Raymond A. Skinner is a Prince George’s County, Maryland based consultant providing services in housing policy analysis, housing finance and development, community revitalization, and government relations. He has spent the bulk of his 45 year plus professional career in public service, holding several executive appointed positions in state and local government. His expertise includes affordable housing finance and development, strategic planning, public policy development and analysis, economic development, and small business finance.
From 2015-2018 Mr. Skinner served as President and CEO of East Baltimore Development Inc., a not for profit community development corporation organized to manage and facilitate redevelopment of an 88 acre neighborhood adjacent to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in east Baltimore, MD.
From 2007 – 2014 he was Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), managing the state’s housing finance, mortgage insurance, community development, and building code programs. In that position Mr. Skinner oversaw the issuance of billions of dollars in mortgage revenue bonds to finance construction of affordable rental housing and fund thousands of mortgages for first time home buyers. Mr. Skinner has also held the positions of Director of Housing and Community Development and Executive Director of the Housing Authority in Prince George’s County, MD where he was responsible for the county’s public housing, community development block grant, housing rehabilitation, and housing development finance programs. Prior to that he was Executive Director of the Office of Business and Economic Development, and a Special Assistant to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in the District of Columbia government. During this period he served as project manager for a number of high profile District government assisted development projects involving both housing and downtown commercial projects.
Mr. Skinner has been an active leader in the housing and community development field, having served as a Trustee of the National Housing Conference, on the Board of the National Council of State Housing Agencies, and as President of the Council of State Community Development Agencies. He served two terms as a member of the Community Development Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and current serves on the board of Reinvestment Fund and as President of the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers.
Mr. Skinner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. He received a certificate in Real Estate Development from Harvard University and also completed Harvard’s Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.