ANDP Celebrates 35 Years of Housing Impact
Event Honors Leaders Who Helped Shape the Region's Communities
"When ANDP was founded 35 years ago, there was a recognition that Atlanta needed stronger partnerships and greater investment to address neighborhood disinvestment and expand access to affordable housing. That commitment to partnership has guided our work ever since. Today, we have the capacity to develop and finance affordable housing at a scale that would have been hard to imagine in 1991, including more than 4,700 homes and apartments through our recently completed Closing the Gap initiative. The leaders and organizations we honored during our anniversary celebration represent the vision, dedication, and collaborative spirit that made that progress possible. I'm enormously grateful to them and to the many partners who have helped build ANDP over the past 35 years. We have accomplished a great deal together, but the need for affordable housing is as urgent as ever. Our commitment is to build on that progress and continue expanding housing opportunities for families across metro Atlanta.”
- ANDP CEO John O'Callaghan reflects on the 35th Anniversary of ANDP
On October 15, nearly 200 community leaders, housing advocates, public officials, philanthropic partners, and friends gathered at The Carter Center to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP).
The celebration reflected on ANDP's history, recognized the partnerships that have sustained its work, and honored four individuals and organizations whose contributions have helped shape affordable housing and community development across metro Atlanta.
Founded in 1991 through the vision and leadership of Atlanta Mayor Maynard H. Jackson Jr. and community development pioneer Hattie B. Dorsey, ANDP began with a commitment to strengthening neighborhoods and expanding housing opportunities for lower-income residents. Over the ensuing decades, the organization has grown into a regional nonprofit affordable housing developer, community development financial institution, and affordable housing advocate.
That growth accelerated in 2020 with the launch of Closing the Gap, an ambitious initiative to expand ANDP's housing impact. By the initiative's conclusion in December 2025, ANDP and its partners had developed or financed 4,721 affordable homes and apartments, invested nearly $228 million in affordable housing, and supported more than $1.1 billion in total development costs.
The anniversary program celebrated these accomplishments and recognized the contributions of individuals and organizations whose leadership and partnerships made them possible.
Bruce Gunter Receives Hattie B. Dorsey Award
The Hattie B. Dorsey Award for Excellence in Community Development recognizes exceptional leadership and longstanding commitment to affordable housing and community development. Named for ANDP's founding president, the award honors the vision and determination that helped establish Atlanta's community development network.
This year's recipient, Bruce Gunter, president of Civitas Housing Group, has spent more than four decades advancing affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.
Gunter co-founded Progressive Redevelopment Inc. (PRI), which became Georgia's largest nonprofit affordable housing developer and owner. Over 25 years, PRI developed more than 4,000 affordable apartments serving families, seniors, and vulnerable residents. Among its accomplishments, PRI transformed downtown Atlanta's historic Imperial Hotel into supportive housing.
Gunter also served in leadership roles with Habitat for Humanity, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta's Affordable Housing Advisory Council, and other organizations.
Accepting the award, Gunter reflected on the people who inspired his career and the shared sense of purpose that continues to motivate housing professionals.
"Whether one calls it a mission, a calling, or answering some inner drive to help people, that is the glue that binds us, that lifts us up and calls us to our better angels," Gunter said.
He closed with a reminder of the urgency of the work ahead: "This moment, our time is now. We have much work to do, and we cannot wait."
Kenneth Woods Honored for Decades of Board Leadership
The J. Ronald Terwilliger Award for Excellence in Community Development Board Service recognizes individuals whose volunteer leadership and professional expertise help mission-driven organizations succeed.
The award honors Ron Terwilliger, Chairman Emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential Company, one of the nation's leading multifamily housing developers. Beyond his distinguished real estate career, Terwilliger has dedicated decades to advancing affordable housing through volunteer leadership, philanthropy, and public policy. He began his service with ANDP and expanded nationally through leadership roles with the Urban Land Institute, Habitat for Humanity International, and Enterprise Community Partners.
Terwilliger's commitment to sharing his experience, resources, and influence in service of affordable housing provides a fitting model for the award bearing his name.
The 2026 award honored Kenneth "Ken" Woods, a retired banking executive who joined ANDP's Board of Directors in 2009 and served for nearly a decade, including two years as board chair and four years chairing the ANDP Loan Fund Committee. He continues to serve on the Loan Fund Committee today.
Woods' financial expertise was particularly valuable as ANDP navigated the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis and strengthened its development and lending operations. He also served in community leadership roles with the DeKalb County Housing Authority and Atlanta Mortgage Consortium.
ANDP President Ashani Collins O'Mard also acknowledged Woods' personal influence on her leadership.
"On a personal note, I want to thank Ken for pouring into me and always encouraging me to lean into that moxie that's always been there," O'Mard said during the award presentation.
In accepting the award, Woods recalled that his relationship with ANDP began long before his board service, when the organization was a customer of the bank where he worked. He remembered receiving calls from Hattie Dorsey encouraging his bank to do more for affordable housing.
