NLIHC announced on April 6 the appointment of three new members to the NLIHC board of directors and the election of a new board chair and executive committee for 2022-23. National Housing Law Project Senior Staff Attorney and Project Director Marie Claire Tran-Leung, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri Inc. Attorney and Hon. Richard B. Teitelman Chair Lisa D’Souza, and Prosperity Indiana Policy Director Andrew Bradley join the NLIHC board. A Community of Friends President and CEO Dora Gallo – previously NLIHC’s 1st vice-chair – has been elected NLIHC’s new board chair.
Marie Claire Tran-Leung serves as the senior staff attorney and project director of the National Housing Law Project (NHLP). Ms. Tran-Leung supports NHLP’s national legal and advocacy work to strengthen and enforce the rights of tenants, increase housing opportunities for underserved communities, and preserve and expand the nation’s supply of safe and affordable homes. Before joining NHLP, she worked for over a decade at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, directing its multi-state legal advocacy network and leading its advocacy at the intersection of housing and the criminal legal system. “I have long considered the National Low Income Housing Coalition to be a valuable partner in the work to increase housing opportunities for people living in poverty,” said Ms. Tran-Leung. “I am looking forward to working with the staff and board of directors to expand this partnership.”
Lisa D’Souza is the Hon. Richard B. Teitelman chair and an attorney at the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri Inc., where she works to address the systemic issues that create barriers to equal opportunities in education, housing, employment, health care, and basic civil rights for individuals who are marginalized by lack of resources or by race, disability, or other circumstances. In this role, Ms. D’Souza represents public housing tenants who are seeking to preserve and improve their homes and low-income families that desire access to safe, affordable housing. “NLIHC’s data and expertise have been vital for me as an advocate,” said Ms. D’Souza. “I am dedicated to NLIHC’s mission of achieving racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in communities of their choice. I am so very honored to join the NLIHC Board.”
Andrew Bradley serves as the policy director of Prosperity Indiana, a statewide association of nearly 200 organizations promoting community economic development. Mr. Bradley has over a decade of experience building state and national partnerships to advocate effectively for the needs of low-income families and their communities at the local, state, and federal levels. He also serves as board president for the Indiana Coalition for Human Services. “I am humbled and honored to join NLIHC’s efforts to work to decrease homelessness and housing poverty for the most vulnerable while increasing housing justice for all Americans,” said Mr. Bradley. “NLIHC has a strong record of lifting up the voices of the people impacted by policies and of investing in partnerships that advance equity and positive housing outcomes for populations most in need, and I am proud to help further that work on the NLIHC board of directors.”
“These new NLIHC board members bring invaluable leadership, commitment, and insight to the fight to ensure affordable housing for the most marginalized communities and those with the lowest incomes,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “I am pleased to welcome Marie Claire, Lisa, and Andrew to the NLIHC board of directors. Now, more than ever, socially just policies, racial equity, and access to affordable housing for those with the greatest needs are critically important. Together with these exceptional leaders, NLIHC will work tirelessly to end homelessness and housing poverty and achieve housing justice once and for all.”
“We are also pleased to announce the election of our new board chair, Dora Gallo,” said Ms. Yentel. “Dora has been a tremendous asset to the NLIHC board, and we are looking forward to her continued leadership in this new role.”
“I am honored and excited by this opportunity to serve as the next board chair for NLIHC, an organization whose mission resonates so strongly with me,” said Ms. Gallo. “NLIHC’s work is informed, accurate, relevant, and impactful, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
In addition to welcoming Ms. Gallo from A Community of Friends as board chair, the newly elected NLIHC board executive committee for 2022-23 includes: NHP Foundation President Eric Price (1st vice-chair); National Alliance to End Homelessness CEO Nan Roman (2nd vice-chair); former Housing Assistance Council Executive Director Moises Loza (treasurer); Preservation of Affordable Housing President and CEO Aaron Gornstein (secretary); Collaborative Solutions CEO Russell Bennet (at-large); and tenant leader Shalonda Rivers (at-large).