RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner/CEO of NYS Homes and Community Renewal
RuthAnne Visnauskas was appointed Commissioner and CEO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal in March 2017. Since taking the helm at HCR, RuthAnne has led the successful completion of the state’s first five-year, 100,000-home housing plan as well as the launch of a new $25 billion housing plan that is creating and preserving an additional 100,000 homes, including 10,000 with support services, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
RuthAnne directs HCR’s programs and policies to achieve the mission of providing New Yorkers with quality, sustainable affordable housing, while incorporating high standards and practices for energy efficiency and green development, prioritizing improved access to broadband, health care, and green space, promoting equal and fair access to housing opportunities, and collaborating with partners on developments that take a holistic approach to revitalizing entire neighborhoods.
Prior to joining HCR, RuthAnne was Managing Director of the Housing Advisory Board for the Robin Hood Foundation, New York's largest poverty-fighting organization.
RuthAnne also held several key positions at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the nation’s largest municipal housing agency, including the role of Commissioner from September 2014 to February 2015.
Before her leadership roles with HPD, RuthAnne served as Deputy Commissioner for Development, spearheading innovative development programs, including the Preserving City Neighborhoods initiative, designed to purchase the notes of overleveraged buildings, and stabilize them by ultimately transferring them to responsible not-for-profit owners.
RuthAnne received her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.
Ms. Visnauskas lives in Manhattan with her husband and three children.