Al Sharp was elected chair and Lee Backston was elected vice chair of the Wilmington Housing Authority (WHA), officials said in the release.

Sharp has served on the WHA Board since May 2017. He has also served as chair of the real estate committee.

Sharp is a retired county manager. He is an international consultant on public management, civic engagement and democracy issues, and is active in local nonprofits promoting economic development, affordable housing and public policy accountability, stated the release.

Backston was appointed to the board in August 2018. He has served as chair of the strategic planning committee.

He is a senior business consultant with more than 30 years of experience. He is also a corporate trainer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Cameron School of Business, the UNCW Swain Center and Cape Fear Community College. He is also a volunteer mentor at Cameron Executive Network.