Bret Garwood has more than 25 years of wide-ranging leadership experience in community and economic development. He is currently an Advisor to the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH). He previously served as CEO of Home Leasing and Home Leasing Construction from 2017 to 2024, a development, construction and property management company specializing in affordable housing that operates in New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. While at Home Leasing, Bret provided executive leadership and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the company during a period of substantial growth, including property management growth from 1,600 housing units in 2017 to 3,400 in 2024, and annual construction volume growth from $28 million to $110 million. Prior to Home Leasing, Bret was Senior Vice President for Multifamily Programs for New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). He oversaw implementation of affordable housing finance and development programs, including Tax Exempt Bonds, 4% and 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), State Low Income Housing Credit (SLIHC), and capital grant and loan sources. While at HCR, Multifamily Programs financed 272 projects with more than 39,000 total housing units. These developments generated a total investment of $15.7 billion in urban, suburban and rural communities, and utilized $6.2 billion of tax exempt and taxable bonds, annual allocations of $296 million of LIHTCs and SLIHCs, and $636 million of capital grants and loans. Bret served as Director of Business and Housing Development for the City of Rochester from 2007 to 2013. He directed the planning and implementation of the City’s economic development, housing and real estate functions under a mission to enhance Rochester through real estate development, neighborhood revitalization, business attraction, housing production and rehabilitation, and workforce development. Prior to that position, he worked for The Housing Council in community development, research and program development. He also served as Executive Officer of the Ithaca Board of REALTORS, Director of Housing Services for Tompkins Community Action in Ithaca, and as a private consultant. Bret holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from Lehigh University and a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. He is the recipient of the 2015 NYSAFAH Advocate of the Year Award.