People

Elsie Meeks, executive director of First Nations Oweesta Corporation, was elected to the board of the Council on Foundations. Meeks has more than 20 years of experience working for Native community economic development. For 15 years, she helped develop and manage The Lakota Fund, a small-business and micro-enterprise development loan fund. She also sits on the boards of the Corporation for Enterprise Development, Northwest Area Foundation, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Partnership for Housing. Meeks was also the first Native American to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Denise Scott has been named co-chair of Housing First!, a New York state affordable-housing advocacy organization. She shares this position with Mark Willis, executive vice president for community development at JPMorgan Chase Community Development Group. Scott is the managing director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC, where she has served since 2001.

The new entity Seedco Financial-Denver, a national community development financial institution (CDFI), selected Peter H. Chapman as executive director. Chapman has nearly 19 years of urban-development experience, most recently as economic-development adviser to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Chapman has led citywide initiatives to create affordable housing and commercial development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods. At Seedco, he will work with community groups, the business and finance community, and local and state governments on community economic development.

Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Northwest Area Foundation selected Gary Cunningham as vice president of programs. In his previous position as chief executive officer and director of primary care for NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis, he developed community initiatives, including the Gateway initiative-a program to move low-income families out of poverty through increased education and employment skills.

A legislative initiative spearheaded by the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey to improve corporate participation in the state's Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program was signed into law. In February, the New Jersey Assembly adopted amendments to the NRTC that will raise the tax credit from 50 to 100 percent and double the annual limit on tax credits from $500,000 to $1,000,000. These revisions are designed to increase business investment in the NRTC and increase resources for members who are developing comprehensive revitalization strategies in their communities. www.nhi.org/go/hcdnnj

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is investing $26 million during the next five years to help redevelop 16 of Chicago's lowest-income neighborhoods through its New Communities Program. The goal of the program is to revitalize neighborhoods by preserving the diversity of those facing gentrification and helping to implement 10-year "quality of life" plans drafted by residents and community-based organizations. MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton [see interview in this issue] also pledged to grant $4 million to expand the program to 10 other regions. www.nhi.org/go/macfound

Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros is the National Housing Conference's 35th annual Person of the Year. He is being recognized as one of the nation's leading affordable-housing advocates, most notably in his role as executive chairman of CityView, a national housing investor that creates housing opportunities for working families. Prior to serving at HUD, Cisneros was mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Cisneros has served as president of the National League of Cities and as a board member of the Rockefeller Foundation. This summer, he will be inducted into the National Association of Home Builders' "National Housing Hall of Fame." www.nhi.org/go/nhcorg

Enterprise Community Partners and Housing Assistance Council (HAC) awarded grants to seven community-based groups that are working to prevent affordable rental housing in rural areas from being demolished or converted to market-rate housing. The grants are part of the HAC/Enterprise Rural Capacity Initiative, which assists community organizations in rural areas. The grant recipients are Community Housing Partners Corp., Va.; Delta Area Economic Corp., Mo.; Delta Housing Development Corp., Miss.; Hudson Valley Housing Development Fund Company, Inc., N.Y.; Northeast Community Action Corp., Mo.; Southeast Alabama Self-Help Assoc., Ala.; and Tierra Del Sol Housing Corp., N.M. www.nhi.org/go/ruralhome