Rebuilding Together Founding President & CEO Patty Johnson Passes Away

From Current Rebuilding Together President & CEO Caroline Blakely:

It is with great sadness that I share the news that Patty Johnson, founding President & CEO of Rebuilding Together, passed away unexpectedly this weekend due to complications from the flu. As many of you know, Patty impacted the lives of tens of thousands of low-income homeowners, allowing older adults to age in place, helping injured veterans and people with disabilities to live with dignity and giving young children around the country a safe place to live and learn.

Patty was a tireless advocate for people in need. She never lost sight of Rebuilding Together’s mission and the critical impact your work had on low-income homeowners and the communities in which they live. Her energy and enthusiasm left an indelible impression in the hearts and minds of everyone she touched.

Please join us in extending our heartfelt condolences to her wonderful family and friends. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the Rebuilding Together community. For those of you who would like to send a sympathy card or note to her husband Tom and her family, their address is 3318 Fessenden St., N.W., Washington DC 20008.

Rebuilding Together National Names New President and CEO

Please join us in welcoming Caroline Blakely as President and CEO of Rebuilding Together National!

“After an extensive national search, the board of directors unanimously agreed that Caroline’s expertise and successful 30-year career in both business and law make her an ideal choice to lead Rebuilding Together. Her strong leadership skills, wide-ranging corporate and real estate connections, and engaging enthusiasm will help our organization energize impact and reach to serve more people and communities,” said Sherry Chris, who has served on the Rebuilding Together Board for more than three years and was recently elected to chair the national Board of Directors.

Caroline joins Rebuilding Together from Cassin & Cassin LLP where she was a partner in the Real Estate Finance Group. She also served as vice president in Fannie Mae’s multifamily business, defining its strategic direction for growing asset management and counter party responsibilities. Earlier, Caroline practiced real estate, banking, and corporate law in the Washington, D.C., area, including co-founding a woman-owned firm specializing in Resolution Trust Corporation matters.

“Rebuilding Together is a strong organization now poised to go beyond transforming lives one house at a time to revitalizing entire neighborhoods. It is a privilege to join the affiliates, staff, and corporate and community partners of Rebuilding Together to make this vision a reality,” Caroline said.

Active in business and community service organizations, Caroline was a member of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) Board of Governors. She was recently elected to the board of the public mortgage real estate investment trust ARES Commercial Real Estate (ACRE). She is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Responsible Property Investment Council, and the steering committee of the Women’s Leadership Initiative. She volunteers on the boards of trustees for Global Communities and subsidiary, Vitas, which specialize in international development and microfinance.

Caroline received her Juris Doctor cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and her Bachelor of Arts with high distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Virginia.