Asian Community Development Corporation Welcomes Angie Liou as Executive Director
The Board of Directors of Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), a 29-year-old nonprofit developer in Boston, has selected Angie Liou as Executive Director. Angie officially assumes this role on Monday, August 22, after having served as the Acting Executive Director since July 2015.
“I am truly humbled and grateful for the Board’s belief in me, and thank them for their support over the past year. I am excited for this opportunity to continue to deepen and expand ACDC’s work in the Asian American community in Greater Boston. As residents experience the pressures of gentrification and displacement, innovative community development strategies are required to ensure that working families and immigrants can continue to thrive in our communities, ” said Liou.
Under Angie’s leadership in the past year, ACDC has increased capacity to offer housing counseling and financial wellness program in Malden; organized civic engagement initiatives reaching more than 3,000 registered Asian voters in the Greater Boston area; opened the new, affordable rental development at One Greenway to 95 families; as well as begun construction of 51 affordable condo units in Chinatown.
Previously, Angie served as the Director of Real Estate, overseeing ACDC’s development projects, such as One Greenway, which received more than 4,400 rental applications. Angie has more than 10 years of experience in affordable housing development. She has worked as a consultant and project manager in Seattle and Philadelphia assisting nonprofits in implementing their vision of providing safe and affordable housing, and has served as the project lead on over $95 million worth of developments.
Janelle Chan, ACDC’s outgoing Executive Director, leaves her longtime position at ACDC to serve as an executive on the real estate team of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). “I have known no greater professional challenge and personal gratification than from our affordable housing and community building work thus far. In my new role at the MBTA, which is one of the largest landowners in Massachusetts, I hope to spur the creation of community-transforming projects that are sustainable and transit-oriented,” said Chan.
The Board of Directors voted to bring Angie on as the Executive Director. Paul W. Lee, ACDC’s Board President and founding Board Member, reflected on the decision: “Angie's outstanding work as our Director of Real Estate and as Acting Executive Director for the past year while Janelle was on leave for a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University has clearly demonstrated that she is ready to lead ACDC. We are very excited to have Angie's professional talents and her passion for our community as ACDC continues to pursue our mission to build affordable housing and preserve and enhance our community.”
Lee added, “Under Janelle's leadership, ACDC achieved recognition as one of the Commonwealth's leading community development corporations. During this time, Janelle also emerged as a strong and effective community advocate and leader. While we are very sorry to lose her to the MBTA, the entire Greater Boston community will benefit from Janelle's commitment to better align the MBTA's real estate activities to the needs of our communities.”