The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today recognized four leaders in the affordable housing field during its biennial Housing Forum at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Honored with the agency’s Housing Pioneer Award were:

  • Nilda Ruiz, president and CEO, Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha
  • Rose Gray, Senior Vice President, Community and Economic Development, Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha
  • Keith Key, president and CEO, KBK Enterprises
  • Jeffrey Woda, principal, The Woda Group

“PHFA is grateful to these four housing leaders for all they’ve done to expand the availability of housing in Pennsylvania and to be champions for affordable housing,” said PHFA’s Executive Director and CEO Brian A. Hudson Sr. “They often work tirelessly in the background, and today we wanted to take the time to recognize their considerable contributions in our state. They are an inspiration to the rest of us who work alongside them.”

PHFA’s biennial Housing Forum provides professional development opportunities for people working in the housing field. Attendees participate in focused educational sessions and hear from nationally recognized speakers. The 2017 program of events included 35 educational sessions, four keynote presentations, a walking tour of a nearby affordable housing development, and a popular networking event. The conference ran May 11-12 and drew more than 650 attendees.

About PHFA

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $13.1 billion of funding for nearly 167,400 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 132,531 rental units, and saved the homes of more than 48,800 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.