's only two public storm shelters on Housing Authority property, a project that reflects her focus on community resilience and safety.
Sheila is highly engaged in the broader housing profession, holding membership in the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NARO), where she sits on two national committees, and serving as Secretary of the Southwest Regional Council Executive Board. She is the immediate past president of her state's housing authority association and continues to serve on related state committees, in addition to her role on the Housing Benefits Plan Board. Beyond her professional affiliations, she gives back to her community as a board member of Emergency Food Bank Genesis and through volunteer work with several local emergency planning and community service organizations. In recognition of her contributions to the field, Sheila has been nominated as a NARO Fellow, with induction scheduled for October, and has been selected for feature recognition in the Influential Women Network 2026. Guided always by the values of honesty and integrity instilled in her by her father, Sheila remains devoted to mentoring the next generation of housing professionals and strengthening the communities she serves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sheila
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my father and the values he instilled in me — honesty, integrity, and a genuine desire to help others. Those principles have guided every decision I've made throughout my career.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage young women entering this field to find their network and their people. Joining professional associations, like NARO, is invaluable — surrounding yourself with a community that understands the work makes a real difference. I'd also tell them not to be afraid to ask for help. You don't need to have every answer yourself; knowing where to find the answer, or who to ask, is just as important.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in our field right now is funding — ongoing government funding cuts, combined with increasingly complex regulations, make our work harder every year. Retention and recruitment are also difficult for small agencies like ours. At the same time, I see real opportunity in mentoring new directors, validating the important work our sector does, and keeping people engaged through training and support.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and integrity are the values I hold most important, both professionally and personally. They've shaped how I lead, how I serve my community, and how I try to show up for the people who depend on our work.
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