The Newton Housing Authority has a new leader after its board accepted Executive Director Michael Lara's resignation and appointed former director Amy Zacherian as his replacement on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Zacherian, who held the title of deputy executive director and previously led the agency from 2013 to 2024, will serve as acting executive director for up to six months while the NHA searches for a permanent hire. The Board of Commissioners appointed her at the same meeting where it formally accepted Lara's departure, Fig City News reported.
Lara resigned as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. He faces a potential wire fraud charge tied to the alleged theft of more than $6,200 from the Watertown Housing Authority, where he served as executive director from July 2019 to January 2025.
Federal prosecutors allege Lara used Watertown housing funds in 2023 to buy fixtures for a personal bathroom renovation. The purchases included $2,299.88 in items from Home Depot and $3,160.69 from Monique's Bath Showroom, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. To hide the spending, Lara allegedly labeled the purchases as "705," a code that implied they were for Chapter 705 public rental housing units.
After a 2024 state investigation into his use of Watertown Housing Authority funds, Lara removed the fixtures he had purchased, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Under the agreement, Lara must repay the stolen funds and avoid any new federal criminal violations for six months. If he meets those terms, prosecutors may withdraw the charge and he would avoid prosecution.
Lara started in Newton in January 2025.
Board moves to secure NHA accounts
Zacherian told the board that Lara had surrendered all NHA credit cards and has been removed from all agency bank accounts and information systems.
Board chair Vincent O'Donnell said the recently completed 2025 NHA audit appears clean. At a prior meeting, the board commissioned a separate year-to-date audit for 2026 focused on internal controls, including credit card use. The firm conducting that review, EFPR Group, is the same one that audited the Watertown Housing Authority after the investigation into Lara became public.
"We expect to have a successful search for a new Executive Director because NHA has proven to be a well-run housing authority," O'Donnell told Fig City News.
A four-member search committee will lead the hunt for a permanent executive director. It includes Zacherian, O'Donnell, treasurer Judy Weber and director of finance Stephen McCray.
