WHEDA: Welcomes William Martin as new director for the business and community engagement group

(MADISON)  –  The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) has hired William Martin as the Director for WHEDA’s Business and Community Engagement Group.

 

“William Martin brings a wealth of invaluable experience and expertise to WHEDA where he will contribute greatly to our team and its ongoing commitment to serve the people of our great state,” said WHEDA Executive Director Wyman Winston.  “His comprehensive background in public, private and philanthropic sectors will be an asset in his new role, and I enthusiastically welcome him to WHEDA.”

 

“For more than 40 years, WHEDA has been an invaluable catalyst in helping thousands of Wisconsin residents achieve the American Dream by making homeownership more affordable,” said Martin. “I’m honored and excited to join WHEDA’s team of tremendously dedicated professionals in strengthening Wisconsin’s communities and growing its businesses.”

 

As the director of business and community engagement, Martin will be responsible for creating and expanding relationships with other state and local government entities, business leaders and community organizations. He will also serve as the senior program officer for the WHEDA Foundation, which has provided nearly $23 million in grant awards since its inception.  Martin will spearhead efforts to establish strategic alliances with corporations as well as local and national foundations interested in co-investing in innovative affordable housing projects and community development initiatives.

 

Prior to joining WHEDA, Martin spent nearly 16 years in the private sector as president of Jericho Resources, Inc., a human services consulting firm with clients in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.  Through his consulting practice, Mr. Martin has helped nonprofits and government agencies plan, compete, and achieve more on behalf of those they serve; establish public-private partnerships to address social challenges cooperatively and reduce duplication; and succeed in obtaining over $450 million in funding internationally for worthy causes.

 

Mr. Martin also has extensive experience in the public sector, having served as deputy director for the Office of Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson as well as an assistant to the Beloit city manager and city council.

 

Martin is a graduate of Beloit College, where he served on the Board of Trustees, and has completed graduate courses as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow at the University of Chicago.  He has served as a gubernatorial appointee to several state commissions, has been elected to a number of boards, including as a member of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation Philanthropic Services Committee, as chair of the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin Foundation and as the president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Southeastern Wisconsin—one of the largest chapters of that international body.

 

WHEDA is an independent state authority that works with lenders to provide low-cost financing for housing and small business development in Wisconsin.  For more information on WHEDA programs, visit www.wheda.com or call 1-800-334-6873.