New York State Rural Housing Coalition names Keller executive director

ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Rural Housing Coalition announced it has appointed Jeff Keller as executive director, beginning Feb. 4.

Keller joins the coalition after eight years with the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA), where he served as director of legislative and regulatory affairs and director of technology.

Colin McKnight, who served as acting executive director of the New York State Rural Housing Coalition, will return to his role as deputy director. He has served the Albany–based coalition for 23 years.

In his prior job at the NRLA, Keller focused on state and federal legislative and regulatory issues, mainly affecting the housing industry, across 11 states. Keller, a native of California, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Southern California, and a master’s degree in international affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He began his career in the association and housing industry working for the California Association of Realtors.

The New York State Rural Housing Coalition is a nonprofit, statewide membership organization that says it is dedicated to “strengthening and revitalizing rural New York by assisting housing and community development providers.” It works with local housing agencies across New York to build “capacity and funding” to undertake new development projects, to identify resources or financing to make projects happen, and to meet compliance requirements.

“The New York State Rural Housing Coalition has a well-earned reputation for effectiveness and efficiency in its service to rural New Yorkers, and I look forward to continuing to build our statewide network so our member agencies are best equipped to meet the needs of their communities,” Keller said in a news release. “I have been fortunate during my time in the Capital Region to form strong relationships with advocacy partners who care very deeply about housing and related issues, and to collaborate on grassroot efforts to ensure the greatest good for the largest number of people, work that is meaningful and very much in line with the mission of the Rural Housing Coalition. I’m excited to get started.”

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Photo credit: New York State Rural Housing Coalition