Greg Russ — Principal

Greg is a nationally recognized leader in transforming public housing, combining his extensive technical program knowledge with innovative initiatives to reimagine the possibilities for underserved residents and execute transformative change. Greg is known as a trusted colleague, curious thinker, collaborative partner and creative technician. He has forged longstanding relationships among administrators, resident leaders, and politicians that turn to him for strategic thinking and practical implementation.  

Most recently, under a joint federal and local agreement, the Mayor of NYC appointed him to serve as CEO and Board Chair of the New York City Public Housing Authority (NYCHA) with an annual budget of $4 billion and 11,000 employees. While there, he successfully created and led the passage of the first in the nation Preservation Public Housing Trust which seeks to recapitalize over 110,000 housing units. He also converted 16,000 units under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program by engaging resident leaders and local politicians to prioritize resident engagement and avoid family displacement.

Prior to NYCHA he served as CEO at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority where he transformed the Section 8 and scattered site programs and created the highly successful Stable Homes, Stable Schools program with the local school district. From 2005-2016 he led the Cambridge Public Housing Authority where he was the first housing authority leader to use RAD to recapitalize the entire portfolio with an emphasis on energy efficiency technologies.

Beyond public housing, he has contributed to poverty reduction strategies through his involvement on the Board of the Federal Reserve Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Advisory Council as well as leadership positions on the Boards of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) and the Public Housing Authorities Director’s Association (PHADA). He has developed templates for partnerships with foundations, schools and health organizations in the areas of moving to opportunity research, resident savings programs, and service enriched housing.