Ghebre Selassie Mehreteab
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Ghebre Selassie Mehreteab is an Eritrean born civic leader. Mehreteab spent years in the nonprofit sector, and then became the founding member, chief executive officer, and co-chairman of the NHP Foundation (NHPF).
[edit] Life and Early Career
Ghebre Selassie (Gabe) Mehreteab was born on June 29, 1949 in Asmara, Eritrea, where he spent most of his adolescent life. He is the son of Ato Mehreteab Ogbou (deceased) and Weizero Leteyesus Woldeghaber. He is the second child in a family of six boys and four girls. He is married to Sarah Brill Jones has two step daughters and two grandchildren. He and his wife reside in New York, NY.
In 1968, Mehreteab came to the United States receiving a B.A in 1972 and LL.D in 2007 from Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Mehreteab is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Cosmos Club, and Boule. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Housing Conference and Douglas Emmett, Inc, one of the largest REITs in the United States. Mehreteab is active in the economic and social development of Eritrea, his country of origin and was recently presented with the Fred Hallow Humanitarian Award given by the Eritrean Development Foundation.
Mehreteab began his professional career as a staff officer for the Health and Welfare Council, the YMCA of Germantown and East Mt. Airy Neighbors Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing urban areas and promoting integration in Philadelphia, PA.
In 1978, Mehreteab began working with the New World Foundation in New York City, which supports programs that strengthen civil and human rights in the United States. Later, Mehreteab joined the Ford Foundation where as a program office was responsible for financing community and economic revitalization projects located in twenty major metropolitan areas. In 1987, he left the Ford Foundation to join the National Housing Partnership as a vice president in Washington, DC.
[edit] Mehreteab’s Career with The NHP Foundation
In 1989, with the help of the National Housing Partnership, a Congressionally chartered private company, Mehreteab established the NHP Foundation (NHPF) a non-proofit organization with a mission to create and preserve quality affordable housing for low and moderate income families. Under Mehreteab’s leadership, NHPF has had impressive growth, leveraging $6 million in initial contributions from 24 major corporations and converting it into affordable housing.
Since 1994, NHPF has produced and preserved 43 properties, consisting of approximately 9,000 units in 14 states. Today, NHPF’s portfolio includes 26 properties, totaling more than 5,100 apartment units, in 11 states. NHPF's current development plans include the preservation and creation of 6,000 new units of which half are located in the Katrina affected Gulf Coast Region. Today, NHPF is one of the largest non-profit affordable housing organizations in the nation. Recently, Media:The New York Times, Media:The Wall Street Journal and several media outlets have reported on NHPF's achievements in the Gulf Coast Region.
