Housing affordability researcher to kick off Schwab series

The senior vice president of research for the Fannie Mae Foundation will discuss housing affordability in Reno as the Charles Schwab Bank kicks off a speakers series on community development.

The presentation by James H. Carr is set for 10 a.m to noon on March 2 at the Washoe County Commission chambers, 1001 E. 9th St. It's free.

Charles Schwab Bank, whose national headquarters is in Reno, plans to bring other nationally known speakers on community development this year as part of its Community Reinvestment Act activities.

The Fannie Mae Foundation is the largest foundation in the country devoted to increasing the supply of housing.

Along with heading the foundation's research efforts, Carr is responsible for the consulting unit that works with housing finance and neighborhood strategies.

He's noted for his work in development of innovative financial instruments, devising strategies for affordable lending, encouraging inner-city development and promoting wealth-creation among lower-income households.

Carr also is a visiting professor of urban planning at Columbia University and an Aspen Institute Scholar.

As a speaker, he has won the "Best of the Best" award from the International Association of Business Communicators.

Before joining the Fannie Mae Foundation, Carr worked as assistant director for tax policy with the U.S. Senate Budget committee and as a research associate at the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University.

He is the editor of "Housing Policy Debate," which received an award of excellence from WashingtonEdPress, and has published books on municipal finance and microfinance.

Carr serves on the advisory committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Center for Community Development Investments and also serves on the board of the American Real Estate Society.

He earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from Hampton University, a master's degree in urban planning from Columbia and a master's degree in city and regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania.