Zach McRae is a Former Visiting Fellow at the Georgetown Center for Poverty and Inequality (GCPI). He led GCPI’s research on housing affordability and was the primary advisor for the Center’s housing policy agenda. He was the lead author on GCPI’s Report Abundance for Who? Housing Access and Affordability in High Growth Metropolitan Areas, which analyzed building trends in metropolitan areas where newly built housing made up a larger share of the market than the national average and assessed how renters with the greatest needs are faring amid new housing supply.

Currently, Zach is the Assistant Deputy Director for Fair Housing and Tribal Affairs at the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). He manages a 22-person team and serves as HCD’s subject matter expert, senior policy advisor, and lead staff person responsible for Tribal policy and program implementation, in addition to accomplishing the State’s mandated requirements to affirmatively further fair housing. As a member of HCD’s senior leadership, he is responsible for setting the strategic direction to improve the State’s programmatic outcomes and mandated land-use oversight to reduce racially segregated concentrations of poverty, promote anti-displacement policies, improve economic mobility, and address unequal access to community resources. Zach also oversees the Regional Housing Needs Assessment/Allocation process, a critical tool to increase housing production in California in a manner that furthers fair housing. He also collaborates with the government and academic partners in mapping initiatives that support implementation of affirmatively furthering fair housing.

Prior to his roles at HCD and GPCI, Zach served as a Policy Advisor for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) within the Office of Policy Development and Research and the Office of the Secretary. Zach led and supported HUD’s efforts to improve and streamline its rental assistance programs, increase the production and preservation of affordable housing, and support tenants and landlords participating in HUD-assisted housing.

Originally from San Francisco, CA, Zach has a range of experience in the realm of housing, city planning, and community development. This includes quantitative and qualitative research, long range planning efforts, and leading philanthropic investments. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in political science from The Ohio State University and his Masters of City Planning from the University of California at Berkeley.