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BPC Announces New Housing Advisory Council, Initiative on Racial Equity and Housing

Washington, DC – The Bipartisan Policy Center is launching a new Housing Advisory Council, a group of housing experts—including current and former federal, state, and local public officials, academics, practitioners, and industry leaders—that will work with BPC to develop bipartisan housing policies and guide policymakers.

The council is chaired by BPC Board Members Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Pamela Hughes Patenaude, former HUD Deputy Secretary, as well as two former mayors—San Diego’s Kevin Faulconer and Philadelphia’s Michael Nutter.

Over the next year, the council will focus on helping BPC identify and prioritize policies that:

  • Continue to meet the urgent housing needs of Americans affected by COVID-19;
  • Advance racial equity and opportunity through housing—by addressing disproportionately high housing costs, entrenched segregation and concentrated poverty, and disparities in homeownership and family wealth; and
  • Preserve and build affordable homes to strengthen families and their financial resilience and propel our country’s economic recovery.

“Seeking to undo and address the historical harm caused to Black people, Native Americans, and other people of color requires courage, creativity, and a commitment to overcome differences,” said Henry Cisneros. “Our goal is to foster a constructive, bipartisan dialogue on housing policies that further racial equity and opportunity.”

“For America to achieve its full potential, we must focus on the inequities that persist, learn from each other, and forge a path forward,” said Pamela Hughes Patenaude. “Housing policy is central to advancing a meaningful and bipartisan agenda to close the racial gaps in wealth and savings and enhance opportunity. This initiative demonstrates BPC’s commitment to keeping that agenda top of mind.”

Council members include:

  • Henry Cisneros, Co-Chair, Board Member, Bipartisan Policy Center; Former HUD Secretary
  • Kevin Faulconer, Co-Chair; Former Mayor of San Diego
  • Michael Nutter, Co-Chair; Former Mayor of Philadelphia
  • Pamela Hughes Patenaude, Co-Chair, Board Member, Bipartisan Policy Center; Former HUD Deputy Secretary
  • Seth Appleton, President, MISMO; Former HUD Assistant Secretary, Policy Development and Research; Former Principal Executive Vice President, Ginnie Mae
  • Alfonso Costa, Jr., Executive Vice President, Falcone Group; Former HUD Deputy Chief of Staff
  • J. Paul Compton, Jr., Founding Partner, Compton Jones Dresher; Former HUD General Counsel
  • Eileen Fitzgerald, Head of Housing Affordability Philanthropy, Wells Fargo
  • Karen Wilson-Freeman, President and CEO, Chicago Urban League; Former Mayor of Gary, Indiana
  • Gerald Hunter, President and Executive Director, Idaho Housing and Finance Association
  • Carol Galante, Faculty Director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation, University of California-Berkeley; Former HUD Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner
  • Ismael Guerrero, President and CEO, Mercy Housing; Former Executive Director, Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver
  • Maren Kasper, Managing Director, Bayview Asset Management; Former Acting President, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Ginnie Mae; Former HUD Senior Advisor
  • Jim King, CEO and President, Fahe
  • Chrystal Kornegay, Executive Director, MassHousing
  • Shawn Krause, Executive Vice President, Quicken Loans
  • R. Hunter Kurtz, Former HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing
  • Lisa Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Fair Housing Alliance
  • Avik Roy, Senior Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center; President, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity
  • Dana Wade, Chief Production Officer, Walker & Dunlop; Former HUD Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner

Support for the council and its work have been made possible by Melville Charitable Trust, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Wells Fargo Foundation.

To follow the work of BPC’s Housing Advisory Council as it moves forward, please subscribe to our newsletter and visit the housing program webpage.

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