Matt Rule thrived on complex affordable housing transactions as an attorney in Columbus, Ohio, but he had a desire to see the projects through their entire life cycles.
During his five years as an associate in the corporate real estate practice of Squire Sanders, now known as Squire Patton Boggs, he counseled developers on financing and restructuring low-income housing tax credit and other affordable housing developments.
“I wanted to stay in the affordable housing industry, but I had a desire to work for a mission-oriented development group,” the 34-year-old says. “The development world was attractive to me to see the bigger picture of the projects.”
Rule found the right mission-oriented company after bumping into Tom Slemmer, then-CEO of Columbus-based National Church Residences (NCR), at a coffee shop and talking about some of the initiatives the nonprofit was doing to serve seniors.
“I was really impressed with his leadership and the leadership of the company,” Rule says. “I was fortunate to find such a good fit.”
He joined NCR in January 2012 as director of affordable housing development, and he was promoted to vice president of affordable housing development after five months on the job.
He has been instrumental in structuring low-income housing transactions to maximize organization return and resident services for NCR, which is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of affordable seniors housing. In addition, he has been responsible for developing his affordable housing team and is part of the Stewards for Affordable Housing of the Future’s developer peer group.
"Matt's collaborative approach and mission-oriented efforts will not only help NCR create great affordable housing communities for the future but will also help bring new and creative ideas for developing in an increasingly complicated world of affordable housing," says Michelle Norris, president of National Church Residences Development Corp.
Rule, a graduate of The Ohio State University and its law school, and his wife have two daughters and a son. He is active in his church and has been part of Franklin County Children Services’ Big Brother program, where he has been matched with a “little brother” for about eight years.
