Housing authority director retiring after twenty years

The executive director of the organization that manages affordable housing lotteries and numerous year-round rentals announced his upcoming retirement, after serving the Island community for two decades.

David Vigneault has been in the top position at the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority since 2005, and his enthusiasm for the work has only grown in that time. 

“There aren’t many mornings over the years when I don’t get excited about coming to work, these last number of years in particular,” Vigneault said. 

But come March 31st, 2026, Vigneault will be retiring. He and his wife, Holly Bellebuono, will move to Asheville, North Carolina where she grew up. 

Before coming to the Island, Vigneault was working with individuals with disabilities by finding supportive housing for them in Boston. When he moved to the Vineyard in 1987, he was doing similar work, and was noticed soon after his arrival by housing officials who heard him speak at a meeting in front of the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority. 

Vigneault was asked to join their board a few years later, and eventually, took on the executive director role. His passion for affordable housing has remained a vital part of his work. 

“If you don’t have the housing right, you aren’t going to maintain and preserve the community,” Vigneault said. 

Vigneault has helped lead the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority through times of great change. The organization works directly with nonprofits, town officials, and is a regional body of administrators that work on providing housing opportunities for low- to middle-income Islanders. 

When Vigneault became executive director, housing on the Island was significantly expensive, with families moving to the mainland due to the higher cost of living. But post-pandemic, a 25 percent population boom, and skyrocketing property prices, Vigneault and the regional housing organization have faced a much more dire situation. 

Vigneault said he and the authority are focused on consistent efforts to move affordable housing along and keep units available to locals. The group owns and operates over 102 affordable rental units and conducts the lotteries for Island Housing Trust and other developments. If a housing lottery was used to find a tenant or homeowner, the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority, and Vigneault, were likely involved. 

Now, the board will be searching for a new executive director to take the reigns. Their process has already begun, and Vigneault said he’s looking forward to training his replacement. He said he’s been organizing, planning, and gearing up for the transition in recent weeks. 

“As Elvis sang, ‘Don’t bury me ’cause I’m not dead yet,’” Vigneault said with a laugh. “I have another four or five months to go. We have a pretty significant process of picking up the next wonderful ED, and that process has begun.”

Vigneault will continue to work on projects until he leaves in March, such as conducting the housing lottery for four homes in Meshacket Commons — a housing development that will be offered to low- to middle-income locals in Edgartown, built by Island Housing Trust in partnership with the town. 

According to a press release regarding Vigneault’s retirement, his leadership will be sorely missed. 

“David’s steady leadership, deep commitment to community, and vision for equitable housing have left a lasting impact on the Island,” Chair of the Board of Directors of the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority, Ann Wallace, said. “We are committed to finding the right leader to build on David’s legacy and continue advancing our mission for the people of Martha’s Vineyard.”

As for his next chapter, Vigneault said he’s looking forward to moving elsewhere, although he’ll miss the Island community. 

“The good news is, the home we’ll be living in is 15 minutes away from the southern edge of the Pisgah National Forest,” Vigneault said. “So I’ll return to one of my first loves and be hiking and such again, and that’ll be nice to see.”