By Laura Waxman : sfchronicle – excerpt
A decade ago, Shola Olatoye was asked by New York City’s mayor to help turn around the city’s beleaguered public housing system. Now, the former affordable housing executive has been pulled into another high-stakes mission: steering millions of dollars in private investment toward projects aimed at bringing San Francisco’s downtown back to life.
The East Coast native has been tapped to serve as the CEO of the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, a new privately funded nonprofit tasked with raising the necessary capital to help boost Mayor Daniel Lurie’s vision for revitalizing the city’s faltering downtown core.
Olatoye, who served as the CEO of New York City’s Housing Authority prior to the pandemic before becoming chief operating officer of East Bay affordable housing developer Eden Housing, will start her term at DDC on Oct. 1.
Though quietly formed earlier this year, the organization was given a spotlight last week when Lurie announced that it had raised $40 million from unidentified sources. The announcement left many wondering about the forces shaping downtown’s next chapter — and any potential conflicts. Olatoye promised transparency moving forward: As a private nonprofit, DDC is beholden to bylaws and annual reporting requirements, she said, adding that its backers will be made public in the coming months… (more)
Makes sense if you want to turn SF into NYC to hire someone who already did it.