The National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF) recently elected new officers at the 23rd Annual NASLEF Conference held in Portland, Maine. Hal Keller, president of Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH), accepted the office of president succeeding Nancy Owens, president of Housing Vermont. NASLEF officers include: Vice President- Bill Shanahan, Northern New England Housing Investment Fund; Treasurer- John Kennedy, St. Louis Equity Fund, Inc.; and SecretaryJim Peffley, Cinnaire.
NASLEF is a professional, nonprofit association with 14 member funds whose mission is to promote a greater understanding of tax credit and other financing programs, to advocate for community development resources and to encourage the professional development of its member organizations all in support of the communities NASLEF members’ serve. NASLEF’s work is fueled by their members’ leadership in affordable housing advocacy, connection with community organizations, and knowledge of local markets. These organizational attributes enable NASLEF members to invest capital in strategic community endeavors, especially in underserved markets. Collectively through 2015, member funds have raised over $12.7 billion in equity capital for rental housing developments throughout the country, creating or rehabilitating more than 159,863 units of affordable housing in 3,484 developments.
Mr. Keller has been involved in affordable housing for over 31 years as a consultant to state and local governments, an administrator of state and local housing programs, and as a neighborhood organizer and tenant advocate. He joined OCCH in 1993 serving first as Director of Development and then as President in 1993, a position he has held for 23 years. Mr. Keller oversees all corporate policy and fiscal affairs, including securing corporate investors for Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity funds and coordinating efforts to develop housing projects receiving equity investment from the Ohio Equity Funds. To date, Ohio Capital Corporation has raised more than $3.75 billion in corporate equity for LIHTC projects involving more than 750 transactions and 42,500 units of affordable housing in Ohio and Kentucky.
NASLEF members have been committed to providing capital for the creation of vibrant, sustainable affordable communities for working families, seniors, and special needs populations for over twenty years.