Raquel Vazquez

Director

Raquel brings over 11 years of experience in affordable housing, community development, historic preservation, transportation, and human services.

 
Raquel’s expertise includes real estate transactions, public finance and underwriting, policy analysis, urban planning, portfolio management, and community engagement. Most recently, Raquel served as Director of Housing Development at an affordable housing developer based in NYC, where she oversaw a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of affordable housing and prior to that, she did community development finance portfolio management at a private bank.
 
For over seven years, Raquel served in various capacities in the public sector, at the municipal agency, legislative, and federal levels. At the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), she managed and executed development projects including large-scale multifamily new construction, as well as disaster recovery for 1-4-unit homes impacted by Hurricane Sandy. At the NYC Council, she focused on constituent services and community affairs. At the NYC Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she worked on initiatives to increase the access of nutrition assistance and other human service programs to underserved populations. Notably, Raquel was appointed to serve as Chair of her planning board’s Committee on Transportation, Historic Preservation, and Landmarks for four years, where she successfully campaigned for enhanced preservation and transportation improvements in Central Harlem.
 
Raquel holds a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University, a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Finance from Baruch College, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Latin American & Caribbean Studies from Binghamton University.