June Park first recognized the acute need for affordable housing while growing up in South America. There, she witnessed the dire living conditions in Bolivia and Peru, where many impoverished families lived in homes that were nothing more than ramshackle shelters made of salvaged metal.
“It was an eye-opening experience that influenced every educational and career choice I made from then on. I wanted to make a difference,” says Park, who went on to study architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and earn a master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University.
Park’s entry into the affordable housing industry came shortly after graduate school when she was backpacking in La Paz and stopped to use a computer at an internet café. While searching for job openings, she came across a project manager position at Thomas Safran & Associates, an affordable housing developer based in Los Angeles. Though the position required experience she had yet to achieve, Park applied and showed the passion that convinced the firm she was right for the job.
After working as a developer for several years, she moved on to Boston Financial Investment Management and U.S. Bank, where she specialized in providing financing to affordable housing developers.
In 2016, she became a partner at SDG Housing Partners, an emerging Southern California–based developer, where she is involved in all aspects of acquisition, development, asset management, and compliance of the company’s properties. SDG has acquired and renovated five affordable housing developments with 800 units, with more projects in the pipeline. Park, 39, also serves on the board of directors of SRO Housing, a nonprofit dedicated to providing housing and supportive services for homeless individuals in Los Angeles.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Park says. “I’m immensely grateful to be able to play a small part in providing decent homes to the families and seniors who most need them.”
