RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING NAMES NEW DEPUTY SECRETARY

Published on Tuesday, December 05, 2023

PROVIDENCE, RI- The Rhode Island Department of Housing has named Deborah Flannery, a 30-year veteran of the housing profession, to the newly created position of Deputy Secretary of Housing to assist in the creation and expansion of housing opportunities for Rhode Islanders. 

“We're very pleased to welcome such a top-notch professional to our Housing Department team,” said Secretary of Housing Stefan Pryor. “As we work to increase the inventory of housing in our state, Ms. Flannery will help us to finance new developments, collaborate with municipalities, and break down barriers to production.” 

Ms. Flannery will work alongside Secretary Pryor to assist and oversee programs and functions related to housing production, preservation, real estate finance, and community development within the RI Department of Housing. 

Flannery comes to Rhode Island from Vermont, where she served as the Vice President of Lending for Evernorth, a nonprofit organization that helps the low-and moderate-income people of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with affordable housing and community investments. Before that, she served as the Director of Lending, Programs, and Strategic Initiatives for the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund from 2016 to 2021. Flannery has extensive experience working with HUD and U.S. Treasury housing programs as well as with housing preservation and production initiatives more generally. 

Flannery graduated from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in political science and later earned her master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of New Orleans. 

"I'm thrilled to join such a dynamic and dedicated team of professionals. By helping to implement the initiatives of the McKee administration and the Housing Department, I hope to contribute to the enhancement of housing affordability across Rhode Island,” said Ms. Flannery.