Investors in America Award
A husband and wife team that has worked to advance social and economic advancement through affordable housing.
Secure, equitable and quality housing is a basic building block of livable communities and a springboard to social and economic advancement. Unfortunately, despite great federal and private efforts, the provision of affordable housing in the United States has proved to be an unending crusade. Paul Brophy and Mary Reilly are no strangers to this fight. With over thirty years each of experience in the fields of housing and community development, this powerful husband and wife team has made extraordinary contributions to the quality of life in communities across America.
Beginning her career in Pittsburgh, Reilly held various positions in the city’s Department of Housing, beginning as a Housing Planner and later as a Housing Development Specialist, Division Supervisor, Deputy Director and ultimately Director. During her five years with the Department of Housing, Reilly helped to create the department responsible for all housing development in the City, and developed and implemented effective housing finance and rehabilitation programs. Reilly’s career also includes a combined total of 10 years as an investment banker. As a Senior Vice President for Municipal Mortgage and Equity, LLC, a public company specializing in financing and investing in rental housing, Reilly created and launched an innovative lending and investment program, contributing greatly to the accessibility of affordable housing.
Spanning nearly twenty years, Brophy’s career in Pittsburgh includes time served as the executive director of ACTION-Housing Inc., a non-profit housing development and neighborhood improvement organization, the first director of the city’s Department of Housing, and the executive director of the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, which is responsible for downtown and neighborhood improvement. Using the skills and experience gained during his time in Pittsburgh, Brophy assumed the role of president and later vice chair and co-CEO of the Enterprise Foundation. While in these positions, Brophy was responsible for the transformation of hundreds of communities, working with local groups and municipal governments around the nation to improve neighborhoods and develop thousands of units of housing for low- and moderate-income families.
Brophy and Reilly combined their expertise in 1993 with the founding of their consulting firm, Brophy and Reilly LLC. Through advising on issues such as neighborhood improvement strategies, strategic planning for community development organizations, innovative financing approaches, and multi-family housing development by non-profits, Reilly and Brophy are contributing their valuable skills and drive to hundreds of organizations, including HUD, the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation, Bank of America’s Community Development Banking Group, and other national and local groups involved in creative approaches to housing and neighborhood improvement. While the ongoing fight for adequate affordable housing continues, Paul Brophy and Mary Reilly have been effective and successful leaders at leading the charge and making real gains.