LISC appoints Valerie White to lead national housing strategy

The Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) has appointed Valerie White to lead its national housing team — expanding her role beyond her current position as senior executive director of LISC New York.

White will oversee the organization’s national housing investments — which total $30.4 billion to date — with a focus on expanding access to affordable housing in communities facing financial and market barriers.

She will also continue directing LISC’s work across New York state, where the group has invested $4.6 billion.

“Housing has always been at the core of LISC’s work, and it has always been a product of deep local engagement and community innovation,” White said in a statement.

“Our goal is to deliver more expertise and resources to those local efforts, scale up successful programs to reach more people, build efficiencies in the deployment of capital and services across our organization, and — alongside local stakeholders — drive greater impact and economic growth.”

LISC said White will guide strategies that include preservation programs for heirs’ properties, support for faith-based groups pursuing development projects, and expanded developer training initiatives designed to boost affordable housing production and workforce opportunities.

White joined LISC in 2020 after serving as executive vice president at Empire State Development Corp. in New York.

Her prior roles include leadership positions at Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., Standard & Poor’s and the New York City Housing Authority.

She has also advised the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa on municipal finance strategies.

“Housing stability influences nearly every aspect of community wellness,” said Michael Pugh, LISC’s president and CEO. “That’s why it has long been the largest part of LISC’s community development portfolio, and it’s why Valerie’s energy and experience are so valuable in expanding it.

“She has spent nearly 40 years connecting with community organizations, investors, and policymakers to fuel economic opportunity and growth. She understands how to weave together the many threads of community investment to build lasting quality-of-life gains.”