Theresa Finney Dumais has been appointed president and CEO of the Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), a collaborative of 13 leading nonprofit affordable housing providers. She will step into her new role March 23.
She joins SAHF after serving as vice president of government and industry relations at Freddie Mac, where she led the organization’s engagements with leaders on Capitol Hill, industry organizations, and consumer groups. Dumais and her team provided strategic guidance and policy analysis on a wide range of issues to senior leaders across the company.
“At a time when housing is at the forefront of national policy discussions, SAHF’s voice has never been more important,” she said. “I have long admired the organization’s leadership in advancing housing supply, preservation, sustainability, and resident service solutions across the country, and I am honored to step into this exciting role. I look forward to working alongside our extremely talented members, staff, and partners to protect long-term affordability and expand access to quality, affordable homes nationwide.”
Prior to Freddie Mac, the industry veteran served as director of housing policy, formulating and overseeing housing policy for the U.S. House of Representatives. During that time, Dumais helped shepherd several bills to enactment, including the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act as well as several improvements to federal affordable housing programs.
She has also held positions at the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Habitat for Humanity of Washtenaw County, Michigan. In addition, Dumais serves on the board of Housing Opportunities Community Partners, a nonprofit in Montgomery County, Maryland, that helps provide services for low-income families.
SAHF member organizations own and operate more than 160,000 affordable rental homes across the country. Its mission is to advance the creation and preservation of healthy, sustainable affordable rental homes that foster opportunity and wellness for people of limited economic resources.
Dumais was selected unanimously by the board of directors.
“Theresa’s deep commitment to affordable housing and her track record of policy leadership make her the ideal choice to lead SAHF, and we are confident the organization will thrive with her at the helm,” said Ismael Guerrero, board chair and president and CEO of Mercy Housing.
She takes over the top post from Andrea Ponsor, who joined the National Housing Trust last year.
Dumais lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and Newfoundland dog, Moose.