"Don't make me have to take you all to the woodshed," Woods recalled Dorsey telling bankers who needed some persuasion.
Those conversations helped deepen his commitment to community development and ultimately led to his board service. Woods credited Dorsey with nurturing an interest in affordable housing that he had carried throughout his career.
And while he expressed gratitude for the recognition, Woods made clear that he intends to remain involved. "I'm not going anywhere," he told the audience.
Annie E. Casey Foundation Recognized for Lasting Community Partnership
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Atlanta Civic Site received the Edward E. Lusk Jr. Award for Excellence in Community Development Partnership, recognizing more than two decades of commitment to Atlanta neighborhoods and families.
Introducing the award, ANDP President Ashani Collins O'Mard reflected on the special relationship Eddie Lusk had with the organization.
"But we were far more than an accounting and audit client to Eddie," O'Mard recalled. "He offered advice, coaching, and personal support well beyond the hours contracted or billed."
Lusk's guidance helped ANDP navigate increasingly complex financial challenges and build the capacity to expand its housing development and lending activities. The award bearing his name recognizes organizations and professionals who bring that same commitment to helping others succeed.
After the foreclosure crisis, the Casey Foundation made a significant investment in Atlanta's Pittsburgh neighborhood, buying distressed properties and working with residents and community partners to restore stability.
ANDP was fortunate to be among those partners. Together, the organizations helped return more than 50 vacant and distressed properties to productive use as affordable homes, with the partnership later expanding to support permanently affordable homeownership through the Atlanta Land Trust.
The Foundation's commitment extends beyond housing. Its development of Pittsburgh Yards, a 31-acre former industrial property transformed into a center for entrepreneurship and economic opportunity, represents another major investment in the surrounding community.
Amanda Jaquez, accepting the award on behalf of the Foundation's Atlanta Civic Site, reflected on the values the two organizations share, including innovation in affordable housing finance, collaboration, and reducing racial wealth disparities.
"If you look across our 20-year partnership with ANDP, they have helped everybody in the affordable housing ecosystem in some way become better at what they do," Jaquez said.
She also shared a sobering reminder of the need for affordable housing, recounting a recent visit to Gideons Elementary School where the principal reported that 30 families were experiencing homelessness.
Lisa Lusk, Eddie Lusk's wife, joined ANDP leadership for the presentation, adding a personal connection to the recognition.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson Receives Maynard H. Jackson Award
The Maynard H. Jackson Award for Excellence in Community Development Public Policy recognizes public officials whose leadership advances affordable housing and stronger communities.
This year's recipient, DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, was honored for making housing affordability a central priority of county government.
Under her leadership, DeKalb County established its first chief housing officer and approved a $155 million housing bond to support affordable housing investment. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to expanding homeownership opportunities, increasing access to quality rental housing, and addressing the region's housing affordability challenges.
The award is named for former Atlanta Mayor Maynard H. Jackson Jr., whose leadership was instrumental in ANDP's founding in 1991. A special video retrospective featured historic footage of Mayor Jackson announcing ANDP's formation during the anniversary celebration. [Watch the anniversary retrospective here.]
Valerie Richardson Jackson, the late mayor's wife, offered an emotional tribute to her husband's legacy and his belief that public service was grounded in caring for others.
"To provide affordable housing is an act of love," she said, recalling Maynard Jackson's philosophy of leadership.
Richardson Jackson praised Cochran-Johnson's commitment to housing affordability, noting that her approach to public leadership reminded her of her late husband.
Accepting the award, Cochran-Johnson spoke passionately about government's responsibility to confront housing inequities and make meaningful investments in communities.
"A budget is a moral document," she said, explaining that public priorities are ultimately reflected in where resources are invested.
She also challenged housing advocates and developers to bring new opportunities to DeKalb County, emphasizing that her administration is committed to expanding housing access.
"Capitalism and decency can coexist in the same room," Cochran-Johnson said. "We need policy that reflects who we are."
Building on 35 Years of Progress
The anniversary program also featured a commemorative video tracing ANDP's journey from its 1991 founding through the remarkable growth of its housing development and lending activities. Historic footage and reflections on the organization's early leadership provided a meaningful reminder of how its mission has evolved.
As ANDP looks toward its next chapter, the organization is preparing to build on the momentum of Closing the Gap, expanding affordable homeownership, strengthening community development lending, and supporting partners working to meet the region's housing needs.
Closing the program, ANDP CEO John O'Callaghan acknowledged the challenges ahead, including rising housing costs, constrained resources, and the growing number of families struggling to find affordable homes.
"But this is not the time to step back," O'Callaghan told the audience.
He emphasized ANDP's commitment to maintaining its expanded scale of impact and continuing the partnerships that have sustained the organization throughout its history.
For 35 years, those partnerships have been central to ANDP's accomplishments. The anniversary celebration offered an opportunity to recognize the people who built that foundation, celebrate those carrying the work forward, and reaffirm a commitment to the families and communities still waiting for affordable housing opportunities.
Watch the ANDP 35th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Presentation