Charleston Housing Authority introduces new CEO despite unclear firing from previous job

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The Charleston Housing Authority introduced Nathan Simms Jr. as its new CEO at a press conference this week, but questions remain about why he was fired from his previous position.

Simms previously served as the executive director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority in Virginia before he was terminated in November, according to a statement on that agency’s website.

A statement on Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s website from November 2025 confirms their board voted to terminate Simms’ employment there, effective immediately at the time. Norfolk’s statement does not provide context as to why Simms was terminated.

When asked at the press conference why he was terminated, the reason remained unclear.

Board aware of termination before hiring

Chairman of the CHA board Greg Voigt said they were aware Simms was terminated before hiring him, but said it wasn’t until after the ink was dry that their team was made aware of the allegations against Simms.

Those claims were made in an article published by WHRO Public Media in Norfolk. Live 5 has requested documents from Simms’ previous employer, and has not been able to independently confirm those allegations.

When asked if they knew why Simms was terminated previously, Voigt said they were satisfied with the answers provided. When asked what those answers were, he could not provide exact answers.

“We were satisfied that it was not personal to Nathan Simms,” Voigt said. “That was the conclusion we reached based on what we believed in the internal mechanisms of at least what happened.”

Voigt said he is not concerned with criminal actions, and an investigation is ongoing to review the claims. He said the investigation will be done by someone who has not yet been selected.

“If this investigation is about consumer policies in North Virginia, it’s going to be a short investigation,” Voigt said. “If it’s about something else that I don’t know about, standing here, I can’t say.”

Voigt first voted against Simms as his selection, and he says he hasn’t changed his mind, and said he was present with a slate of candidates. He said he was looking for someone to tear the 85-year-old houses he doesn’t want to put people in, rather than repainting, a new roof or flowers out in front.

“What I was looking for was somebody who could take a sledgehammer to all of that, break through all of that. And we were presented with what I think were two candidates who could do that. And for me personally, I only speak for myself. I had a 1A and a 1B. So you still get my number one,” Voigt said.

Voigt released a statement saying the Charleston Housing Authority engaged a nationally respected search firm to conduct a comprehensive, thorough vetting and search process that produced several qualified candidates for its CEO position.

“The Charleston Housing Authority was aware of Mr. Simms’ prior employment,” Voigt said. “We are also aware of the article published today. We are closely reviewing the article’s assertions and will share updates as appropriate.”

Voigt also said the board is working through the allegations, noting that unless someone knows the intricacies of federal procurement regulations and practice, they can often be led to believe that something is other than it is.

“We do plan on getting to the bottom of every bit of it,” Voigt said.

Simms said he was told at the time that the board had decided to move in a different direction, both verbally and in writing. He said he did not get clarity as to why they were going in a different direction.

“I understand I made a bit of an appearance or a bit of a splash, and so I appreciate everyone sticking with me during this process,” Simms said.

Simms said he is ready to earn the people’s trust through his actions, knowing there are some reservations with how he got here.

“Whether that’s changing policies, changing procedures, changing the way that we go about our previous business, we have to look at it differently because we have to increase resident satisfaction,” Simms said.

Over the last year, Live 5 has reported several units with poor living conditions on multiple separate occasions, including mold, roach feces, collapsed ceilings and lack of running water.

When asked his approach to improving these conditions, Simms said he thinks it is something the authority will continue to look at very closely and make changes so that residents feel, during this period of transformation, that they have a safe place that they can lay their head.

“I stand here ready to serve the community and earn its trust through my actions,” Simms said. “I appreciate the housing authority’s willingness to look beyond selective narratives and conduct a thorough review of the facts and give the opportunity to give me the opportunity to stand here today before you representing this organization.”

The new leadership comes after CHA said the former CEO, Arthur Milligan, did not resign nor was dismissed, but left last fall.