Mayor Adams Appoints Two New Members To Rent Guidelines Board

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams today appointed two new members from Harlem to Hollis to the Rent Guidelines Board.

Genesis Aquino as a tenant member and Doug Apple as a public member. Aquino and Apple collectively bring decades of experience working to provide high-quality, affordable housing to New Yorkers.

“Doug Apple and Genesis Aquino bring an invaluable combination of policy expertise and on-the-ground experience to serve as stewards of our rent-stabilized housing on the Rent Guidelines Board,” said Mayor Adams. “Their decades of service in government and nonprofits exemplify their deep commitment to their neighbors and communities, and I know they will draw on the totality of their experiences to serve New Yorkers well on the Rent Guidelines Board.”

“Doug Apple and Genesis Aquino are two New Yorkers who care deeply about housing quality and affordability,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “The Rent Guidelines Board combines research and testimony from a broad array of New Yorkers and makes deeply considered decisions about how to adjust rent in rent-stabilized apartments. With long careers in government and nonprofits, Doug and Genesis are exactly the public-minded people we want on the Rent Guidelines Board.”

“As a longtime rent-stabilized tenant and housing justice advocate, I am honored to serve on the Rent Guidelines Board on behalf of thousands of low- and moderate-income New Yonkers whose livelihoods depend on rent stabilization,” said Genesis Aquino. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members to preserve and protect our biggest stock of affordable housing and do our best to keep New York City as a place where people from all walks of life can put down roots and build strong, stable, dynamic communities.”

“I am honored to have been selected by Mayor Adams to be a public member of the board,” said Doug Apple. “I am looking forward to working closely with Chair Davidson and the entire board as we closely review the data and make decisions critical to so many New Yorkers. Over my career in government and the nonprofit sector, I have always used data to make and assess policy decisions and will do the same here.”

Genesis Aquino

Genesis Aquino is the executive director of Tenants & Neighbors, a grassroots membership organization that works collaboratively with tenants to preserve and protect affordable housing in New York State. She is a staunch tenant advocate with over 10 years of advocacy and community organizing experience.

Previously, Aquino worked with Housing Court Answers, where she advocated for fair treatment of unrepresented litigants in the Housing Courts and to expand access to legal representation for low-income New Yorkers. She also worked as the director of social services for a member of the New York City Council. Aquino currently serves on the board of directors of the Laundry Workers Center and as the co-chair of the Brooklyn Community Board 7 Housing Committee.

Genesis received a B.A. in social work and urban community development from Lehman College.

Doug Apple

Doug Apple is the president and CEO of 1811Consulting, representing clients with real estate, health care, and project management services. He works on a range of supportive and transitional housing development projects as well as commercial real estate sales, leases, and acquisitions.

Apple previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Samaritan Daytop Village, overseeing more than 50 programs focused on housing, behavioral health, and human services. During his tenure, the organization grew fourfold and acquired or merged with three other nonprofit organizations.

Before working at Samaritan, Apple served in city government for 27 years, including as first deputy commissioner for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and as general manager and chief operating officer of the New York City Housing Authority. He has also worked in the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Mayor’s Office of Operations.

Apple received a B.A. from Boston University and attended the Wagner School of Public Administration at New York University.