The Housing Collective Announces New Chief Initiative Officer
An expert in affordable housing, public policy, urban planning and community engagement, Melissa Kaplan-Macey Joins The Housing Collective from the Regional Plan Association
BRIDGEPORT, C.T. - The Housing Collective, an organization working collaboratively to deliver safe, equitable, affordable housing solutions for families and individuals across Connecticut, announced today the hiring of Melissa Kaplan-Macey as its new Chief Initiative Officer for the Center for Housing Opportunity.
Kaplan-Macey comes to the Housing Collective from Regional Plan Association where she was vice president for state programs and Connecticut director, and previously principal of Collaborative Planning Studio.
Melissa Kaplan-Macey
“Melissa has a long and proven track record of supporting efforts to create equitable access to housing opportunities for all. She brings a wealth of experience and passion for this work and will help scale up the Housing Collective’s regional collaboration across organizations and sectors. We are fortunate to have her skills and leadership to elevate the projects, programs and impact of the Center for Housing Opportunity,” said David Rich, President and CEO of The Housing Collective.
“I am delighted and excited for Melissa and her new role at The Housing Collective. A longtime strategic partner for The Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, I can’t think of someone better suited to hit the ground running and take the work for the Collective to the next level,” said Mendi Blue Paca, President & CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
“Melissa has been a key strategic partner with the Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity in Eastern CT in her role at the Regional Plan Association, and we are excited that she will be deepening her engagement with us in this work, which is critically important to the mission of our foundation," said Maryam Elahi, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.
“Melissa’s work during her time at Regional Plan Association was instrumental in expanding the reach and impact of the nascent Center for Housing Opportunity in Litchfield County. Her deep understanding of the challenges and obstacles in meeting the needs of affordable housing initiatives in our communities makes her uniquely qualified for this important next step in advancing the objectives of our Foundation as a philanthropic partner. We couldn’t be more thrilled to benefit from her thought leadership and guidance,” said Guy Rovezzi, President & CEO of the Northwest CT Community Foundation.
“I am thrilled to be joining The Housing Collective, an organization I have had the privilege of closely working with for the last five years as a collective impact partner with the Regional Plan Association,” said Melissa Kaplan-Macey, Chief Initiative Officer of the Center for Housing Opportunity at The Housing Collective. “I look forward to leading its important work to deliver creative and common sense solutions to expanding housing opportunities for all residents in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties and Eastern CT as the new CIO.”
Kaplan-Macey is an expert in affordable housing, public policy, urban planning and community engagement. At the Housing Collective, she will bring her extensive experience building collaborative relationships with community and cross-sector partners to leverage resources and implement projects and programs. She currently serves on the Connecticut legislature's Majority Leaders' Roundtable on affordable housing. She previously served as co-chair of Governor Lamont’s transition transportation policy committee, a member of the Commission on Connecticut's Future and Development’s affordable housing plans working group and a member of Governor Lamont’s Fairfield County Transit Oriented Development Taskforce.
As new CIO, Kaplan-Macy will oversee the Centers for Housing Opportunity in Fairfield County, Litchfield County and Eastern CT, working with the regional directors and collective impact partners to bring people and resources together and leverage capacity across sectors to create and preserve more affordable homes for residents of all incomes and ages.
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The Housing Collective works to address the housing crisis by convening communities, resources and stakeholders around collaborative regional responses in Connecticut. The Housing Collective partners with 400 organizations in Connecticut and beyond to prevent homelessness and address housing affordability through its three initiatives: Opening Doors, the Center for Housing Opportunity and the Housing Innovation Lab
