David M. Dworkin has become president and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC).

Dworkin joins NHC from the U.S. Treasury Department, where he most recently has served as a senior housing policy advisor in the Office of Domestic Finance. During his tenure at the Treasury Department, he supported Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s housing team on regulatory reform, affordable housing tax credits, and modernization of the Community Reinvestment Act.

David Dworkin
David Dworkin

NHC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring safe, decent, and affordable housing for all in America. Founded in 1931, NHC serves a national membership through policy advocacy, communications, and research.

During the Obama administration, Dworkin was part of the White House’s Detroit Revitalization team, and he developed the program to use Hardest Hit Funds to eliminate blight throughout the country. He also managed the Capital Magnet Fund, a federal program to support affordable housing development.

During 12 years at Fannie Mae, Dworkin served in various roles, including leading community lending partnerships, managing the company’s Hurricane Katrina Task Force, and opening and leading the company’s Detroit office. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, he was a foreign policy and defense advisor in the House of Representatives and served in several roles under secretary of state James A. Baker III in the first Bush administration.

“David brings a unique combination of experience in housing policy, finance, and communications,” said Ted Chandler, chair of the NHC board of governors. “His work in Washington, D.C., as well as in communities such as New Orleans and Detroit, mirrors the breadth of the housing industry that NHC’s membership represents.”

“I am excited by the opportunity to advance NHC’s mission, and the cause of housing in America,” said Dworkin. “The American home has been under unprecedented threat since the housing crisis. Now more than at any time in recent history, America’s renters and homeowners need NHC and its members to fight for quality affordable housing. I look forward to fulfilling the trust that the NHC board of governors has placed in me.”

Dworkin succeeds Ethan Handelman, who served as acting CEO since September. Handelman has been directing NHC’s policy and advocacy agenda since 2011. “I want to thank Ethan for his leadership over the course of this transition and his support and guidance to me personally during the transition process,” says Dworkin.