A Conversation with Matt Cullen, former executive of Dan Gilbert's Family of Companies
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
Release Date: 02/10/2025
WNC's Will Cooper, Jr., talks housing vouchers, supply, and labor shortages
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode, we welcome Wilfred N. Cooper, Jr., President and CEO of WNC, a pioneer in the affordable housing space having acquired over $20 billion in affordable rental properties to create and preserve more than 1,700 communities across 49 states. Cooper is also the co-founder and President of the Cooper Housing Institute, a private foundation that supports innovative research, public awareness initiatives, and community organizations with the goal of ending the housing affordability and homelessness crises in the United States. Cooper joins NHC President and CEO David...
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Urban Institute’s Janneke Ratcliffe on what the data reveals about affordable housing, homelessness, and opportunity
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode, we welcome Janneke Ratcliffe, Vice President for the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization that has been providing data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity for more than 50 years. Over a career that spans industry, the nonprofit sector, academic research, and the federal government, her work focuses on increasing access to financial systems that foster economic security and prosperity. Ratcliffe joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss the roots of America’s housing crisis—from...
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Anywhere’s Liz Gehringer talks innovation, affordability, and the future of homebuying
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode we welcome Liz Gehringer, President and CEO of Anywhere Franchise Brands, where she leads strategic growth, marketing, and operations for some of the real estate industry’s most iconic names—Coldwell Banker Affiliates, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, CENTURY 21, and ERA Real Estate. Gehringer joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss how Anywhere is reimagining the homebuying experience through innovation, expanding access to affordable homeownership, and using technology and AI to empower agents and enhance client...
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Revitalizing homes, strengthening communities: A conversation with NCST’s Christopher Tyson
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode we welcome Christopher Tyson, President of the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST), where he leads the organization’s efforts to expand affordable homeownership by lending capital to revitalize vacant single-family homes, advocating for policy innovation and reform, and facilitating transactions that strengthen the single-family housing supply and stabilize neighborhoods. Since 2008, NCST has facilitated the transfer of more than 28,000 homes, and collaborated with local practitioners to stabilize neighborhoods and increase housing supply across the nation....
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Pretium Founder & CEO Don Mullen on institutional investment’s role in the future of U.S. housing
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode we welcome Don Mullen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pretium, a specialized investment firm focused on U.S. residential real estate – including single-family rentals and build-to-rent housing – residential credit, and corporate credit. With a platform managing nearly $60 billion in assets, Pretium's portfolio spans nearly 90 markets nationwide and includes ~90,000 single-family homes under management. The firm is also a leader in the build to rent space, having acquired 7,500 single family homes built as rental housing. Mullen joins...
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Addressing homelessness through community health and street medicine
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin sits down with Joseph Becerra, a true pioneer and changemaker in street medicine and community health, whom he had the privilege of shadowing in the field in Los Angeles. Becerra, the original community health worker and co-founder of USC Street Medicine, recounts his remarkable journey from over fifteen years of homelessness to becoming a Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, and Gang Interventionist. He reflects on his lifelong commitment to serving underserved communities, incarcerated individuals,...
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Housing policy, credit scores & the future of mortgages with Lennar Mortgage's President Laura Escobar
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode we welcome Laura Escobar, President of Lennar Mortgage, the lending arm of the nation’s largest homebuilder, Lennar Corporation. With more than 37 years of experience in mortgage banking, Escobar has led at every level — from branch management to executive leadership — in both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies and currently serves as the 2025 Chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Escobar joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss the Senate’s ROAD to Housing bill, FHFA’s roll out of alternative credit scores,...
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The future of affordable senior housing with SKA Marin's Sydelle Knepper
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode we welcome Sydelle Knepper, Founder and CEO of SKA Marin, a renowned firm recognized for its impactful contributions to real estate and community development across New York and beyond. With more than 30 years of experience, Knepper brings unmatched expertise in both the private and public sectors, having overseen more than a billion dollars in constructed project value. Knepper joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin discuss the future of affordable senior housing, the evolving demand, and the critical connection between housing and healthcare. Together, they...
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LIIF’s Dan Nissenbaum discusses how CDFIs drive affordable housing and economic opportunity
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode, we welcome Dan Nissenbaum, CEO of the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), a renowned, national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that has invested over $3.5 billion in transformative projects creating opportunities for low-income individuals and communities. Nissenbaum joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss how CDFIs differ from traditional banks and lenders and explores how LIIF leverages tax credits, innovative financing tools, and strategic partnerships to expand access to affordable housing, drive economic empowerment, and revitalize...
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Data and AI’s role in housing with Cotality’s President and CEO Patrick Dodd
Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing
In this week’s episode, we welcome Patrick Dodd, President and CEO of Cotality, formerly known as CoreLogic. Cotality uses real-time property data and insights to help agents, lenders, insurers, and innovators uncover risks, seize opportunities, and drive meaningful impact across the property ecosystem. Dodd joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss how Cotality is redefining its role in the housing ecosystem and addressing today's housing trends—from the impact of rising interest rates and insurance costs to how AI is reshaping the property and housing industry, and what it all...
info_outlineIn this week's episode, we welcome Matt Cullen, Chairman of JACK Entertainment and a former executive who led gaming, real estate, and other initiatives for Dan Gilbert’s Family of Companies. Matt’s career spans decades of impactful leadership, from overseeing GM’s 450-million-square-foot global real estate portfolio to spearheading Detroit’s riverfront transformation and revitalizing urban landscapes in both Detroit and Cleveland.
From revitalizing neighborhoods to tackling economic and environmental challenges, Cullen joins NHC's President and CEO to discuss Detroit’s economic recovery and offers valuable lessons for other cities looking to build a stronger future.