(Washington, DC) Acheiving yet another goal of his plan for "100 Days and Beyond," Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today announced the appointment of Leslie A. Steen as the District's new Affordable Housing Chief, to serve under the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development.

Steen currently runs Steen Enterprises, an affordable housing development and consulting firm, and has more than 30 years of proven expertise in housing and organizational development. She has particular expertise in combining housing development and finance with community development. Her unique qualifications are the result of years of active participation and experience in revitalization efforts in numerous communities. Her efforts in affordable housing development, development in fragile and transitional markets, development of human capital, citizen participation, grass roots self-government, and homeownership for marginally qualified households, have enabled her to gain insights into the conditions that determine the outcomes of community revitalization efforts.

From 1989 to 2004, Steen was the founding president and CEO of Community Preservation and Development Corporation, a nonprofit that creates and preserves affordable housing communities in Washington DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia. Under her leadership, CPDC developed 3,536 apartments in 24 properties and operated community development programs in conjunction with over three dozen partners at 15 developments. Since 1994, CPDC has been at the forefront of efforts to use technology to develop sustainable, affordable communities. CPDC was recognized as a leader in national efforts to bridge the "digital divide" by teaching the use of technology, making it accessible to residents of large urban housing complexes and using it to communicate and build relationships in communities.

Following her tenure at CPDC, Steen was on the st

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