Board of Directors
William Apgar, Jr.
Former Asst. Secretary of Housing; Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard University
William Apgar returned to the Kennedy School at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government (KSG) after leaving to serve as assistant secretary of housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He currently serves as faculty chair of the KSG's Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government Officials. He is also a senior scholar at Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies where he leads a research effort on accessing capital for community development. Active in community affairs, he is a founding member of the Board of Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), Inc., a nonprofit organization that acquires, rehabilitates, owns, and manages housing affordable to the nation's low- and moderate-income households.
Sharon Sayles Belton
Managing Director, Community Relations Residential Capital LLC;
Former Mayor of Minneapolis
Sharon Sayles Belton is currently managing director of Community Relations at Residential Capital LLC. She is also a senior fellow at the Hubert Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. Belton is a nationally recognized expert on public/private partnerships that address public safety, neighborhood livability, and economic development. Belton served as the mayor of the city of Minneapolis from 1994-2001. During her tenure, she facilitated the creation of the nationally recognized Phillips Partnership to address public safety, job creation and quality housing in one of the highest crime, poorest neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
Walt Fricke
Chairman, CEO, and Founder, Veteran's Airlift Command
Walt Fricke is the chairman, CEO, and founder of the Veteran's Airlift Command (VAC), a not-for-profit organization that connects pilots, plane owners and others who provide air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes. Prior to founding VAC, Fricke was the president and executive director of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, as well as the founder and managing director of the Credit Counseling Resource Center (CCRC). Before establishing the CCRC, Fricke managed the direct-to-consumer mortgage lending business at GMAC-RFC. Prior to joining GMAC-RFC, Fricke was president of Fricke Welsh & Co., and a managing partner of Northstar Industries, both private investment-banking firms. His 30 years of industry experience also includes retail consumer finance positions with two Michigan banks and Ford Motor Credit.
Tom Jacob
President, Jaytee Associates
Former Chairman & CEO, Chase Manhattan Mortgage
Tom Jacob is a consumer banker with domestic and international experience. Throughout his career, he has developed and led large and successful credit card, consumer finance and branch banking businesses. Jacob retired in 2003 after 12 years as chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corporation. He has held leadership roles in industry organizations and advanced risk management, fair lending and affordable lending programs. Jacob is currently president of Jaytee Associates which provides business process outsourcing advice and investment.
Bruce Paradis
Former CEO, Residential Capital LLC
Bruce Paradis served as the CEO of Residential Capital LLC (ResCap) until his retirement in June 2007. Prior to the formation of ResCap in May 2005, Paradis served as President and CEO of GMAC-RFC (now ResCap) from 1994 to 2005. He joined GMAC-RFC in 1983 as Vice President of Marketing and held several leadership positions within the GMAC-RFC family. Paradis will continue his work with several non-profit organizations, including HPF.
Sandor E. Samuels
Executive Managing Director, Chief Legal Officer and Assistant Secretary Countrywide Financial Corporation
Sandor E. Samuels is Executive Managing Director, Chief Legal Officer and Assistant Secretary for Countrywide Financial Corporation. He serves on Countrywide's Executive Committee and directs the Company's public affairs activities. Samuels joined Countrywide in 1990 after a successful legal career in private and corporate practice, including senior positions with First Interstate Bancorp, FIMSA, and Fox, Inc. Samuels serves as the Chairman of Bet Tzedek Legal Services and is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Judaism, Bet Tzedek, the Los Angeles Urban League and Adat Ari El synagogue. He also has served as Chair of the Legal Issues Committee of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. Samuels has been honored with the Founders Award by Bet Tzedek and was named Outstanding Corporate Counsel of the Year in 2005 by the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Mike Seats
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Homeownership Preservation Foundation
Michael Seats was most recently an executive vice president of Residential Capital LLC (ResCap) responsible for the Legal and Public Policy functions. Seats joined GMAC-RFC (now ResCap) in 1990, and held several positions within the legal department and in international business development. Seats left ResCap in July 2007, to pursue other interests, and is currently devoting a great deal of time to his involvement with several non-profit organizations, including HPF. Prior to joining ResCap, Seats worked as an attorney for a Houston-based law firm where he specialized in the areas of banking law and creditors' rights.
