Press Releases

NYU Furman Center Announces New Leadership

April 3rd 2014

Ingrid Gould Ellen named Faculty Director of the NYU Furman Center;
Mark Willis named Interim Executive Director of the NYU Furman Center;
Max Weselcouch named Director of the Moelis Institute for Affordable Housing Policy;
​Furman Center creates Advisory Board from the faculty of the NYU School of Law

New York, NY: The NYU Furman Center, a joint initiative of the NYU School of Law and Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, announced its new leadership team today. Established in 1995, the NYU Furman Center provides research and debate on housing, neighborhoods, and urban policy.                            

Ingrid Gould Ellen has been named Faculty Director of the NYU Furman Center. Currently the Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at NYU's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Professor Ellen has been serving as the NYU Furman Center's Co-Director for the past 10 years.

Professor Ellen succeeds Boxer Family Professor of Law Vicki Been, who was recently appointed Commissioner of New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

During Professor Ellen's tenure as Co-Director, along with Vicki Been as Director, the Furman Center nearly tripled in size and received national recognition for its work on housing, neighborhoods, and urban policy, including a 2012 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions and the National Housing Conference's 2013 Empire Award for Leadership in Affordable Housing. A New York City native, Professor Ellen has held visiting positions at the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute. She attended Harvard University, where she received a B.A. in applied mathematics, an M.P.P., and a Ph.D. in public policy. She specializes in housing and urban policy research.

"It has been an honor to contribute to the Furman Center's research mission," said Ellen. "I look forward to continuing to work with our talented team of students and researchers on studies that can help improve the effectiveness of urban policy and programs."

The NYU Furman Center also announced the creation of an Advisory Board from the faculty of the NYU School of Law, including Ryan Bubb, Associate Professor of Law, Clayton Gillette, Max E. Greenberg Professor of Contract Law, Roderick M. Hills, Jr., William T. Comfort, III Professor of Law, Richard Revesz, Lawrence King Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus, and Katrina Wyman, Sarah Herring Sorin Professor of Law. 

"The Furman Center has always been committed to multi-disciplinary research," said Ellen. "We are delighted that this distinguished group of legal scholars will be lending their insights and expertise to our work."

The NYU Furman Center also announced that Mark Willis, will step up to assume added responsibilities as the NYU Furman Center's Interim Executive Director. Mr. Willis has brought a wealth of expertise on housing finance and community development to the NYU Furman Center as a Resident Research Fellow for the past four years.

Prior to joining the Furman Center, Mr. Willis was a visiting scholar at the Ford Foundation and spent 19 years at JPMorgan Chase, where he founded the Chase Community Development Corporation. Before joining Chase, Mr. Willis held various positions in economic development and tax policy with the City of New York, including Deputy Commissioner for Development at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and served as an urban economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Mr. Willis holds a B.A. in economics from Yale University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Ph.D. in urban economics and industrial organization from Yale University.

"Mark brings both keen intelligence and deep knowledge about housing policy," said Ellen. "He is also an experienced manager, and we are delighted that he is taking on this new leadership role."

Max Weselcouch has been named Director of the Moelis Institute for Affordable Housing Policy. In this role, Ms. Weselcouch will lead the Moelis Institute's work on affordable housing policies and programs targeted at policymakers. 

For the past five years, Ms. Weselcouch has served as the NYU Furman Center's Data Manager and Research Analyst. Ms. Weselcouch's research has focused on foreclosure prevention, the preservation of subsidized affordable housing, and building resilience to extreme weather. Ms. Weselcouch received a B.A. with honors in mathematics and dance from Goucher College in 2005. She will receive her M.U.P. from NYU's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in 2014.

"Max has been at the heart of the NYU Furman Center for the past five years, building up our capacity to undertake data-intensive research and spearheading many of our signature initiatives, including the Subsidized Housing Information Project (SHIP) Database and the work we have done on resiliency following Superstorm Sandy," said Ellen. "We are thrilled that she will be leading our efforts to inform and improve affordable housing policy in New York City and beyond."

Ms. Weselcouch will join the existing NYU Furman Center leadership team of Professor Ellen; Mr. Willis; Kevin Findlan, Associate Director; Shannon Moriarty, Communications Director; and Jessica Yager, Policy Director.

About the NYU Furman Center  

The NYU Furman Center provides objective research and debate on housing, neighborhoods, and urban policy. Established in 1995, it is a joint center of the New York University School of Law and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. More information on the NYU Furman Center can be found at furmancenter.org and @FurmanCenterNYU.

About the NYU Furman Center's Moelis Institute for Affordable Housing Policy

The Furman Center launched the Moelis Institute for Affordable Housing Policy in 2010 to provide evidence-based and objective policy analysis and new tools and skills for policymakers and the public. More information about the Moelis Institute can be found at furmancenter.org/institute.