Eleanor White

Eleanor White has worked in the field of affordable housing since 1967, including (from 1983-1995) as Co-CEO of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (now MassHousing), directing all activities of this multi-billion dollar quasi-public lending institution. Before MHFA, Ms. White held a variety of positions at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in DC from 1967-1969, and in Boston from 1970-1983. Currently, Ms. White is President/CEO of Housing Partners, Inc., a national housing consulting firm she formed with Marvin Siflinger in 1995 that works with a wide range of public, nonprofit, and private-sector clients on topics relating to housing development, housing policy and strategic planning, preservation, organizational development, issues relating to diversity, and most recently 40R Smart Growth Zoning and Workforce Housing.

She has held leadership positions in many housing organizations, including President of the Board of Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA,) Chair of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, and Member of the Boards of the MIT Center for Real Estate and MA Housing Investment Corp. (MHIC). She was a member of the founding board of the School of Public Policy at Northeastern University, and was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick as Chair of the Multifamily Housing Advisory Committee of MassHousing.

She has also held leadership positions in several community nonprofits: MA Association for Mental Health (past-President and current member of the Board), B’nai B’rith Housing New England (member of the Board and Executive Committee), American Jewish Committee New England (member of the Board; Chair, Advancement Committee; Member, Steering Committee), Housing Forward—MA (founding member of the Board), and has been an active alumna of Harvard University in various capacities.

Ms. White has been honored at both the local and national levels for her achievements in the field of affordable housing and for her community service activities. Married to Barry B. White since 1967, she accompanied him to Oslo, Norway where he served as U.S. Ambassador from 2009-2013 after practicing law in Boston for 40 years. They are the parents of 3 sons and have 2 granddaughters, with a third grandchild expected in late 2023.

Ms. White holds an A.B. cum laude from Harvard/Radcliffe College, 1967; a Master of Public Administration from Northeastern University, 1975; and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 1978-79.