Grady Bussey, City of Raleigh Community Relations Analyst
Grady is a Community Relations Analyst for the Housing and Neighborhood Department. Through this department, Grady is the professor of the Citizen Leader Academy. Grady is recognized as a community contributor for WRAL, ABC-11, and CBS-17 television networks. Grady has been a licensed Realtor for over 20 years and serves on numerous community boards that aim to improve the quality of life for Raleigh and Wake County residents. Grady has a Bachelor of Science from St. Augustine's University and further study at North Carolina Central University in Public Administration. Grady is from Long Island, New York, married with three children.
Gregg Colburn, Associate Professor at University of Washington and Co-Author of "Homelessness is a Housing Problem"
Gregg Colburn is an Associate Professor in the Runstad Department of Real Estate in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington. He publishes research on topics related to housing and homelessness and is co-author of the book, Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns (University of California Press). His research has been featured in leading media outlets, including The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, and National Public Radio.
Gregg holds a B.A. from Albion College, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, and a M.S.W. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Prior to academia, he worked as an investment banker and private equity professional. At the University of Washington, Gregg teaches classes in housing, urban economics, and finance. Gregg serves as co-chair of the University of Washington’s Homelessness Research Initiative and is a member of the National Alliance to End Homelessness Research Council.
Emila Sutton, City of Raleigh Housing and Neighborhoods Director
Emila has served as the Director for the City of Raleigh’s Housing and Neighborhoods Department since October 2023. Ms. Sutton is an accomplished housing professional with extensive experience across local, state, and federal levels. Nationally, she has provided technical assistance and consulting services in affordable housing and homelessness to cities such as Chicago, Charlotte, and New York City. At the municipal level, she served as the Housing & Community Development Director for Orange County, NC, where her work included overseeing the County's community development division, public housing agency, and the Continuum of Care programs. Her state-level achievements include leading policy and research initiatives at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, as well as coordinating the Balance of State Continuum of Care during her tenure at the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness.
Patrick O. Young, City of Raleigh Planning and Development Director
Patrick “Pat” Young is the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, since July of 2020. Prior to coming to Raleigh, Pat was with the City of Durham for 12 years, first as Assistant Director and later as Planning Director. In Durham, Pat led efforts to help promote housing accessibility and affordability through zoning reform and to make the development process more customer oriented, timely and predictable, and he is now leading similar efforts in Raleigh. Pat is a proud member of ULI, the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Pat lives in Raleigh and has one teenager at Enloe High School and one at American University in Washington DC.
Mark Shelburne, Senior Director and Housing Policy Consultant at Novogradac
Mark Shelburne is a housing policy consultant with Novogradac. His work includes consulting with state agencies, local governments, equity providers, lenders, attorneys and developers on topics including allocation, compliance, HOME, revitalization, supportive housing and tax-exempt bonds. Mr. Shelburne is widely regarded as a top expert on these topics and frequently presents on them to statewide and national audiences. He also develops educational/training material and writes for various publications. Shelburne previously served as director of the Office of Housing Finance and Development at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, counsel and policy coordinator at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and as a housing policy consultant for Novogradac. In these three capacities, Shelburne has revised and/or implemented 32 qualified allocation plans in 14 states, testified before Congress, provided resources to create more than 25,000 affordable rental homes, and led work resulting in four national awards. He has degrees in law, planning, and public policy from the University at North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nate Fields, Director of Homelessness Services and Strategies for the Mayor's Office of New Orleans
Mr. Nate Fields currently works as the Director of Homeless Services and Strategies for the Mayor's office of New Orleans and is the former Vice President of Public Space Maintenance for Downtown Partnership of Baltimore where he had a team of twenty-five employees whose services ensure downtown Baltimore is a clean, safe, and welcoming place. Nate's professional background includes 20 years of experience providing outreach services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, mental health treatment, and family strengthening training. Prior to his current position, Nate developed the first outreach team and citywide outreach strategies for the Mayor's Office of Human Services in Baltimore, MD. He also has experience training staff and managing services at a foster care agency and has worked as a rehabilitation counselor. Nate obtained a bachelor’s degree from Bowie State University.
Nate is a proud Baltimore City native and is tremendously committed to serving people in his community and has dedicated his life to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to realize their dreams. He has a special passion for serving people who are experiencing homelessness due to his own experience successfully overcoming these same challenges.
Sheree Bouchee, Director of Housing at the Center for Public Enterprise
Sheree Bouchee is a seasoned Housing Director at the Center for Public Enterprise, with eighteen years of dedicated service in the public sector. She has a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Grand Canyon University.
In her current capacity, Sheree collaborates closely with local and state government agencies, advocacy groups, esteemed researchers, and academia to spearhead the development and execution of cutting-edge housing strategies. Her mission is to foster the seamless integration of innovative housing development programs and financing methodologies, ensuring sustainable and inclusive communities for all.
Prior to her tenure at the Center for Public Enterprise, Sheree oversaw Arizona’s LIHTC programs and managed federally funded housing development initiatives across seven municipalities. Notably, her tenure as the Affordable Housing Advocate for the City of Phoenix saw the inception and implementation of groundbreaking housing policy initiatives, poised to yield the creation of 50,000 housing units by 2030. Sheree's unwavering commitment to housing advocacy and her track record of transformative leadership underscore her pivotal role in shaping the future landscape of housing development and affordability.
Ashley Lommers-Johnson, Raleigh Housing Authority CEO
Ashley Lommers-Johnson, Raleigh Housing Authority’s CEO since April 2023 has 30 years of service in the industry, including 10 years as the Everett (Washington) Housing Authority’s Executive Director and 7 years as Baltimore's Public Housing Director. Ashley’s strategic focus has made him a leader in affordable housing preservation and repositioning. He is committed to forging partnerships to confront Raleigh’s growing needs for housing across a broad spectrum of incomes.
Ashley grew up in South Africa and holds a BA from the University of Cape Town, an MA in Linguistics from Northwestern University, and an MPA from the University of Washington.
Keegan McDonald, City of Raleigh Land Development Manager
Keegan McDonald is the Land Development Manager for the City of Raleigh Planning and Development Department overseeing Current Planning activities. Prior to his current role, Keegan worked for a small city in the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex. He holds a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland.
Ken Bowers, City of Raleigh Planning and Development Assistant Director
Ken Bowers joined the City of Raleigh, NC in 2006, became Planning Director in 2015, and now serves as Deputy Director within a consolidated Planning & Development department. In 2022 he led a reorganization to create and lead a new Urban Projects division focused on plan and project implementation through internal coordination and external partnerships. Prior to joining the City of Raleigh, Mr. Bowers was a consultant and Principal with the firm of Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates in New York City, where he prepared plans, market studies and economic strategies for public, private and nonprofit clients in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region and beyond. He has a Masters in Regional Planning from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BS in Physics from NC State University.