LISC has named Kristen Baker, long-time deputy director of LISC Greater Cincinnati, as executive director of the regional program office. She replaces the retiring Kathy Schwab. According to LISC CEO Maurice A. Jones, Baker will help "expand our investments in affordable housing and small businesses, advance programs that prepare people for living wage jobs, and deepen community engagement on issues ranging from health and racial equity to education and economic development.”
Kristen Baker takes helm at LISC Greater Cincinnati to expand investments in housing, businesses, health and jobs
Long-time deputy director takes over following retirement of Kathy Schwab
Cincinnati (June 8, 2020)—The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has named Kristen Baker, a long-time community investment leader in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as the new executive director of LISC Greater Cincinnati.
Baker has served as deputy director for the program since 2011, overseeing lending programs for affordable housing and business development, while also helping drive efforts that advance community safety, health, education and financial stability for families.
She takes the helm from Kathy Schwab, who helped build LISC’s $136.6 million portfolio of local investments during her 11 years as executive director. To date, LISC’s efforts have leveraged nearly $546 million in total development activity throughout the region, all designed to help people build a stronger future for their families and their communities.
“We’re so grateful that Kathy has shared her lifetime of expertise and commitment with LISC for these many years,” said Maurice A. Jones, LISC president and CEO. “She has been a remarkable local leader and a driving force for economic opportunity throughout the region.
“We’re also fortunate that the best candidate to succeed her is already part of the LISC family,” Jones continued. “Kristen’s energy and creativity will help us respond to critical local challenges and opportunities—especially now, as we work with communities to help navigate the COVID-19 crisis, economic decline and make the region more inclusive. She will help expand our investments in affordable housing and small businesses, advance programs that prepare people for living wage jobs, and deepen community engagement on issues ranging from health and racial equity to education and economic development.”
Baker’s work at LISC has spanned the organization’s range of programs. She broadened the reach of the ambitious Place Matters local collaborative to catalyze economic opportunity within more communities. She helped develop and manage sweeping strategies to address the region’s shortfall in affordable housing. And she worked with other impact-focused organizations, like ArtsWave, Partners for a Competitive Workforce, and Success by Six to fuel creative placemaking, job training and early childhood education efforts.
“Kristen will provide LISC with a seamless transition and is the right person to lead the organization forward,” noted Robie Suggs, chair of the LISC Greater Cincinnati local advisory council and director of economic development and community outreach at First Financial Bank. “She brings a strong work ethic and unsurpassed knowledge that will support the needs of our region.”
Before joining LISC, Baker was a community development specialist at the Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington and a senior community impact associate at the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, where she helped develop Place Matters, while coordinating efforts with 28 local service organizations.
“Our neighbors and communities are facing significant new pressure, as the pandemic upends so much of the economic progress we have made in recent years,” Baker said. “LISC is focused on immediate efforts to help sustain businesses and jobs, as well as growing needs related to affordable housing, job training, and health disparities. If we can narrow inequalities in health and wealth, we can make our communities more resilient and make our local economy more productive.”
Baker graduated from the University of Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in public administration. Among other organizations, she is a member of the Cincinnati Police Chief’s Community Problem Oriented Policing Review Board, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s We Lead Class of 2018, and the leadership team at All-In Cincinnati, a coalition promoting racial equity.
Baker can be reached at kbaker@lisc.org.
About LISC
With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $22 billion to build or rehab more than 419,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 70.3 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. For more, visit www.lisc.org.