Dee Walsh has dedicated her career toward addressing the U.S. affordable housing crisis as an executive leader, author, and teacher. After a brief retirement in early 2026, she returned as Interim Executive Vice President for Policy, Peer Exchange and Programs at the Housing Partnership Network (HPN), a national association of leading nonprofit housing organizations. Previously, she served 8 years as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Mercy Housing, Inc., the nation’s largest nonprofit affordable housing developer, owner, and manager. At Mercy, she oversaw five regional offices, Mercy Community Capital, a certified community development financial institution, and national real estate strategy and implementation. Dee’s earlier roles include serving as Chief Operating Officer of Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, Executive Vice President for Network and Corporate Affairs at HPN, and two decades as the Executive Director of REACH Community Development, where she grew the organization tenfold. Walsh holds a Certificate in Achieving Excellence in Community Development from Harvard University and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington. She was an adjunct professor at Portland State University’s Center for Real Estate Development and co-authored the book Navigating Community Development and has published several articles on the sector. At Cambridge, Dee is interested in exploring how international exchange and collaboration can help address large societal challenges including housing affordability, environmental sustainability, and community liveability. She is also interested in effective approaches to mentoring the next generation of leaders.
