VIPs
ATI VIPs
We are honored to welcome our VIP speakers, whose expertise, leadership, and commitment play a vital role in the success of this year’s Annual Training Institute. Their contributions enrich our program and inspire our community, and we are deeply grateful for their participation and support.
Marc Dones
policy director
Marc Dones (they/them) is the policy director at UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. They are an American social justice advocate and policy strategist and have worked extensively in the fields of violence, prevention, homelessness, affordable housing, and racial equity. Most recently, Marc served as the ingaugural CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, where they oversaw a $250M budget, implemented one of the best emergency housing voucher programs in the country, and advanced national models on encampment response. Marc has held leadership positions in several organizations, including the Center for Social Innovations and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and taught both undergraduate and graduate-level coursework. They have also served as the Executive Director of the National Innovation Service, which focused on promoting equity and social justice in communities across the United States through policy and program design. Marc is known for their work on developing policy solutions to address homelessness, particularly for people who experience chronic homelessness. They have published on the intersections between race and homelessness, race and behavioral health, and systems transformation, and have been asked to speak at the White House, testify to Congress, and are a sought-after keynote speaker.
Alex Horowitz
project director
Alex Horowitz guides research for Pew's housing policy initiative, focusing on how home financing, the housing shortage, and land-use regulations affect household well-being. He has also conducted extensive research on consumer finance issues, including how small-dollar loans and consumer banking can be made safer and more transparent. Horowitz manages research and policy analysis covering all these issues. He studies how to improve access to small mortgages and how to make alternative financial arrangements used to purchase housing safer. Horowitz also researches the way in which restrictive zoning drives up rents and homelessness. Before joining Pew, Horowitz worked at the polling firm Hart Research, conducting strategic opinion research for clients in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, His previous work was in media relations, baseball information, and communications for the Miami marlins and Cincinnati Reds. Horowitz holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Harvard University.
Eric Dunn
Director of Litigation
Eric Dunn is a national expert on tenants’ rights and consumer law issues, including subsidized housing and criminal and eviction records. Prior to NHLP, Eric was an attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, the Northwest Justice Project in Seattle, and the Legal Aid & Defender Association of Detroit. He has been involved in a number of significant cases. Hendrix v. Seattle Housing Authority and Shepherd v. Weldon Mediation Services, Inc. led to significant improvements in the administrative hearing protections for termination from federally subsidized housing. Resident Action Council v. Seattle Housing Authority vindicated the free speech rights of public housing tenants to post signs on their doors and windows. Downtowner Tenants Association v. Seelig stopped the owner of a HUD-subsidized building from raising rents or displacing tenants after the Rent Supplement contract expired, forcing a sale to a new owner who maintained the building as affordable housing. Simmons v. T.M. Associates Management, Inc. found that a landlord may have a duty to overlook a rental applicant’s disability-related criminal conviction as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act, and Arroyo v. Corelogic Rental Property Solutions, LLC established that consumer reporting agencies are subject to the Fair Housing Act when they engage in tenant-screening activities. In Handlin v. On-Site Manager, Inc., the court upheld a rental applicant’s right to obtain a full and complete disclosure of a tenant-screening report that a landlord obtained about the applicant. Indigo Real Estate Services v. Rousey established a right for a domestic violence survivor to have an eviction case record sealed. Eric also was a lead counsel in Smith v. Wasatch Property Management, Inc., which challenged a landlord’s policy of categorically denying admission to applicants with eviction records, by alleging an unlawful discriminatory effect on African-American women. Smith, which settled in 2017, is believed to be the first fair housing case ever filed based on the discriminatory impact of eviction records
Jesse Rabinowitz
CAMPAIGN AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Jesse is the Campaign and Communications Director at the National Homelessness Law Center. He led the communications and power-building work on the historic Johnson vs. Grants Pass Supreme Court Case. Jesse also leads the Housing, Not Handcuffs Campaign, which brings together local, state, and federal partners to fight against laws that make homelessness worse and push for housing and other proven solutions to homelessness. Jesse’s work is frequently featured in various media outlets, including the New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today. Previously, he was the Senior Manager for Policy and Advocacy at Miriam’s Kitchen, a DC-based nonprofit working to end long-term homelessness. At Miriam’s Kitchen, Jesse managed a collation that won funding to end chronic homelessness for over 6,000 people. Jesse received his master’s in social work at Howard University and lives in DC with his spouse and kiddo.
Kris Freed
Co-Founder of LEAP4ward
Kris is a person with lived experience who truly understands how important housing is to helping people recover and is committed to improving the quality of life for people in crisis. While she achieved a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, you will often hear Kris say what’s more important than any degree is common sense paired with empathy—which she brings to every part of her work. Kris is a leader in the homelessness sector with more than 25 years of experience in policy development, innovative strategies, program design and implementation, system operation, and evaluation. Her leadership in Los Angeles had her serving on the Continuum of Care Board, CES Policy Council, and SPA Steering Committee, and across the nation, she has created several initiatives such as master leasing and the transfer policy. During her tenure at LA Family Housing, Kris managed a $60M+ budget and 425 program staff and built institutional knowledge at every level of the complex homeless services sector, to ensure that trust, transparency, equity, and inclusion created a pathway for people to work together.
Peter Muse
Catalyst at RE!NSTITUTE
Peter Muse is a dedicated leader in social innovation and homeless services. He currently serves as a Catalyst at RE!NSTITUTE, where he collaborates with communities to address and transform complex social challenges. With a strong commitment to systems change, Peter brings a wealth of experience in program development, project management, and community outreach to his work in the nonprofit and public sectors. Before joining RE!NSTITUTE, Peter held several senior leadership positions focused on homelessness and veteran services. As a Director at Nation’s Finest, he led efforts to support veterans experiencing homelessness, advocating for integrated service delivery and sustainable housing solutions. Previously, he served as Lead Project Manager at Sacramento Steps Forward and as Director of Homeless Outreach, where he played a key role in coordinating regional efforts to reduce homelessness through cross-sector partnerships and data-driven strategies. Before entering the nonprofit sphere, Peter served with distinction in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Captain. His military background continues to inform his leadership style, emphasizing mission focus and strategic problem-solving. Peter earned his degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He brings a deep sense of purpose to every role he undertakes, driven by a belief in community-led change and the power of collaboration to create lasting impact.
Sean Whitten
Co-Founder of LEAP4ward
Sean is a dynamic and results-driven professional with a passion for addressing challenges within social systems in underserved communities and has spent the past 15 years in the housing and homelessness sector. He brings a wealth of technical expertise as well as lived experience of homelessness and substance use disorder. Sean identifies as a Black Native American and is a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Sean is recognized as a leader in the implementation and execution of 100-Day Challenges around the world. He has worked with over 120 communities across the country to improve systems for youth, families, single adults, and unsheltered populations experiencing homelessness. As CEO of RE!NSTITUE, Sean developed and led strategies to help communities across the world swiftly and effectively address critical social problems such as homelessness, gender violence, healthcare, governance, and criminal justice. Sean is always working to create the type of organizational culture that believes in true collaboration, innovation, and execution.