Westwood Resident Thomas R. Gleason Elected President of National Council of State Housing Agencies

From Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency:

MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason has been elected President of the Board of Directors of the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

NCSHA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization created by the nation’s state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) more than 30 years ago to coordinate and leverage their federal advocacy efforts for affordable housing. NCSHA represents its members in Washington before Congress, the Administration, and the several federal agencies concerned with housing, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture, and the Treasury, and with other advocates for affordable housing.

“I am honored to be elected by my fellow Directors as President of this highly effective national organization,’’ said Gleason. “We will be working closely with the federal government and our elected officials to develop and incorporate new and innovative ways to finance single-family and multi-family housing in these changing financial times.’’

Gleason, whose career in affordable housing spans more than 36 years, has been Executive Director of MassHousing since 2001. He has previously served as Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer of the NCSHA Board of Directors and received an Impact Award from NCSHA in 2008 for his work on an affinity agreement with Fannie Mae, which provides Housing Finance Agencies access to Fannie Mae programs at favorable terms and makes more affordable home loans available to moderate-income homebuyers.

Gleason is a member of Fannie Mae’s National Customer Advisory Board and a former member of Fannie Mae’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council. He also serves on the Boards of the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation and as a member of the Mortgage Roundtable of the National Association of Home Builders.

In its 48-year history, MassHousing has provided more than $17 billion for affordable housing, 60% ($10 billion) of which of which has been provided during Gleason’s tenure as CEO. MassHousing has helped more than 78,000 low and moderate-income families buy or refinance their home. MassHousing has a multi-family loan portfolio of more than 500 apartment communities valued at more than $3.1 billion. The Agency also operates its own mortgage insurance fund and services its own single-family loan portfolio which has more than 21,000 loans valued at over $3.8 billion.

“We are excited to have Tom Gleason at the helm of NCSHA at a time that is so important to the future of affordable housing and the HFA delivery system,’’ said NCSHA Executive Director Barbara Thompson. “Tom has already contributed so much to NCSHA as an outstanding member of its leadership for many years and as an exemplary head of MassHousing. We look forward to the expertise, creativity, and energy that he will surely bring to this new role as President.’’

Gleason was elected President at NCSHA’s recent Annual Conference in Boston along with other officers of the Board of Directors, including: Vice President Grant S. Whitaker of the Utah Housing Corporation; Secretary/Treasurer Ralph M. Perrey of the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; and At-Large Executive Committee Member Mary Tingerthal of Minnesota Housing.