Marvin Siflinger, founding Chairman and 50% owner of Housing Partners, Inc., has had over 55 years experience in housing and community development. Beginning at HUD in 1961, Marvin served in the New York and Boston Regional Offices and then served as Area Manager of the HUD Boston Area Office, administering the full range of housing and community development programs. He was appointed Executive Director of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency in 1983, serving there with distinction until the founding of Housing Partners in 1995. Marvin holds a B.A. from the City College of New York, and an MPA from Syracuse University. He has served as a member of the boards of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, National Housing Trust, Citizens Housing and Planning Association, and B'nai B'rith Senior Citizens Housing Corporation (of which he is President Emeritus). He has received numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious National Public Service Award from the American Society for Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration. Marvin also for many years served on the adjunct faculty of Northeastern University in Boston.
Marvin is particularly interested in the challenges facing public sector administrators as they attempt to solve severe housing needs with insufficient resources.
The founding President and 50% owner of Housing Partners, Inc., Eleanor brings over 50 years of experience in programs of affordable and mixed-income housing. Beginning at HUD in Washington in 1967, Eleanor served also in HUD's Boston Area Office starting in 1970, administering the full range of HUD's housing programs until moving with Marvin Siflinger in 1983 to the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, where she served as Chief of Operations and then Deputy Director/Co-CEO of the Agency until founding Housing Partners, Inc. in 1995. Eleanor holds an A.B. from Radcliffe College of Harvard University, an MPA from Northeastern University, and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She has served on many boards of directors, among them the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (of which she was Chairman), Citizens Housing and Planning Association (of which she is past President), the Real Estate Finance Association, MassALFA (the assisted living association), Mass. Housing Investment Corp., B'nai B'rith Housing New England (of which she is Vice President), American Jewish Committee New England office, the Mass. Assoc.for Mental Health (of which she is a past President), and the Commonwealth Housing Task Force (of which she is past co-chair). She has won many awards for her contributions to her community,including a national Diversity Award from FNMA and Working Mother Magazine.
Eleanor is particularly skilled at building consensus among public and private partners to housing transactions and policy/legislative initiatives. She is also interested in issues of organizational development, including performance & program evaluation and strategic planning, as well as employer-assisted housing, housing for people with disabilities, and inner-city revitalization. She is one of the principal authors of the 40R Smart Growth Zoning and the Workforce Housing Trust Fund programs in Massachusetts. Eleanor has spoken and lectured extensively in both academic and professional forums and conferences. Eleanor returned home to Boston in 2013 after serving for 4 years in Oslo, Norway with her husband, Barry White. Barry was appointed by President Obama as US Ambassador to Norway in 2009. Eleanor continued her work full-time at Housing Partners, Inc. during their posting to Oslo. ewhite@housingpartnersinc.com and cell: 617-417-2332
Charles EisenbergAffiliate, Housing Partners, Inc. Charles Eisenberg of Eisenberg Consulting became an affiliate of Housing Partners, Inc. in 2004. Charles brings 40 years of experience in all phases of housing and commercial real estate development, management, market analysis and project management, with a focus on affordable housing and community development. He has worked for and with major real estate companies, both for-profit and nonprofit, and has served in the public sector, including work for The Beacon Companies, the Druker Company, the FDIC, RECOLL Management Corporation, LEA Group, Inc, and The Community Builders, where he was Northeast Regional Director. Most recently, through Eisenberg Consulting and HPI, he has advised a wide range of clients on real estate, housing, planning, financing, and assisted living issues. He has also played a lead role in the planning of Chapter 40R Smart Growth Zoning overlay districts in Massachusetts, and is expert in the use of low-income housing tax credits. Charles holds a B.A. from Brandeis University, an M.A. from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He has taught real estate courses at both Boston University and Northeastern University, where he was an adjunct professor. He is active in the community and is a past Chair of the Newton Centre (MA) Revitalization Task Force.
Charles is particularly skilled at highly-sophisticated analysis of market demand, financing options, and financial feasibility of housing development,operations, and workouts. He has developed strong networks of professional relationships throughout Massachusetts in both private and public sectors and is recognized as a strong real estate strategist and trusted advisor.
