Frank Woodruff is a strategic leader dedicated to igniting extraordinary communities and improving lives. In January 2012, Frank became the executive director of the Community Opportunity Alliance, confidently confronting challenges faced by low- and moderate-income communities. Having grown substantially since then, the Alliance is undergoing a transformative shift to becoming a field-building organization for community economic development. This move aims to create a stronger environment for local strategies promoting equity and advancing prosperity.
Recognizing the need to bolster the system supporting community economic development organizations and networks, Frank leads the Alliance as a catalyst for change. The organization shapes policies, fosters collaboration, builds organizational capacity, and produces cutting-edge research to advance the field.
He has spoken at many affordable housing and community economic development conferences. He has been published in Shelterforce, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Innovation Review, the Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies, Next City, the Professionalizing Field of Financial Counseling and Coaching Journal, Policy Perspectives at George Washington University, and numerous other journals and periodicals.
He holds an Executive Education Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School, a Masters of Public Policy degree from George Washington University, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Natalie, and sons.
Frank Woodruff, Executive Director