Kimberly Burnett is a housing industry leader with over two decades of experience in affordable housing policy, finance, and innovation to the role. A nationally-recognized housing expert, Kimberly has spent her career designing and evaluating solutions to address the nation’s housing crisis. She comes to Ivory Innovations from Abt Global, where she led cross-disciplinary teams to develop evidence-based strategies to improve housing affordability.

​

Kimberly’s work has shaped public policy across the country, from state- and local-level strategic plans for housing to groundbreaking research on housing finance mechanisms. Most recently, Kimberly led the launch of a state and local strategic housing planning practice at Abt Global, leading or advising housing plans for places including Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Honolulu.

​

She has worked with leaders at organizations including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Association of Home Builders, AARP, the National Council of State Housing Agencies, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and many others to address housing affordability through innovative program design, strategic planning, public engagement, and research and evaluation.

​

Her expertise spans federal, state, and local housing policy, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), FHA and HUD programs, homelessness, homeownership disparities, housing cost trends, affordable housing preservation, and barriers to housing production including land use policy, construction methods, and development approval processes. Kimberly’s experience also bridges adjacent areas such as workforce development, financial education, and fair lending, often integrating qualitative research with rigorous financial and regulatory analysis to inform public and philanthropic investments.

​

She is known for her ability to communicate and convene diverse stakeholders and foster collaboration across sectors. She is a regular speaker at national conferences and other convenings and author of widely used housing policy resources.

 

Kimberly is a graduate of the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.