In celebration of Black History Month, the National Housing Conference is highlighting six Black leaders, including our president and CEO Maurice A. Jones, who are “making history today in housing policy, advocacy, research and community development.” The affordable housing organization gives props to Jones for his work forging economic opportunities and helping build resilient and inclusive communities as part of his “lifetime of service.”
The excerpt below was originally published:
Black leaders in housing who are making history today
Andrea Nesby, National Housing Conference
...In September 2016, Maurice A. Jones was appointed president and CEO of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the country’s largest organizations supporting projects to revitalize communities. It’s only the latest in a lifetime of service that includes his leadership as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration.
Growing up in rural Virginia contributed to his passion for in housing and community development. “Growing up in a modest rural setting as a farmer introduced me to most of the issues in this field, housing, economic development, local capacity, and education,” he shared.
LISC prides itself on forging resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America. Their initiatives have included work in advancing education, affordable housing, health and more.
“Because housing is a vehicle of opportunity. The same is true of community development. ZIP codes are the biggest determinants of life expectancy, for example. If we can get housing and community development right, we can literally contribute to folks living longer, more productive lives.”
In 2018, Mr. Jones moderated a panel on Opportunity Zones at our Solutions for Affordable Housing convening.