Former Civic San Diego Head Joins Wakeland's Board of Directors

August 7, 2014
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​Wakeland is excited to announce our newest Board member: Jeff Graham, a leading national expert on urban development who helped San Diego's affordable housing industry transition through the difficult loss of redevelopment funding.

Graham, who led Civic San Diego from 2012 until earlier this year, will join Wakeland's 10-member Board of Directors this month. The Board is comprised of leading professionals in real estate, finance and social services.

A History of Collaboration
 
Now a Senior Vice-President at Jones Lang LaSalle, Graham will provide Wakeland with critical insights and guidance on the development and funding of affordable housing. While at Civic San Diego, he worked with Wakeland on the LEED Platinum-certified Parkside community in downtown San Diego's East Village, as well as the currently-in-development Atmosphere project, which will bring 205 affordable homes to downtown San Diego when completed.
 
"I decided to join Wakeland's Board because I've been so impressed by the quality of projects that the organization has produced over the years," said Graham. "They've always been easy to work with and they never compromised quality or lost sight of the residents that would live in their communities."
 
Strong Advocate 
 
At Civic San Diego, Graham was a strong advocate for affordable homes in San Diego, highlighting the relationship between affordable workforce housing and the ability to attract top-notch companies to create a robust local economy. He also was a valuable resource to the industry after the loss of redevelopment funding, seeking creative new sources of revenue to finance new affordable homes. 
 
"Wakeland is so fortunate to have landed Jeff as a Board member," said Wakeland President and CEO Ken Sauder "His expertise on a range of real estate issues, coupled with his vast network of connections in the industry, will help us greatly in creating more high-quality affordable homes that meet the needs of local communities."