January 20, 2023
It is our pleasure to announce that Margy Brown has joined UHAB as our new Executive Director. She follows Andrew Reicher who announced in 2022 his plan to retire in early 2023, after 44 years of executive leadership.
Margy brings two decades of experience in the field of affordable housing, including more than 10 years’ senior leadership experience at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development. She holds a Masters in Urban Policy from New School University’s Milano Graduate School and is a recipient of the Frederick O’Reilly Hayes Prize for innovative, high-impact work in public service.
Margy’s appointment comes after an extensive search led by UHAB’s Board Chair John Warren and a search committee comprised of board members, staff, and community representatives. She joins UHAB during our 50th anniversary of fighting for community-controlled affordable housing.
“Following in the footsteps of Andy Reicher is an awesome challenge. His visionary leadership has kept UHAB at the vanguard of the cooperative movement for decades. The UHAB Board is confident that Margy Brown can take on that awesome challenge with her unique set of management, operational and policy skills. I look forward to working with her and seeing her thrive as Executive Director as UHAB begins its second 50 years,” said John Warren, UHAB Board President
«I’m thrilled to join UHAB in pushing forward on cooperative homeownership and resident control in NYC and beyond. My housing career began in programs geared to revitalize NYC’s once massive stock of abandoned and tax-foreclosed housing, the same portfolio from which the urban homesteading movement was born. Witnessing UHAB’s support and training for tenants in those buildings was a powerful influence on my own values and approach to the work of housing. While today’s market is a far different landscape, cooperative homeownership and resident control remain critical tools for housing quality and affordability, neighborhood stability, economic mobility, and racial justice,» said Margy Brown, UHAB Executive Director.
We welcome Margy’s extensive experience nurturing meaningful partnerships with a diverse body of stakeholders, including elected officials, advocacy and community-based organizations, NYC and State political leaders, government agencies, funders, and constituents. In her previous role as Associate Commissioner of Housing Opportunity & Program Services at HPD, Margy oversaw the launch of new and innovative programs, including the newly revamped NYC Housing Connect Lottery System and the Housing Ambassador program. Margy’s expertise in housing development and finance, Fair Housing, community engagement, program design, and cooperatives will help strengthen UHAB’s impact for years to come.
“Congratulations to Margy Brown and UHAB on this excellent appointment! During her time at HPD, Margy led the redesign of NYC Housing Connect, modernizing our approach to connecting New Yorkers to affordable homes and improving customer service for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who use the system,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “We know that her deep knowledge of housing in New York City and passion for economic and racial justice will serve UHAB and New Yorkers well, and we look forward to continuing our fruitful partnership with UHAB under her leadership.”
RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, said: “Margy Brown is an excellent choice to lead the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board into the future where she can build upon the important contributions of Andy Reicher who is credited with helping to create more than 30,000 affordable housing co-ops across New York City during his tenure. As a long-time affordable housing advocate and veteran of city government, Margy understands the importance of UHAB’s work and brings important perspective on how we can best serve our communities. We look forward to continuing our partnership with UHAB and Margy in our mutual mission to expand affordable housing options for New Yorkers and combat housing insecurity.”
Vicki Been, Weinfeld Professor of Law, NYU School of Law & Faculty Director, Furman Center, said: “Margy has been a remarkable public servant – her dedication to making it easier for families to qualify for and move into the City’s affordable housing, creativity in constantly making the process work more smoothly and fairly, and management skills in leading teams to accomplish more than they ever dreamed possible, all were extraordinary gifts to the City. She’ll be an outstanding leader for UHAB!”
“We are thrilled that UHAB has selected Margy Brown as its Executive Director,” said Baaba Halm, Vice President and New York market leader at Enterprise Community Partners. «Margy is a knowledgeable, passionate, and dynamic leader with deep operational experience and we are excited for our continued partnership with UHAB as we work together to confront New York’s affordable housing crisis.”
“I am delighted that Margy is stepping into the Executive Directorship of UHAB, one of Goldstein Hall’s long-time partners in our critical mission to preserve NYC’s limited equity co-ops. She has the perfect skill set for the role—the ability to navigate the political landscape, to inform policy decisions, to pull from more than a decade of on-the-ground NYC housing experience to tackle the ever-changing HDFC landscape and to listen to stakeholders. Furthermore, I have witnessed Margy in action am certain that she will bring the same energy and consideration I witnessed in her past endeavors to this next phase of her career,» said Rachel D. Jaffe, Senior Associate at Goldstein Hall.
We are proud to honor Andy Reicher at UHAB’s 50th anniversary benefit on March 30, 2023. At this year’s benefit, UHAB will launch our vision for the next chapter and look back on how far our 50-year impact has brought us. As UHAB celebrates fifty years of creating and stewarding limited-equity co-ops and permanently affordable homes, we are thrilled to have Margy at the helm as we usher in the future of our work.
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About UHAB:
UHAB is a nonprofit whose mission is to stabilize and expand resident-controlled housing across New York City. Since 1973, UHAB has empowered low- to moderate-income residents to take control of their housing and enhance communities by creating strong tenant associations and lasting affordable co-ops.
Contact: Rania Dalloul, Director of Fundraising & Communications
UHAB | Urban Homesteading Assistance Board
212-479-3324 | dalloul@uhab.org
www.uhab.org