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WASHINGTON, DC, February 19, 2020 —Monique King-Viehland, former executive director of the Los Angeles County Development Authority, has joined the Urban Institute as director of state and local housing policy, a new position. In this role, King-Viehland will lead efforts to catalyze Urban’s vast housing policy expertise into actionable strategies for, and with, state and local housing leaders. Her portfolio will extend across Urban, encompassing a range of housing policy areas from homelessness and affordable housing to zoning reform, homeownership, and housing finance.

“It is essential that Urban’s research insights meet the needs of changemakers working on the ground to solve complex housing challenges in communities across the country,” said Margery Turner, senior vice president for program planning and management. “As our first director of state and local housing policy, Monique King-Viehland will capitalize on the incredible breadth and depth of housing expertise here at Urban to help accelerate solutions. We are delighted to welcome her.”

King-Viehland has nearly twenty years of experience in housing, community, and economic development. She comes to Urban from the Los Angeles County Development Authority, where she managed more than 580 full-time employees and an annual budget of over $600 million. During her tenure as executive director, King-Viehland oversaw a tenfold increase in the number of affordable and supportive housing units funded and a more than doubling of rental voucher commitments for supportive housing developments, while providing housing assistance to hundreds of thousands and much-needed homes to thousands annually. She led the agency through a significant transformation, including the merger of the Community Development Commission and Housing Authority into a unified agency. The agency also embraced a new vision: ending generational poverty and homelessness, encouraging community development, and empowering Los Angeles County residents and businesses to reach their full potential.

Before joining the agency in 2015, King-Viehland was director of the Department of Housing and Economic Development for Trenton, New Jersey. Under her leadership, the department managed the planning and development activities of the city government and created and administered various programs and services, ranging from developing affordable housing to recruiting businesses to locate in the city.

King-Viehland has a master of science degree in public policy and management from the Heinz College School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, and a bachelor of arts degree from Smith College.

"I am thrilled to join Urban as the first director of state and local housing policy. Throughout my career, I have witnessed and harnessed the power of research and data as tools to empower community agents to drive change,” said King-Viehland. “I am honored to join a team of fellow impassioned problem solvers and leverage the incredible housing expertise at Urban to aid changemakers across the country in achieving their highest potential for all their citizens.”

About the Urban Institute

The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places.