2019 RHA President's Awards Honorees
Announcing Special Public Service Award Recognition for the Late William “Bill” McGonagle
The Rental Housing Association's President's Awards Dinner
Tuesday, December 3, 2019, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm, Seaport Hotel, Boston
The Rental Housing Association is pleased to present the 2019 Industry Excellence Award to Thomas D. Beaton, CPM, Senior Vice President, Management, The Dolben Company.
Active with the firm since 1982, Mr. Beaton is responsible for overseeing the operations of Dolben’s management portfolio, which consists of more than 17,000 multifamily units in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Mr. Beaton is a Director and Past President of the Rental Housing Association of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, and a Director of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. He has also served as Director, Regional Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair, Chairman-Elect, and Chairman of the National Apartment Association. Over the course of his career, Mr. Beaton has spoken on a wide variety of industry-related topics at national and regional conferences and events. Mr. Beaton has received the Certified Property Manager designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management, is a graduate of the Tilton School, and holds a B.A./B.S. from Tufts University.
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RHA is also honored to posthumously award the 2019 Public Service Award to William “Bill” E. McGonagle.
Bill McGonagle was born and raised in a South Boston public housing development in a family of eight. He has worked with or on behalf of the public housing residents of Boston for more than 40 years.Members of Bill's family will accept the award on his behalf.
He began his career working with public housing residents as a youth Program Director at the Brighton Y.M.C.A., where he worked with young people from the Commonwealth and Faneuil public housing developments. He later worked at the South Boston Boys & Girls Club with young people from the West Broadway Public Housing development. Bill started working at the Boston Housing Authority in 1981 as a member of the BHA’s Department of Public Safety. He was subsequently selected by BHA Receiver Harry Spence to participate in a BHA sponsored management training program. The program included graduate level management classes at the Boston University School of Social Work. Bill also served as a public housing development manager and as an Area Director overseeing the management of the BHA’s 37 elderly/disabled public housing developments throughout Boston. He later served as Executive Assistant to former BHA Administrator Doris Bunte where he became directly involved in the integration of the public housing developments in South Boston and Charlestown. Bill was then appointed Deputy Administrator on April 1, 1992. He served in that role for 17 years and for three Administrators; David Cortiella, Joseph Feaster, and Sandra B. Henriquez. Mayor Thomas M. Menino appointed Bill as Administrator for the Authority on June 11, 2009. He continues to serve in that capacity under Mayor Martin J. Walsh. In the spring of 2010, Bill received the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (ULEM) President’s award for his outstanding commitment to serving families and individuals and for his leadership at the Boston Housing Authority in ensuring that BHA residents obtain equal access to resources and economic opportunities. In 2009, he received the J. Lincoln Durand Award from the Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants for providing a positive role model for public housing tenants. In 2007, he received the John W. McCormack Public Service Award from the South Boston Citizens’ Association for his dedication to public service among many other awards since. Most recently, Bill received the Affordable Housing Vision Award from the National Housing and Rehabilitation Association in 2018. Bill passed away in October 2019.
