Local Initiatives Support Corp. taps White to spearhead its national housing team

New York, NY The Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) has named a decades-long leader in affordable housing, economic development and impact investing to spearhead its national housing team — ramping up efforts to deliver more capital and community-based support to address the nation’s housing crisis.

Valerie White, who has served as senior executive director at LISC New York since 2020, will now also oversee LISC’s national efforts to build on its $30.4 billion in affordable housing investments — all focused on people and communities that face financing, legal and market barriers to quality, affordable homes.

“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.

 “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.”

In addition to supporting scaled-up capital for both multifamily and single-family projects, she is leading a strategy to extend the reach of proven local programs, including preservation strategies focused on home repair and heirs’ properties, which help families preserve their assets and fend off speculators; increased collaborations with faith-based organizations eager to pursue mission-driven development opportunities; and expanded developer training efforts that help these small businesses fuel affordable housing projects, while also creating more career pathways for workers. 

Before joining LISC, White was executive vice president of Empire State Development Corp. in New York, where she led the division charged with expanding economic opportunity for businessowners facing long-standing capital gaps. Earlier, she was vice president for external affairs with Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., and a managing director at Standard & Poor’s, where she managed global social and affordable housing analytics, as well as municipal and public finance structured securities efforts.

White has also served as a deputy director with the New York City Housing Authority, focusing on asset management and private market operations, and a consultant to United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), advising on strategies to help expand access to capital markets for cities and municipalities across the African continent.

White will continue to lead LISC’s work across New York state, where the organizations has invested $4.6 billion—the lion’s share of which supports affordable housing. LISC NY includes a 16-person staff delivering programs, capital and services to both urban and rural communities.

“Housing stability influences nearly every aspect of community wellness,” said Michael Pugh, LISC 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.” 

LISC is one of the country’s largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. LISC works with residents and partners to close gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity so that people and places can thrive. Since its founding in 1979, LISC has invested $35.1 billion to create more than 530,457 affordable homes and apartments, develop 83.5 million s/f of retail, community, and educational space, and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances. For more, visit www.lisc.org.