COLUMBIA, Md. (Jan. 12, 2021) – Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) has named Judi Kende senior vice president and chief program officer of its Solutions division, which operates nationwide with program, policy, advisory, and capacity-building arms at the national, state and local levels. In the newly created position, Kende will be a critical member of the senior management team by lifting up best practices in program design and implementation that are informed by ground-up strategies. As Enterprise embarks on an ambitious new five-year Strategic Plan, she’ll lead efforts to execute Enterprise’s three priorities of increasing housing supply, advancing racial equity and building resilience and upward mobility. 

Kende will also collaborate with partners and funders across sectors and oversee programs that drive systemic change to benefit people and the places they call home. She’ll remain based in Enterprise’s New York City office, where she previously served as vice president and New York market leader. She will report to and collaborate with Jacqueline Waggoner, the newly appointed president of Solutions.  

“At this moment, when 40 million Americans are at risk of eviction, we need a leader who can respond with urgency, while at the same time mobilizing resources to eliminate systemic and longstanding barriers to affordable homes,” said Waggoner. “Judi is that leader.” 

With more than 20 years of experience in community development, nonprofit leadership and housing finance, Kende is a natural leader to address the most complex housing challenges across the country. As vice president and New York market leader, Kende led a cross-functional team, working with New York City officials, financial institutions, foundations, developers and other partners to build and preserve affordable homes. Key initiatives focused on creating and preserving affordable housing and ensuring the financial and environmental sustainability of New York’s affordable housing stock, including preparing for impacts of climate change.

In 2014, she was invited to serve on the mayor’s Housing New York Implementation Advisory Board and the mayor’s office of Sustainability Technical Working Group. In 2016, she was also appointed to the mayor’s Supportive Housing Task Force.

“During this time of tremendous economic uncertainty, a stable, healthy home has never been more important,” said Kende. “I look forward to this opportunity to harness the talent, knowledge and experience of our program teams and partner with my colleagues in Enterprise’s Capital and Communities divisions on innovative ways to make homes steppingstones to more.”

Prior to joining Enterprise in 2014, Kende led the Low Income Investment Fund’s Eastern and Central region. Kende also previously served as Director of Nonprofit Finance in Citibank Community Development and spent six years in Citigroup’s Corporate and Investment Bank.

Kende graduated from Kenyon College with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and received her M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

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Jordan Miller, Group Gordon
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