Shaun Donovan, a former senior Obama and Bloomberg administration official and New York City mayoral candidate, will be the next CEO and President of Enterprise Community Partners.
The nonprofit, one of the largest affordable housing organizations in the country, announced the appointment Monday.
“Housing touches everything in a person’s life. A good education, a good job, a healthy, prosperous life — all revolve around having a safe, stable place to live,” Donovan said in a release . “Housing affordability has received national attention unlike any other time in my life. I have been preparing for this moment my entire career.”
Donovan has extensive experience at the highest levels of housing policy. He served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, and New York City housing commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
While at HUD, Donovan developed the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program, better known as RAD.it Founded in 2012 Allows properties to convert public housing units to Section 8 housing.
By redirecting apartments to a more reliable source of funding, the program enables local governments to make long-needed repairs. The New York City Housing Authority is using the program to upgrade tens of thousands of apartments in partnership with private developers who then manage but do not own the properties.
Despite the policy’s success, it has faced strong opposition from some critics who see it as privatizing public housing. Still, Donovan has touted the plan as one of his major accomplishments, including when he runs for mayor as a Democrat in 2021. (Donovan raised millions of dollars But trailing Eric Adams in the primary. )
The RAD will not increase the rent because Section 8 limits rents to no more than 30% of tenant incomepublic housing standards.
The former cabinet official and state housing chief will begin his new role on Sept. 1, succeeding Lori Chatman and Drew Warshaw, who have served as interim co-chief executives since September.
Donovan’s new employer has invested $64 billion over the past 40 years to build 1 million affordable housing units across the country.
read more
“If you want someone who understands the current state of housing in the nation and where we need to go – the history, the challenges we face at the local and state levels, the public, private and philanthropic levers that need to be mobilized in order to build a better future – Shaun Donovan is the right leader at the right time,” Enterprise board chairman Rick Lazio, a former Rep., said in a release.
