Jeremiah began his career in public housing as a compliance officer/housing investigator with the
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, where he investigated discrimination allegations involving housing, public accommodations, and education. In 2004, he joined the Springfield Housing Authority in
Springfield, Massachusetts, where he worked for more than two years before moving on to the
New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the nation's largest public housing authority. In his role as inspector general at NYCHA, Jeremiah had oversight authority for the largest housing authority in North America with a $5 billion budget. He established and defined standard operating practices and provided organizational leadership to ensure peak performance and to protect against fraud, waste, and mismanagement. Jeremiah next accepted a position at the
Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) in August 2011. He became the agency’s first director of audit and compliance, in which he instituted policies designed to reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. In 2012, Jeremiah became the HUD-appointed administrative receiver and the interim executive director of PHA. He was appointed president and chief executive officer in March 2013; within his first month, the agency returned to local control. In fact, PHA absorbed vouchers from 715 non-local families that transferred their vouchers to Philadelphia, despite PHA being under no obligation to do so and having a waiting list of 2,100 local families requesting Housing Choice vouchers. Despite federal budget cuts, Jeremiah has committed to creating or preserving 6,000 affordable housing units in Philadelphia over a five-year period. The “6 in 5” Initiative calls for PHA to partner with public, private, nonprofit, and publicly-minded organizations to meet the huge demand for affordable housing. Since January 2014, the initiative has produced almost 3,800 housing units, including those that are planned or completed by the agency, project based units, and third party development. PHA also signed an agreement to develop a new supermarket in the neighborhood, which has been a
food desert. Lastly, the Housing Authority and the
School District of Philadelphia reopened the former Vaux High School in the neighborhood in September 2017. PHA has committed to invest as much as $15 million in the restoration of the building, which is on the national record of historic sites. Under Jeremiah, the housing authority opened a Jobs Plus program at the Raymond Rosen Community Center in North Philadelphia in mid-summer 2016. The program allows residents to conveniently access the job related services they need to get ahead economically at a “one stop” service center. PHA and its partners are investing combined resources valued at $6.79 million over the next four years, in addition to a $2.7 million grant from HUD. At Jeremiah’s direction, PHA established PhillySEEDS, Inc. This award-winning, 501(c) non-profit corporation has produced more than $1,000,000 in scholarship money for deserving college students since 2013. The charitable organization has also provided more than 9,500 book bags stuffed with school supplies to residents, and has assisted over 30 PHA families buy their first home by providing first time homebuyer’s and closing cost assistance. 'Jeremiah worked for the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Early Care and Education, formerly the Office of Child Care Services, where he was the Regional Contracts Manager and Monitoring Coordinator. He also served as Compliance Officer at the Commission Against Discrimination in
Springfield, Massachusetts, where he investigated discrimination complaints involving housing, education, and public accommodation.
Certifications and public leadership positions Jeremiah is a Certified Public Purchasing Official, a Certified Public Housing Management Specialist, and is a member of Philadelphia's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity Oversight Board. In October 2017, Jeremiah was appointed by Mayor
Jim Kenney to the Mayor's Eviction Prevention and Response Task Force.
Honors Jeremiah has been honored by the
Philadelphia Business Journal as a Minority Business Advocate and as one of the Most Admired CEOs for established leaders with a strong record of innovation in their field, outstanding financial performance, a commitment to quality, a strong vision, a commitment to diversity in the workplace, and contributions to the Greater Philadelphia/New Jersey region ==Personal life==