Judith A. Calogero Replaces Late Clara Fox as CEO of New York Housing Conference

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorNew York–Judith A. Calogero (pictured), 51, former New York State Commissioner of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, has been appointed CEO of the New York Housing Conference, a coalition of nonprofit and profit-motivated developers, owners, managers, professionals and funders of affordable housing. Calogero will replace NYHC Founder Clara Fox, who passed away recently at the age of 90.“Now, more than ever, there is a need for affordable housing,” says Calogero. “There is no better way to jump start America’s troubled economy than to create housing which in turn creates jobs and vital infrastructure improvements. My primary mission will be to stimulate legislation on the federal, state and local levels to spur housing and community development in New York.”In addition to her position as commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, she served most recently as the Northeast Director of RBC Capital Markets, Tax Credit Equity Group, supervising the origination of affordable housing, historic and solar tax credit investments for the bank.Carol Lamberg, NYHC co-chair and executive director of Settlement Housing Fund, says, “Actions are urgently needed to expand existing affordable housing programs, for example, Section 8 housing vouchers for low-income families. Calogero has the drive to convince lawmakers that the Section 8 program could be expanded to provide hundreds of thousands of additional vouchers for low-income renters, including project-based vouchers. Moreover, hard-working Section 8 families should pay 25 percent of their income for rent, instead of the presently mandated 30 percent for federal, state and local programs.”