Lisa Rice is the second President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), the nation’s only national civil rights agency solely dedicated to eliminating all forms of housing discrimination. NFHA is also the trade association for over 170 member organizations across the country that work to eliminate barriers in the housing markets and expand equal housing and lending opportunities. NFHA provides a range of programs to affirmatively further fair housing which include community development, membership services, education and outreach, public policy and advocacy, consulting and compliance, communications, tech equity, resource development, and enforcement.

Ms. Rice’s fair housing and fair lending work began at the local level. Prior to joining NFHA, she was the President and CEO of the Fair Housing Center of Toledo, Ohio, a private non-profit civil rights agency. She also served as the President and CEO of the Northwest Ohio Development Agency, a Community Development Financial Institution which she founded.

Ms. Rice has helped to lead major enforcement initiatives that have resulted in expanding equal housing opportunities for millions of people. Those cases involved addressing design and construction barriers for people with disabilities, algorithmic bias, discrimination against people who are deaf or hard of hearing, unfair lending policies impacting pregnant women, sexual harassment, lending and insurance redlining practices, steering in the real estate sales market, rental discrimination, racial disparities in the maintenance and management of Real Estate Owned properties, and appraisal bias.

She played a major role in helping to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which was created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the establishment of the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity within the CFPB.

Ms. Rice led NFHA’s effort to spear-head the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act – an 18-month campaign featuring events and activities across the country to mark the passage of the Fair Housing Act and to develop strategies for continuing the unfinished work of the law. She is also spearheading the organization’s 55th Fair Housing Act Anniversary effort.

She is leading NFHA’s efforts to address racial inequality and eliminate structural barriers that prohibit underserved groups from accessing the opportunities they need to thrive. Under her helm, the organization launched its Keys Unlock Dreams Initiative designed to significantly reduce the racial wealth and homeownership gaps. Since the launch of the Initiative, the Black homeownership rate increased by 8% from a low of 40.6% in 2019 to 44% in 2021. Under Rice’s leadership, NFHA also launched the Tech Equity Initiative designed to eliminate bias in technologies used in the housing and financial services sectors.

Moreover, Rice has helped lead the effort for using Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs) to increase credit access for people impacted by discrimination. She spearheaded the release of groundbreaking legal analysis that led to the Department of Housing and Urban Development issuing guidance clarifying that SPCPs do not violate the Fair Housing Act. The issuance of this guidance has resulted in numerous lenders launching SPCPs. She also was the catalyst behind the development of the Special Purpose Credit Program Toolkit, co-sponsored by NFHA and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Rice has also co-led the effort to develop and expand programs to help First-Generation homebuyers gain access to critical homeownership opportunities.

She is a published author contributing to several books and journals addressing a range of fair housing issues including - The Fight for Fair Housing: Causes, Consequences, and Future Implications of the 1968 Federal Fair Housing Act; Designed for the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World; Discriminatory Effects of Credit Scoring on Communities of Color; and From Foreclosure to Fair Lending: Advocacy, Organizing, Occupancy, and the Pursuit of Equitable Credit.

Ms. Rice is a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Board of Directors, Center for Responsible Lending Board of Directors, FinRegLab Board of Directors, JPMorgan Chase Consumer Advisory Council, Mortgage Bankers Association's Consumer Advisory Council, Freddie Mac Affordable Housing Advisory Council, Fannie Mae Affordable Housing Advisory Council, Quicken Loans Advisory Forum, Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Advisory Council, and Berkeley’s The Terner Center Advisory Council.