Ismael Guerrero became Mercy Housing’s President & CEO July 1, 2020. Mercy Housing is the nation’s largest nonprofit affordable housing provider. With operations in 22 states and over 25,000 apartment homes, Mercy Housing develops, finances, and operates program‐enriched housing for families, seniors, and people with special needs in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country.

Guerrero brings twenty‐five years of groundbreaking achievements in community development, pioneering the coupling of healthcare and housing, as well as success developing innovative mixed‐income communities.

Before joining Mercy Housing, Guerrero was the Executive Director of The Housing Authority of The City and County of Denver (DHA) for 13 years where he oversaw a 5,300‐home portfolio including Public Housing, Section 8, and Workforce rental apartments while administering nearly 7,000 housing vouchers, making DHA the largest housing authority in the Rocky Mountain region. His leadership supported DHA with innovative developments including the Mariposa District, a platinum‐standard transit‐oriented redevelopment with 800 apartments, and the Sun Valley EcoDistrict redevelopment at the Federal and Decatur Station with 900 apartments. DHA was a local leader in affordable housing, then Guerrero carried it to the national spotlight with these transit-oriented, mixed‐income, LEED‐certified developments.

His in‐depth understanding of the connection between housing and healthcare led him to spearhead transformative programming to improve the quality of life for families with low incomes through programs like the Youth Employment Academy, Healthy Living Initiative, Connect Home Denver, and the West Denver Renaissance Collaborative.

Before DHA, Guerrero was the Vice President and Business Development Officer for U.S. Bank
Community Development Corporation structuring investments in Low Income Housing Tax Credit Partnerships. He also served as the CFO of Rocky Mountain Mutual Housing and Vice President of The Resurrection Project in Chicago.

This is his second time working with Mercy Housing as he was the Vice President and Director of Real Estate Development for Mercy Housing Mountain Plains from 2000–2003. Guerrero has shown a lifetime commitment to serving families with low incomes as he shares the dedication to offering service‐enriched affordable housing that helps communities be vibrant and healthy.

Guerrero is a board member for the Enterprise Community Partners and chairs the Enterprise Community Leadership Council. He is also a board member of Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future, National Housing Partnership, National Housing Trust, the Colorado Health Foundation, and is a member of the Bipartisan Policy Council’s Housing Advisory Council. Additionally, Guerrero has published articles that explore affordable housing’s relationship with healthcare and solar energy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago.