28 Dec, 2023

Hope for the Future of Housing

with Shawn Duncan, Jim Wehner, Carol Naughton, & Alan Ferguson Sr.
Season 3,
  Episode 9
Place Matters
Place Matters
Hope for the Future of Housing
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With the massive population shifts and the renewed investment in urban development, we are faced with a very real and pressing challenge of having enough housing – especially enough housing that is affordable to individuals and families across the economic spectrum. For those of us in the industry, it can feel overwhelming and the picture can seem bleak at times. However, there are so many courageous and creative people working to innovate and expand how we work for justice and equity. Three of those people joined Shawn on this episode to discuss the future of housing: FCS President, Jim Wehner; CEO of Purpose Built Communities, Carol Naughton; and CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Alan Ferguson Sr.

Show notes

Shawn Duncan, Director of The Lupton Center
Dr. Shawn Duncan is the Director of FCS’s Training and Consulting Division, The Lupton Center. Shawn comes to FCS from the nonprofit leadership sector with research and writing focused on pedagogies for social impact. In his previous careers he has focused on multi-sector coalition building for community impact, content and curriculum design, group facilitation, leadership development, and immigration reform advocacy. As the leader of The Lupton Center team, Shawn brings a visionary voice for innovation, a strategic mind for resource development, and the leadership acumen to support and equip the team for success. He loves being a part of a mission-driven team that finds joy in one another while doing such important work.

Jim Wehner, President of FCS
Jim Wehner is a skilled organizational leader with more than 15 years of experience in neighborhood development in under-resourced communities, with a strong focus on creating, financing, and executing affordable housing and neighborhood-based small businesses. He joined FCS in 2008 as the Executive Director of our Mixed-Income Housing arm, and moved to his current position in 2014. He holds a Master of Arts in Divinity and Ministry from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Carol Naughton, CEO of Purpose Built Communities
Carol Naughton is the Chief Executive Officer of Purpose Built Communities, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving racial equity, economic mobility and health outcomes in communities across the country. Prior to the creation of Purpose Built Communities, she served as the Executive Director of the East Lake Foundation. Carol also worked as the General Counsel for Atlanta Housing Authority, where she played an instrumental role in the revitalization of traditional public housing communities into economically viable, self-sustaining, mixed-income communities and was a key member of the leadership team that transformed AHA from a failing bureaucracy to a national leader in community development. Prior to joining AHA, Ms. Naughton was engaged in the private practice of law with Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan’s real estate group, where she primarily represented real estate developers, lenders and asset managers. Carol is a graduate of the Emory University School of Law and Colgate University. She serves on the Board of the Directors of the Low Income Investment Fund, and on several national advisory boards including Build Healthy Places Network and Fifth Third Bank’s National Community Advisory Forum.

Alan Ferguson Sr., CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity
Alan Ferguson brings extensive experience and expertise in affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization and community development. Prior to being named CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Alan led teams focused on building vibrant communities and increasing economic prosperity for all Atlantans during his 8 years with Invest Atlanta. This involved bringing together policy, strategy, and innovative tools to create and deliver housing development, and revitalization opportunities in the City of Atlanta. At The American Opportunity Foundation, Inc., he led affordable workforce housing acquisition and investment activities. During Alan’s considerable tenure in several positions with Fannie Mae, he held a key role at Fannie Mae’s American Communities Fund, in which he led debt and equity investments for neighborhood housing community revitalization investments for Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Alan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Banking and Finance from Morehouse College, an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and a Master of Science in Real Estate from J. Mack Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University. Alan pursued doctoral studies in Real Estate Finance at Georgia State University and is currently completing his dissertation requirements for Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at The University of the Cumberlands.

Resources:

Special thanks to our podcast editor, Tim Rhodes, for making this episode possible. If you are interested in working with Tim, you can contact him via email at tim@whistlingblue.com, or through his website, whistlingblue.com. If you have questions, feedback, or wish to contact us, please email Bekah Klein at bekah@fcsministries.org.