Denise Scott is president of Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s (LISC). She previously served as executive vice president in charge of national and local programs. With over three decades of experience in community development, Ms. Scott leads LISC’s neighborhood investment efforts in 36 cities and rural areas in 45 states. She is responsible for providing vision and setting the strategic direction for local offices, as well as improving their operational, programmatic and financial status. She previously managed LISC’s flagship program in New York City (LISC NYC), focusing on affordable housing, commercial corridors, education, health and jobs in historically disinvested neighborhoods across the city. During her tenure as executive director at LISC NYC, the office invested $5.6 million in grants, $116 million in loans and $600 million in equity investments, translating into the development of over 10,000 units of affordable housing.
Ms. Scott has also held a variety of leadership positions. She served as a White House appointee to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), responsible for the daily operations of HUD’s six New York/New Jersey Regional offices, and supervised the implementation of funding initiatives for an annual budget of over a billion dollars. Prior to that, she served as the managing director/coordinator responsible for launching the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation; as the assistant vice president of the New York City Urban Coalition; as deputy director of the New York City Mayor's Office of Housing Coordination from 1990-1992; and as the director of the New York City Department of Housing and Development’s Harlem Neighborhood Preservation Program office, responsible for the production of over 4,000 units of affordable housing.
Ms. Scott is on the board of New York City Housing Development Corporation, and member of Age-Friendly NYC Commission and NYU Furman Center advisory board. She is also an advisor to several nonprofit community based development organizations in New York City and has been recognized by numerous organizations, including the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce and National Housing Conference, for her contributions to community development in New York City.
Ms. Scott has a master's degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University and has taught at its Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation as a visiting assistant professor.
