Steven Dow takes the helm at LISC Houston to ramp up community investments in housing, businesses and jobs

HOUSTON, April 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has named one of the country's top community development practitioners to lead its investment activity in Houston, building on the organization's $381 million in local support for affordable housing, small businesses, health, community safety, education and jobs.

Steven Dow, founder and executive director of the nationally recognized CAP Tulsa program, returned to his Texas roots this week as the new executive director of LISC Houston. Dow led CAP Tulsa for more than 25 years, building it into a $60 million anti-poverty organization and the largest developer of early childhood facilities in the country. Under his leadership, CAP Tulsa took on issues ranging from employment and early education to housing and family financial stability, developing models that have been replicated across the country. 

"Steven is an innovator and change-maker with a deep personal connection to Houston and a wealth of experience working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors," said Maurice A. Jones, LISC president and CEO. "He understands how to put capital to work on behalf of communities, which is critical right now, as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis. We are thrilled that he has come back to his hometown to help LISC respond to local issues and catalyze long-term opportunities for children and families throughout the city."

Dow has long been recognized for his creativity and leadership. He was part of the first cohort of Aspen Institute's Ascend Fellowship program and was subsequently named to Aspen's Pahara Fellowship program as well. Both programs are focused on education, children and families. At the same time, CAP Tulsa was recognized as part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Family Counts National Honors program, a member of the Fannie Mae Foundation Alliance and as a National Head Start Center of Excellence. It was also the first organization in the country to simultaneously win federal Choice Neighborhoods and Promise Neighborhoods planning grants, which are designed to help local organizations revitalize communities with investments in housing, economic development, education and other core community assets.

"LISC Houston has been doing phenomenal work with Houston's under-resourced residents and neighborhoods for many years. The leadership that the organization provided during Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath was especially impressive and impactful. I have long been aware of LISC's impact nationally; and, as I was searching for an opportunity to continue my work in Houston, I was fortunate to be afforded the opportunity to join the LISC Houston team, which is committed to ensuring that all Houstonians—no matter where they live—have the chance to share in the community's prosperity, and can create a strong future for themselves and their children."

Dow has a J.D. from Yale Law School and a bachelor's degree from Yale University. Beyond his work at CAP Tulsa, over the years, he has served on numerous boards of critical organizations like Reach Out and Read, Center for Financial Services Innovation, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, KIPP, Teach for America, Tulsa Legacy Charter School, and Tulsa Housing Authority.

Dow can be reached at [email protected].

About LISC
With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $22 billion to build or rehab more than 419,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 70.3 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. For more, visit www.lisc.org.

Media contact:
Clare Duncan, LISC Houston
713-597-6843 or [email protected]

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SOURCE LISC