James Crowder

James Crowder, Senior Associate, is a committed advocate for policies and programs that improve the quality of life for low-income families in distressed communities of color. He brings over ten years of experience in the field of affordable housing and community development. Most recently he worked in the nonprofit sector as a program officer for the Philadelphia office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). In this role he helped draft a community-driven equitable development strategy to support residents in a gentrifying neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Prior to LISC he worked in the private sector as a consultant with BCT Partners providing technical assistance for cities in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods Program. James has also worked in the public sector, spending seven years in a variety of policy analyst roles with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master of public policy degree from Rutgers University, as well as a master of arts in African American studies from Columbia University. James is excited to bring his passion and commitment for social justice to PolicyLink, along with his unwavering loyalty to the Philadelphia Eagles.