Our People

Lynda Schueler, MPAChief Executive Officer

Lynda has devoted her career to helping men, women, and families transition from housing crisis to housing stability. As executive director since 2001, Lynda provides strategic vision and organizational leadership at Housing Forward. Her leadership has enabled the agency’s growth from a $450,000 a year shelter provider to a $13M agency offering a full continuum of housing and prevention programs in addition to safety-net services. Over the years, she has formed numerous collaborations whose expertise and resources have guided hundreds of Housing Forward clients on their paths toward self-sufficiency. Lynda is a founder and current board member of the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County and a founding member of the Oak Park Homelessness Coalition. She has received awards for her work from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Housing Action Illinois, West Cook Y, the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township, the Maywood Chamber of Commerce and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Oak Park Rotary. In 2020, Lynda was named Villager of the Year in Oak Park for leading the agency’s COVID response.  

Lynda has a Masters of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Illinois State University.

Favorite Housing Forward value: Innovative Solutions

“We’re not afraid to venture into unknown territory to end homelessness. We look to communities to help feed the innovation and partner with us to solve homelessness.”

In her spare time, Lynda enjoys riding her bike around town and traveling with her family.

Misti Faust, MFAChief Financial Officer

Misti Faust was a key member of the finance department from 2007 to 2018, and has returned to Housing Forward in the role of CFO.  She is responsible for the financial management strategy including direct responsibility for the agency’s accounting, finance, forecasting, budget, strategic planning, oversight of all public contracts/agreements, financial compliance, and risk management.

Misti has spent her career working in the nonprofit field with various homeless agencies, including New Moms, Inc., Bobby E. Wright MHC and Bridge Communities. The past 15 years, she has focused on executive leadership roles. Prior to rejoining Housing Forward, Misti worked for Illinois Public Health Institute as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer overseeing the agency’s finances, human resources, and administrative operations. Her work continues to be about building administrative and financial capacity and improving financial and human resource systems and processes.

Favorite Housing Forward value: Person-Centered Approaches

"My favorite value is 'person-centered approaches'. This is my favorite because as individuals we are unique and similar at the same time. Each of us have a background or history, beliefs, experiences, values, thoughts, expressions, motivations, successes and defeats that are common but they are also different at the same time. Because of our uniqueness, our approach should not be self-centered, standard or generalized but centered around our individualities."

Misti has a MFA (Masters of Financial Accounting) from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science Degree from DeVry University.

Armando Smith, LCSWChief Program Officer

As Chief Program Officer, Armando Smith is responsible for providing leadership, direction, and oversight of Housing Forward's integrated service delivery system through six program areas – housing, interim housing, medical respite, outreach & diversion, prevention, and wraparound services. Armando has more than 35 years of leadership and counseling experience with prominent social service agencies such as The Night Ministry, Teen Living Programs and AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Most recently, Armando was Associate Director of Healthcare Clinical Operations for Vital Bridges, a division of Heartland Health Outreach. In that position, he was responsible for all program operations, quality assurance and improvement, outcome measurement and budget management. He is part time staff at the Cathedral Counseling Center and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and member of the National Association of Social Workers. 

Favorite Housing Forward value: Person Centered Approach

“When we put clients at the center of our work, we are guided by the very reason we exist as an organization: to be of service to those who seek and rely on us.”

Armando, a native of Panama, is fluent in Spanish.

Jennifer M. Gonzalez, MBAChief Operations Officer

Jennifer M. Gonzalez is committed to advancing equity and empowering underserved communities, particularly those experiencing homelessness. Motivated by firsthand experiences of cultural incompetence within the medical system, Jennifer has redirected her career focus to address disparities in low-income and marginalized populations. Before joining Housing Forward, Jennifer served as the Chief Operations Officer at Alivio Medical Center, where she oversaw operations serving over 30,000 patients annually. She was instrumental in implementing transformative initiatives to optimize patient experiences and streamline operational processes. Her strategic leadership and collaborative approach resulted in improved security, increased productivity, and enhanced patient care. Outside of her career, Jennifer participates in various organizational committees and external collaboratives focused on community health transformation.

Favorite Housing Forward value: Community Engagement

“As a mission-driven individual, I firmly believe that housing and healthcare are fundamental rights. To achieve these goals, we must actively engage with community-based organization and non-profits that live and breathe their missions.”

Jennifer holds a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare/Change Management from Concordia University and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Loyola University.