Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) has announced that Aaron Gornstein, a local and national leader in the affordable housing industry for 25 years, will become president and CEO of the Boston-based nonprofit, effective June 10.
Gornstein will take over the role from founder Amy Anthony, who is retiring this summer.
“Aaron is a highly accomplished leader and strategic thinker in the affordable housing arena,” said Herbert Morse, POAH board chair, in a statement. “POAH will benefit immensely from his proven ability to work with a range of interests and achieve real outcomes for low- to moderate-income communities.”
Most recently serving as undersecretary for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Gornstein helped to expand rental assistance and homeless prevention programs, reform state public housing, and launch a supportive housing initiative. Prior to that, he had been executive director of the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, a nonprofit that focuses on affordable housing and community development in Massachusetts.
“I am delighted to accept the position of president and CEO of POAH, an organization that I have worked beside for so many years toward the goals of increasing the availability of affordable housing for low-income families and seniors,” he said. “POAH’s reputation as one of the leading nonprofit affordable housing providers in the country, led so ably by founder Amy Anthony, was a compelling factor in my decision to pursue this position.”
The nonprofit, which focuses on the preservation of at-risk multifamily housing to ensure its affordability for the long term, ranked No. 34 on AHF’s latest list of the nation’s Top 50 affordable housing owners, with 8,520 units in 78 properties.
