As Community Services Director for the North Houston area, Yolanda Pickney describes her role at Portfolio Resident Services (PRS) as more “behind the scenes,” offering support and direction to help her team serve their communities to the best of their ability.

Yolanda has been with PRS since 2018, when she began working part time as a Resident Services Coordinator at a community just 10 minutes away from her own. With two children in high school at the time, she took the opportunity to return to college, earning her Associate of Arts and graduating alongside one of her sons, who was enrolled in a dual-credit program.

Having spent most of her career in management and customer service, it wasn’t long before Yolanda was promoted to Regional Coordinator, eventually joining the team full-time as a Senior Regional Coordinator before transitioning to her current position. 

One of Yolanda’s favorite parts of her job is connecting with others. From her immediate team members to their clients and residents, she enjoys collaborating with a diverse group of people and believes that as long as you’re giving your very best, others will give it right back. A smile, a wave, a success story — these moments make it all worthwhile.

A particularly memorable experience for Yolanda is when she had the opportunity to help a resident who was struggling, working multiple jobs to support two teen boys. Yolanda was working on-site when the woman expressed a desire to return to school, and it just so happened they had about two hours left to complete a scholarship application through PRS and the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers (TAAHP). Yolanda later learned that the resident was not only awarded the scholarship, but ended up graduating and improving her family’s life.

Yolanda has been married for over 20 years. She has five children and two grandchildren, and spends much of her time chasing after her two rescue dogs, one of whom she found abandoned in an apartment during COVID. She loves to cook and bake for her family, and she especially loves that short time between spring and summer when it’s not too hot or too cold, and she can spend time outside, taking in the fresh air with her rose bushes.