Carol Corden
Clara Fox Award for Outstanding Achievement

During her 45-year career, Carol has worked in academia, government, and the nonprofit and financial sectors. Community development, affordable and supportive housing, and social justice have been themes throughout her professional life. Carol began her career teaching urban sociology at NYU. During this period, she published Planned Cities: New Towns in Britain and America and, as a consultant for Educational Facilities Laboratory, a study about repurposing vacant NYC school buildings. In 1981 she joined Neighborhood Reinvestment to organize one of seven Neighborhood Housing Services programs in NYC. Working in Kensington/ Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn, she brought together government, financial leaders, and local residents to encourage residential stability and neighborhood investment in areas vulnerable to white flight and red-lining. A year later, Carol became the director of a local NHS office and eventually the citywide Associate Director of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City. Subsequently, Carol joined HPD as deputy director of the Small Homes Unit. Soon promoted to director, she managed nine programs targeted to the City’s small (1-20 unit) building stock, much of it vacant, City-owned property resulting from the widespread disinvestment of the 1970s. During seven years at HPD, she helped create a number of innovative programs -including CityHomes and the Rehab and Sale Program for small buildings -reusing the City-owned stock in neighborhoods hit hard by abandonment. From HPD, Carol moved to the private sector as Vice President of Nat West/Fleet’s community development activities in New York and New Jersey. In 1996 Carol was named the Executive Director of New Destiny Housing Corporation. Over the next 23 years, she nurtured an organization that is now the leading provider of permanent service-enriched housing for homeless domestic violence survivors in New York State. New Destiny became a champion for survivors who were homeless or at serious risk of homelessness -raising the profile of this group and educating the public about the long-term impacts of domestic violence on survivors and their children. While advocating for more recognition and resources for this population, New Destiny developed 14 projects containing 346 units of transitional and permanent housing. Four more projects are under development that will produce another 277 units by 2021. Under Carol’s leadership, New Destiny also developed the City’s only online housing resource center targeted to domestic violence survivors and its first rapid rehousing program for survivors. Carol received her B.A. from Pitzer College, an M.S. in Historic Preservation from Columbia University’s Architecture and Planning Program, and a PhD. in sociology from the University of Chicago. In 2007 she received a Fannie Mae Fellowship to participate in the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Training Program. Carol is the recipient of the 2009 Andrew Heiskell award from Enterprise and City & State’s Above and Beyond Award in 2015.