ROBERTO

After almost twenty years as a CEO leading urban and rural affordable housing agencies, Roberto was recently hired as the founding CEO of Seattle Social Housing Developer. His focus is on leading innovation in environmentally sustainable housing and developing homes for those who do not qualify for affordable housing and have been increasingly priced out of market rate housing. From 2018-2024 Roberto led Mutual Housing California in Sacramento to become one of the top five most productive nonprofit affordable developers in the state. While there, Mutual Housing developed the first ZNE (zero net energy) multifamily housing community in the US, the first LGBTQ affordable senior housing community outside a major US city, farmworker housing and the first of its kind affordable multifamily rental/single family homeownership housing community in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. The son of a former farmworker, Roberto began his affordable housing career developing homes for farmworkers in rural Oregon. His early upbringing, education and earlier roles mean he brings a deep understanding of community-building opportunities for diverse populations of people who live in affordable multi-family housing. With a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Oregon, Roberto completed the NeighborWorks® Achieving Excellence executive degree program at Harvard Kennedy School in 2011. With a diverse background in public health, training, technical writing and expertise in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, Roberto has led multiple successful housing policy efforts at the federal level, including advocacy around issues specific to farmworkers and Latinos.

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On his role as CEO of Mutual Housing California, Roberto says: “From developing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors or Permanent Supportive Housing for the formerly homeless, to developing housing for farmworkers in California’s rural Central Valley, my focus is always on creating community.”