Staff

Phyllis Chamberlain

Executive Director 

Nicole Daker

Executive Office Coordinator

Christina Michael

Research & Education Manager

Alison Norton

Director of External Affairs

Elizabeth Reilly

Housing Research & Policy Associate

Gale Schwartz

Director of Programs and Outreach

Layla Sayed

Housing Research & Policy Associate

Jennifer Thomas

Community Engagement Manager

Executive Director 

Phyllis Chamberlain

Phyllis Chamberlain is the Executive Director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, a statewide organization dedicated to ensuring that all Pennsylvanians—especially those with low incomes—have access to safe, decent, affordable, and accessible homes. She brings more than thirty years of experience in public policy advocacy, technical assistance, community engagement, and communications. Before joining the Housing Alliance, Phyllis served as Director of Field Mobilization at the National Alliance to End Homelessness and as Executive Director of both the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness and the Homeless Planning Council of Delaware.

Executive Office Coordinator

Nicole Daker

Nicole Daker is the Executive Office Coordinator at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, where she provides administrative and organizational support to ensure the smooth operation of the organization’s team. With a strong background in executive support, office management, and event coordination, she brings a wealth of experience to her role.

Prior to joining the Housing Alliance, Nicole served as the Executive Assistant to the CEO at 3rd Floor Media, where she managed daily business operations and played a key role in drafting business proposals to support the company’s growth. In her previous role as Coordinator of Community Engagement at the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Adult Education, Nicole facilitated board meetings, managed partner databases, and handled logistical planning for conferences and events.

Nicole is deeply passionate about the Housing Alliance’s mission to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have access to safe, decent, and affordable homes. She thrives in dynamic environments where she can contribute her organizational skills to support meaningful change.

Outside of work, Nicole enjoys reading fiction, caring for her houseplants, exploring the city on walks, and spending time with her dog Pam and her partner Sonni.

Research & Education Manager

Christina Michael

Chris (she/her) has served as the Research and Education Manager at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania since 2023. Her experiences in rapidly urbanizing areas have shaped her conviction that data should be used to amplify residents’ voices and tackle vital issues such as housing, transit, and economic mobility. Within the Housing Alliance, her research focuses on eviction prevention and landlord engagement. Chris earned her Master’s in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her Bachelor’s in Architecture in India. Prior to her time with the Housing Alliance, Chris’ work included research on informal settlements in the Global South.

Director of External Affairs

Alison Norton

Ms. Norton has served as the Senior Communications Manager since 2022. She works to innovate and seek out creative opportunities for elevating visibility, program activities, and fund development. Ms. Norton has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Delaware and 27 years in nonprofit fundraising and communications for organizations including the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown, North Penn Legal Services, PBS39, and Turning Point of Lehigh Valley. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and AFP Eastern PA Chapter as well as a PA Notary with current commission.

Housing Research & Policy Associate

Elizabeth Reilly

Elizabeth Reilly (she/her) joined the Housing Alliance as Housing Research and Policy Associate in September 2025. After completing her undergraduate degree in Political Science at Boston College, she moved to Seattle and worked in behavioral health, homeless services, and substance use support at Recovery Café for six years. Her work has been driven by a deep commitment to fostering healthier, more equitable communities, particularly for those who have been historically underserved. She seeks to merge her experience working directly with communities experiencing chronic homelessness and varying behavioral health challenges to support Housing Alliance in its mission to provide affordable, safe homes. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Director of Programs and Outreach

Gale Schwartz

Gale Schwartz is the Director of Programs and Outreach for the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. Gale joined the Housing Alliance in 2013 as a project specialist working on tenant engagement in expiring project based section 8 housing and consulting on homelessness continuum of care governance and system design. In recent years, her work has focused on promoting promising practices and supporting local programs for landlord engagement, eviction prevention and diversion, and emergency rental assistance. Prior to joining the Housing Alliance, Gale was a frontline worker in the behavioral health and early childhood development fields in New Mexico and Pennsylvania. After witnessing the struggles of families navigating complex and under resourced systems, Gale shifted her career focus to systems change, policy and advocacy. Gale has a Bachelors in Sociology from the University of New Mexico and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh.

Housing Research & Policy Associate

Layla Sayed

Layla Sayed is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Urban Studies and submatriculating into the Master of Science in Social Policy program. Layla grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where her experiences and community sparked her passion for housing justice and her belief that everyone deserves safe, stable housing.

Her interests lie at the intersection of housing, criminal justice reform, and education policy. She has explored these connections through diverse experiences, including her work with the ACLU-NJ on the Clemency Project and her semester abroad in Argentina, Barcelona, and South Africa, where she studied international housing practices. Layla draws on both her global perspective and her own experiences to help advance the Housing Alliance’s mission of making housing accessible for everyone.”

Community Engagement Manager

Jennifer Thomas

Jen (she/her) has served as the Community Engagement Manager at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania since 2022. With personal lived experience with housing instability, Jen has always been grounded in the belief that housing is a human right. She earned her Master’s in Social Work concentrating on community organizing and social action from the University of Pittsburgh and her BA in Psychology from Seton Hill University. Her work with the Housing Alliance centers around amplifying the voices of those with lived experience, voter engagment and education, policy advocacy, and providing evidence based educational opportunities through webinars and the annual Homes Within Reach Conference. Prior to her time with the Housing Alliance, Jen worked in student housing and with a grassroots animal advocacy organization.

Phyllis Chamberlain

Nicole Daker

Christina Michael

Alison Norton

Elizabeth Reilly

Gale Schwartz

Layla Sayed

Jennifer Thomas

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