Louise Carroll of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and Dr. Mark Levy of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield join Breaking Ground Board of Directors
Louise Carroll of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and Dr. Mark Levy of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield join Breaking Ground Board of Directors
Breaking Ground, New York’s largest supportive housing developer and manager, today announced the appointment of Louise Carroll and Dr. Mark Levy to its board of directors. Ms. Carroll is Partner and Co-Chair of the Affordable Housing and Community Development Practice for Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, and Dr. Levy is President of Medicaid for Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield.
“We are so pleased to welcome Louise and Mark to Breaking Ground’s board of directors. Louise brings both expertise and creativity in the development and financing of supportive and affordable housing, and Mark’s appointment signals Breaking Ground’s commitment to focus on critical health outcomes for vulnerable New Yorkers. We are grateful to have their voices and leadership as we face the opportunities and challenges ahead,” said Michael Franco, Chair of Breaking Ground’s Board of Directors and President and CFO of Vornado Realty Trust.
“We are thrilled to welcome Louise and Mark to the Breaking Ground board of Directors,” said Brenda Rosen, President and CEO of Breaking Ground. “Louise has helped to create and implement some of our City’s most innovative advances to increase and preserve affordable housing. And Mark brings a wealth of expertise to the to board that is increasingly important, including access to health care and health policy for the people we serve.”
“During my tenure in City government, through our work together on the Prince George and 90 Sands as well as countless other issues, I’ve seen Breaking Ground’s tremendous impact in creating affordable housing and caring for the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Louise Carroll, Partner and Co-Chair of the Affordable Housing and Community Development Practice for Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. “It is an honor to join the dedicated board to continue to support Breaking Ground’s invaluable mission.”
“Throughout my career, I have been focused on serving individuals with limited resources; often those whose basic needs go unmet. As a result, I see the impact on individuals’ health and the collective health of our communities,” said Dr. Mark Levy, President of Medicaid for Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield. “Serving as a director for Breaking Ground gives me the opportunity to work with and contribute to one of the true innovators and leaders nationally. Breaking ground is able to literally change lives through high quality, coordinated services built around stable, dignified housing solutions.”
Louise Carroll is a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and co-chair of the firm’s Affordable Housing and Community Development practice. A well-known figure in New York City's affordable housing community, Louise has the depth of experience to steer clients through the financial and legal complexities of affordable housing and mixed-income housing projects. With a distinguished career in public service that spanned over 20 years, including a tenure as commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and chair of the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the city's bond issuer, Louise has a keen understanding of the policies and processes that developers and project owners must navigate. She served for nearly 15 years in HPD, working to produce and preserve affordable housing across New York City. Appointed as HPD commissioner and chair of HDC by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in May 2019, Louise managed over 1 billion dollars in city and federal funds to finance one of the most significant and complex affordable housing plans in the country. Prior to her appointment as HPD commissioner, Louise served as general counsel and senior vice president for HDC, which plays a role in financing the creation and preservation of affordable and mixed-income developments in the city.
Mark Levy, MD, MPH, currently serves as the Plan President for Empire BCBS HealthPlus New York Medicaid. HealthPlus currently serves over 500,000 New Yorkers who are Medicaid beneficiaries. Empire BCBS HealthPlus is committed to working with individuals, communities, and the State of New York to measurably and materially improve the health of New Yorkers. Prior to coming to New York, Dr. Levy served as Plan President for Amerigroup in Minnesota where he was accountable for the implementation and operation of a Medicaid Alliance business with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota serving over 300,000 Minnesotans. Dr. Levy is a Board-Certified Internist and fellowship-trained Geriatrician with a master’s degree in Epidemiology and extensive and successful physician executive experience in both provider and managed care organizations. Dr. Levy completed his post-graduate training in medicine and geriatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Levy received his MD from Rush University in Chicago and his Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. His BA is from Amherst College.
About Breaking Ground
Breaking Ground is New York’s largest supportive housing developer. With 30 transitional and permanent housing residences under management, primarily in New York City, Breaking Ground provides safe, stable, beautiful housing for those who need it most. Breaking Ground also runs, under contract with the Department of Homeless Services, street homeless outreach services in all of Brooklyn, Queens, and a portion of Manhattan. Each Year, Breaking Ground’s programs and housing touch the lives of over 10,000 vulnerable New Yorkers.
Breaking Ground has more than 1,200 units of permanent housing in various stages of development across New York City. In addition, the agency is building internal infrastructure to improve health outcomes for clients of street outreach programs, including a coordinated program to accelerate move-ins to permanent supportive housing for people who have experienced homelessness, a dramatic expansion of Harm Reduction programs and services, and new transitional housing capacity to help people come off the streets while working toward permanent housing.
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