The most valuable asset of the Housing Assistance Council has always been our staff – or, as we call ourselves, ‘HACsters.’ Some HACsters have been working in housing for more than four decades, while others have been at the organization for just a few weeks. Regardless of tenure, our passion for rural people and their communities feeds a determination to fight to improve living conditions for all Americans, no matter where they live.
Contact: Dan Stern
(202) 842-8600
dan@ruralhome.org
Jonathan will manage HAC’s policy initiatives.
Washington, DC, March 1, 2022 – The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Jonathan Harwitz as HAC’s new Director of Policy. He brings years of experience working with policymakers on affordable housing issues. Jonathan will spearhead and expand HAC’s place as the national source for independent, non-partisan policy solutions for rural housing and community development.
Jonathan joins HAC from his role as Director of Housing Community Development and Insurance Policy for the House Financial Services Committee. Prior to that he served as Managing Director of Federal Policy and Government Affairs at the Low Income Investment Fund, a large national Community Development Financial Institution. Earlier in his career, Jonathan served as: Deputy Chief of Staff for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Counsel to the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee; Professional Staff to the Housing and Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and in various policy-related positions at the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Prior to entering the field of federal policy, he clerked for two federal District Court judges and was a lawyer in private practice.
Jonathan was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. He earned a Bachelor’s degree with honors from Yale College, and a JD from Harvard Law School. He currently resides near Washington, DC with his wife and kids.
“Federal policy has an important and lasting impact on rural places,” said HAC CEO David Lipsetz. “We are incredibly excited to have Jonathan join the HAC team and help us make the case for equitable investment in rural areas across the country.”
For the last 50 years, HAC has been the voice for the poorest of the poor in the most rural places. HAC’s policy priorities are focused on the importance of capacity building, access to capital, and geographic equity in federal policymaking – with a specific lens on persistently poor and high-needs regions like the Mississippi Delta, rural Appalachia, farmworker communities, the Southwest border colonias and Indian Country. Our independent and non-partisan policy work ensures the most vulnerable rural populations have improved access to safe and affordable housing opportunities.
To learn more about HAC’s policy work, visit https://ruralhome.org/our-work/policy/.
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David Lipsetz is the President and CEO at the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) and a leading expert in affordable housing and sustainable community development. David came to HAC after holding several White House-appointed positions, most recently serving as the Associate Administrator for Rural Housing and Community Facilities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA.) His office oversaw policy development and program administration of more than $100 billion in direct lending, mortgage guarantees, grants and technical assistance for community and economic development in rural America.
Prior to USDA, David was at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD,) where he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary and Senior Advisor for Public and Indian Housing, and as an Acting Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary. Prior to HUD, David managed policy, large-scale initiatives and organizational development for housing agencies in New York City and Oakland, CA. He also worked for the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional planning authority; and Dresden, Germany’s Institute for Ecological and Regional Development. His career began as a Legislative Assistant for domestic policy issues in the Office of U.S. Congressman John Dingell.
David was born and raised in Ohio. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Michigan State University, and Master’s degrees in Sociology and City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University. He currently resides in Washington, DC with his wife and kids.
HAC has a highly knowledgeable and experienced staff, well versed in housing, economic, and community development. HAC staff have extensive experience in including all aspects of federal housing programs, housing rehabilitation, program administration, economic development, cross-cutting regulations, project financing, financial management, infrastructure, construction, and organizational management.
Addresses, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses for HAC offices are available here.
Executive OfficeDavid Lipsetz, CEO, david@ruralhome.org Loan FundEileen Neely, Director of Loan Fund, eileen@ruralhome.org Research and InformationLance George, Director of Research and Information, lance@ruralhome.org |
Rural Housing Services, Inc.Jorge Diaz, Portfolio Manager, jorge@ruralhome.org Training and Technical AssistanceSoutheast Office Shonterria Charleston, Director of Training and Technical Assistance, shonterria@ruralhome.org Southwest OfficeAnselmo Telles, Senior Housing Specialist, anselmo@ruralhome.org Midwest OfficeStephanie Nichols, CHDO Project Manager/Housing Specialist, stephanie@ruralhome.org Finance and Administration DivisionKarin Klusmann, Director of Finance, karin@ruralhome.org |
If you have a general question or are not sure which office to contact, please contact only the National Office at hac@ruralhome.org and HAC staff will determine who is best able to respond to you. Sending e-mails to more than one address will slow down HAC’s response because staffers will have to take time asking each other who is going to respond.