Boston Affordable Housing Leaders to Receive Prestigious NH&RA Vision Awards

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, DC (August 28, 2018) – The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association announced today that two Boston-based champions of affordable housing and development will receive NH&RA Affordable Housing Vision Awards in recognition of their stewardship and expansion of affordable housing opportunities for low-income families around the country. John W. Gahan III, Partner at Sullivan & Worcester and William “Bill” McGonagle, Administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, will be honored at an awards luncheon in conjunction with the NH&RA Fall Developers Forum on October 23 at the Harvard Club of Boston.

William McGonagle

Boston Housing Authority

John W. Gahan III

Sullivan & Worcester

“Our 2018 honorees represent the very best of our field. In their decades of work to promote affordable housing developments and policy, John and Bill have demonstrated leadership, commitment and, most importantly, imagination. From different professional settings, they have led teams responsible for the development and preservation of thousands affordable apartments across Massachusetts and the nation,” said NH&RA Executive Director Thom Amdur.

Bill McGonagle was born and raised in a South Boston public housing development in a family of eight. He has worked with or on behalf of the public housing residents of Boston for more than 40 years. “Bill is a lifelong civil servant who has dedicated his professional life to the betterment of public housing residents in Boston. Throughout his career he has been directly involved some of the most impactful and transformational initiatives at the BHA including the integration of public housing developments in the 1980s and later the revitalization of numerous BHA communities through the HOPE VI and Choice Neighborhoods Initiative,” said Amdur.

Bill began his career at the BHA in 1981 in the Department of Public Safety where he was selected for the BHA’s management training program. He served in numerous roles at BHA early in his career, including as a Development Manager, Area Director and Executive Assistant to the Administrator before being tapped as Deputy Administrator in 1991. Mayor Thomas M. Menino appointed Bill as Administrator for the Authority on June 11, 2009. He continues to serve in that capacity under Mayor Martin J. Walsh. He has been honored for leadership and public service by the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, the Mass Union of Public Housing Tenants and the South Boston Citizens’ Association.

John Gahan began working in affordable housing as a young attorney in 1973, developing a law practice focused on multifamily real estate acquisition, financing, management and development. Throughout his career he has worked on numerous catalytic projects around the country utilizing state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Historic Credits and Brownfields Credits and HUD Financing. He is a trusted advisor for a generation of affordable housing developers and professionals in Massachusetts and a dedicated affordable housing advocate, assisting in drafting numerous laws and legislation including Massachusetts’ landmark Chapter 40T legislation. John serves on the Board of Directors of NH&RA as well as Preservation Massachusetts.

“NH&RA and the broader affordable housing and historic preservation community have benefited immensely from John’s leadership. He is a creative deal maker and a tireless advocate for his clients and the broader industry,” observed Amdur. “Since joining NH&RA’s Board of Directors in 2010, John has been a champion for numerous NH&RA initiatives and, on a more personal note, a friend and mentor. At virtually every NH&RA conference, John organizes and moderates a panel discussion or speaks on a topic of current interest to our members. He has a knack for explaining complex issues in a down-to-earth, easy-to-understand and often humorous manner.”

When told of his selection, John said, “NH&RA has been a home to countless thinkers, doers and visionaries – from different industries and different perspectives but with one goal – making the communities where we live and work better by developing decent affordable housing and preserving other community assets. I am humbled to have my name included with the true giants of our industry.”

Press Contact: Thom Amdur, 202-939-1753, tamdur@housingonline.com. To learn more about the Affordable Housing Vision Awards and the NH&RA Developers Forum, visit www.housingonline.com.

About the Affordable Housing Vision Awards

Each year since 2004, NH&RA has bestowed its Affordable Housing Vision Award to affordable housing and community development leaders who have made valuable contributions to the field and demonstrated years of leadership, commitment and imagination. Previous Vision Award Honorees include the late Mayor Tom Menino, former Congressman Barney Frank, Jack Manning of Boston Capital and Lisa Alberghini of the Boston Archdiocese Planning Office for Urban Affairs. Awards Luncheon Sponsorship Opportunities are available.

About NH&RA

For more than 40 years, the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association has been providing an ongoing forum for professionals in affordable housing and historic rehabilitation to exchange information and build new business relationships. For more information on the Vision Awards, the Fall Developers Forum, or NH&RA, please visit our website at www.housingonline.com or contact Thom Amdur, 202-939-1753, tamdur@housingonline.com.