Board of Commissioners

Board of Commissioners & Procedures to Speak at Board Meetings

The SMHA Board meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 12:00 noon at 400 Tuscarawas Street East in Canton.  The following procedures have been implemented for all requests to address the Board of Commissioners during a regularly scheduled Board Meeting:

• All public requests and inquiries to speak at a Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority (SMHA) Board Meeting will be processed by the Executive Director’s Office.
• Requests to speak are to be made in writing by emailing info@starkmha.org. For those without access to email, you may submit your request by calling, 330-454-8051, 324. All requests must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday, 1- week prior to a regularly scheduled Board Meeting.
• Upon receipt of request you will be contacted by the Executive Director’s Office to ensure that all information regarding your request has been obtained, as well as to confirm the date, time and location of the meeting to the person wishing to address the Board.  This information is intended to assist in determining meeting room accommodations and to facilitate efficient handling of the Board’s agenda.
• If a request to address the Board has been received after the meeting agenda has been distributed to the Board of Commissioners, then the request will be scheduled for the next regularly scheduled.
• No speaker may address the Board more than twice in a calendar year and no speaker is entitled to speak at consecutive Board Meetings.
• Groups of individuals wishing to speak on the same topic will be asked to identify a spokesperson.
• Comments/questions regarding specific procurement acquisitions will not be addressed at SMHA Board Meetings.  These may be directed, in writing, to SMHA’s Director of Procurement, 400 Tuscarawas Street E, Canton, OH 44702.
• Comments/questions regarding employment or personnel matters, will not be addressed at SMHA Board Meetings.  These may be directed, in writing, to SMHA’s Director of Human Resources/Risk Management, 400 Tuscarawas Street E, Canton, OH 44702.
• There is a 3-minute time limit given to each speaker.  Please abide by this limit. After 3-minutes, each speaker will be asked to conclude.

2026 Regular Board Meeting Schedule

* A Board Meeting date has been updated.

*January 22, 2026 Regular Meeting has been rescheduled to February 26, 2026 at noon.

The current SMHA Commissioners are:

Fonda Williams, Chair – Appointed by City of Canton Mayor

Nenya Ross, Vice-Chair – Appointed by City of Canton Mayor

Lisa Bussey – Appointed by Stark County Court of Common Pleas

Roger Mann – Appointed by Stark County Board of Commissioners

Tim Shetzer – Appointed by Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division

Term Length: 5 years
Compensation: Members serve without compensation
Authorization: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3735

Fonda Williams, Chair

Nenya Ross, Vice Chair

Lisa Bussey

Roger Mann

Timothy Shetzer