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Solomon Greene, a former top official at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under President Biden, has been named the executive director of land and communities at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Before joining the nonprofit housing group, Greene led HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research, where he led a team of more than 200 economists, data scientists, engineers, researchers and policy experts in supporting policy development and implementation across HUD with rigorous research and market analysis, the Lincoln Institute said.
At HUD, he helped develop policies to reduce segregation and expand neighborhood choice, and he served as HUD’s principal adviser on the UN sustainable development goals.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Solomon and the deep expertise he brings in a wide array of relevant topics ranging from affordable housing development and preservation to land law, innovative building technologies and climate resilience,” George W. McCarthy, president of the Lincoln Institute, said in a prepared statement. “His knowledge and experience provide vital support for our efforts to help communities plan for equitable and sustainable futures.”
At the Lincoln Institute, which is part of the broader Underserved Mortgage Markets Coalition, Greene will play a leading role in developing the vision and strategy for the institute’s Land and Communities impact area, which includes the organization’s Urban Sustainability and Equity and Opportunity teams.
“I am delighted to be joining the Lincoln Institute at this moment in the organization’s history, when it is more important than ever to apply the best-available evidence, timely and accessible data, and robust community engagement to solve the nation and the world’s greatest challenges related to the use and management of land,” said Greene.
“We all rely on evidence-based and data-driven land policy that is grounded in community knowledge to create and sustain strong, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods, cities, and regions. The Lincoln Institute plays such a vital role in improving land policies and strengthening communities by producing rigorous and actionable research, providing innovative data tools, and building the capacity of decision-makers, practitioners, community leaders, and other experts to find answers in land.”
Greene has held leadership positions in research institutions, affordable housing and community development organizations, as well as local and federal governments. He spent more than seven years as a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, where he led research on inclusive growth in cities, housing policies and land use applications, applications of data and technology to improve urban governance, neighborhood revitalization, regional development and access to economic opportunity.
