Peoria Housing Authority Hires Christopher Vincent
Vincent, formerly deputy executive director of the East Chicago Housing Authority, will succeed interim CEO Damon Duncan's leadership after a board vote.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in People
The Peoria Housing Authority's board of directors voted September 29 to hire Christopher Vincent as its chief executive officer. Vincent replaces Armeca Crawford, who left the position in January, and Damon Duncan, who has served as interim CEO since March, will work with him for a thirty-day transition period.
Why it matters
The hire follows a ten-month CEO search that considered 30 candidates and fills a leadership post left vacant since January. Vincent's background in senior housing and resident relocation gives the authority an executive with recent large-scale development experience.
The board's search lasted ten months and considered 30 candidates before selecting Vincent, who spent eight years in executive roles at the East Chicago Housing Authority. Vincent has led or taken part in five real estate development deals, including a 206-unit senior housing development that opened for leasing in 2025.
The players
Christopher Vincent
Vincent is a housing executive who previously served as deputy executive director of the East Chicago Housing Authority and has led multiple real estate development deals.
Damon Duncan
Duncan has served as the Peoria Housing Authority's interim chief executive since March and will work with Vincent during a thirty-day transition.
Armeca Crawford
Crawford was the Peoria Housing Authority's chief executive before leaving the position in January 2026.
The details
Vincent has been a deputy executive director at the East Chicago Housing Authority since 2020 and led the 2021 emergency relocation of 94 senior residents from a 10-story building. The Peoria Housing Authority announced the hire in a news release following the board vote.
Timeline
January 2026: Armeca Crawford left the CEO position.
March 2026: Damon Duncan became interim CEO.
September 29, 2026: The board voted to hire Christopher Vincent.
2020: Vincent became deputy executive director at the East Chicago Housing Authority.
2025: A 206-unit senior housing development opened for leasing under his leadership.
Market Landscape
Public housing authorities are governed locally but operate under federal oversight from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which shapes how their executives are selected and evaluated. Vincent's hire places an executive with recent large-scale senior housing experience into a leadership role at an authority facing the same federal framework.
Residents of Peoria's public housing will see the authority's day-to-day direction shaped by new leadership after the transition period ends. Tenants and applicants may notice changes in program administration as Vincent takes over from the interim leadership.
The takeaway
A leadership transition is most effective when the outgoing and incoming executives share a defined handoff period, and the thirty-day overlap here offers that structure. Residents and applicants can track how Vincent's senior housing experience shapes the authority's priorities.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage tied to Peoria leadership changes.
