Posted on December 2, 2024
BOSTON --- In an era of significant backlash against Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives and the scaling back or dismantling of programs, MHP is reinforcing its commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce culture through the creation of the position of Director of Engagement and Inclusion and by hiring its inaugural director.
Kassie Infante comes to MHP as a leader in organizational cultural development, learning/education, operationalizing diversity and equity, and advocating for affordable housing. Before coming to MHP she was Associate Director of Operations at Abundant Housing Massachusetts, a nonprofit statewide pro-housing organization and recipient of a 2024 MHP Housing Hero Award.
As Director of Engagement and Inclusion, Infante’s work is pivotal in crafting and executing strategic initiatives to create an environment at MHP where all individuals feel valued and connected. She will play a central role in shaping a culture that resonates both internally and externally, reaffirming MHP's dedication to policies, practices, and programs that center on an equitable and inclusive culture.
“At MHP we prioritize cultivating a sense of belonging as the ultimate goal of our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” says MHP Executive Director Clark Ziegler. “Now more than ever this work is essential to boosting staff engagement and advancing our collective mission of providing affordable homes and better lives for the people of Massachusetts.”
Infante’s passion for affordable housing has been demonstrated at both the local and national levels. She served as a Zoning Board of Appeals member in her hometown, Haverhill, and an advisory board member for the National Welcoming Neighbor’s Network, a confederation of independent, place-based organizations advancing pro-housing policies through strategic, alliance-building campaigns.
She has worked to advance DEIB in the housing ecosystem, serving as an executive committee member of the Planners of Color Network, a community of planners, builders, community workers, and professionals of color working to transform the built environment toward racial equity.
She is the co-founder of Homeplace Collective, an education consulting company that primarily trains educators in developing anti-racist/anti-bias practices, culturally relevant curriculum and increased civic participation skills so that educators and students understand how to transform themselves, their communities and broader society toward equity. Her scholarship and work through Homeplace Collective have been published in a global academic journal.
“I am excited and eager to build from MHP’s decades-long leadership in the affordable homeownership space by reaffirming our values internally and adapting them to our external work for maximum equitable impact,” says Infante. “DEIB values are integral to cultivating policies, practices and programs that center both our individual/collective well-being and can reckon with our shared history of exclusion and bias against systematically oppressed groups.”
For more information, contact MHP Communication Manager Lisa Braxton at Lbraxton@mhp.net or at (857) 301-1526.