Fellows & Advisors

Harvard yard
Nicolas Retsinas
Director Emeritus

Nicolas P. Retsinas served as Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies from 1998 to 2010. He was also a member of the faculty of the Harvard Business School, where he taught courses in housing finance and real estate in frontier markets, as well as being Senior Lecturer in Real Estate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to his Harvard appointment, Mr. Retsinas served as Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and as Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision under President Clinton. Mr. Retsinas served on the Board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Housing Finance Board, and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, and is a past Chair of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity International. Mr. Retsinas currently chairs the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation and the Providence Housing Authority, and is on the board of the Center for Responsible Lending. He received his Master’s degree in City Planning from Harvard University and his AB in Economics from New York University. Mr. Retsinas also received a Doctorate in Public Service from Rhode Island College.  In 2022, the Center and the Harvard Graduate School of Design announced the establishment of the Nicolas P. and Joan B. Retsinas Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies and Senior Lecturer to honor Nic and his vision of inclusive and equitable housing programs and policy.

Barbara Alexander
Senior Industry Advisor & Executive Committee Member, Policy Advisory Board

Barbara Alexander has been a securities analyst and an investment banker, and is a leading expert on the housing and home furnishings sectors. Previously, she was a senior advisor for UBS, a managing director of Dillon Read & Co., Inc., and a managing director in the corporate finance department of Salomon Brothers. More recently, she has served on the Boards of Directors of companies in the construction sector, including Centex Corporation, KB Home, CRH plc and Freddie Mac (both before and following conservatorship). Barbara has a long-standing commitment to affordable housing and community development, and has served on the Boards of Directors of housing-focused not-for-profits, including Habitat for Humanity and HomeAid America. Ms. Alexander holds BS and MS degrees in theoretical mathematics from the University of Arkansas. In addition to the companies already noted, Barbara has served on the boards of a number of other public companies in the last two decades, and currently serves as a director of both Qualcomm and Choice Hotels.

Frank Anton
Senior Industry Advisor, Policy Advisory Board

Frank Anton is Vice Chairman Emeritus of Hanley Wood LLC, a business-to-business media, information and marketing services company serving the nation’s residential and commercial design and construction industries. His tenure at Hanley Wood spans more than three decades; prior to his current role, he served as CEO and President. He is now playing an advisory role in mergers and acquisitions activity and sitting on boards of private equity owned firms in media and construction. Mr. Anton is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has a Master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Dan Fulton
Senior Industry Advisor & Executive Committee Member, Policy Advisory Board

Dan Fulton served as president and CEO, and a member of the board of directors of Weyerhaeuser Company, from 2008 through 2013, when he retired after nearly 38 years with the company. Prior to becoming Weyerhaeuser’s CEO, Mr. Fulton served as the president and CEO of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company (WRECO) from 2001-2008. He first joined Weyerhaeuser in 1975, holding a number of roles throughout the organization during his career, primarily in the areas of real estate finance and development. During Mr. Fulton’s tenure as Weyerhaeuser CEO, he was a member of the Business Roundtable (BRT) where he served as the chair of the BRT Housing Subcommittee, and he is past chair of the Washington Roundtable. While Weyerhaeuser CEO, Mr. Fulton served on the boards of a number of industry associations, including NAFO (the National Alliance of Forest Owners), NAREIT (the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts), SFI (the Sustainable Forest Initiative), and the AF&PA (the American Forest and Paper Association). Mr. Fulton is a director of a director of TRI Pointe Group, a NYSE-listed company that became a Top 10 homebuilder in 2014 through its merger with WRECO. He also is a director of two privately-owned Seattle companies, Saltchuk Resources, and Green Diamond Resource Company. Mr. Fulton is the past chair of the Policy Advisory Board of the Joint Center, and is the past-chair of the United Way of King County. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance at the University of Nebraska, a has been a trustee of the CED and The Conference Board since 2014. Mr. Fulton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Miami University (Ohio) in 1970. He received a Masters of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Washington in 1976, and he completed the Stanford University Executive Program in 2001. From 1970 to 1974 he served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps.

Joe Hanauer
Senior Industry Advisor, Policy Advisory Board

Joe Hanauer is Chairman of the Move, Inc. Global Advisory Board, operator of Realtor.com. As chairman, he led the sale of the company to News Corp. He is also Chairman of the Board of IHC Global, a not-for-profit focused on establishing safe and decent housing in the world’s rapidly expanding cities in emerging economies. As principal of Combined Investments, LLC, Mr. Hanauer invests in commercial properties and real estate-related technology companies. He serves on board and as an advisor for several of these early stage companies. Mr. Hanauer is former Chairman and CEO of Coldwell Banker's global residential businesses and serves on the boards of numerous not-for-profits including Roosevelt University (Chicago), The Laguna Playhouse, and Laguna Art Museum, and others.

Mark Richardson
Senior Industry Advisor, Remodeling Futures Steering Committtee

Mark Richardson has been a strong advocate for the advancement of the remodeling profession during his over three decades in the industry. He presided over one of the nation’s largest and most successful home improvement and remodeling organizations, has authored numerous articles and four books on business related topics, and speaks across the country on national business issues. Mr. Richardson is a senior advisor and writes columns for Professional Remodeler, was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006, and is a member of National Association of Home Builders’ Hall of Fame.