Ossie Kendrix has been named executive director of Dallas Community Land Trust (DCLT), a newly established nonprofit dedicated to preserving long-term affordable housing by acquiring and holding land in trust, and allowing individuals to own the homes built on the land at a low cost. In his role at Dallas’ first-ever Community Land Trust, Kendrix will draw on nearly 20 years of fundraising and real estate experience, including most recently with TREC Community Investors (TREC CI), the philanthropic arm of The Real Estate Council (TREC).
As executive director, Kendrix will define and execute DLCT’s mission, vision and strategic goals. He will oversee its daily operations, community engagement with key stakeholders, partners and funders, and will secure funding for property acquisition, development and other essential projects to ensure DCLT’s long-term sustainability.
TREC CI serves as the catalyst and lead founder of DCLT in partnership with key community organizations, including Builders of Hope Community Development Corporation (CDC), Communities Foundation of Texas, Cornerstone CDC, Frazier Revitalization, Inc., South Dallas Fair Park Innercity Community Development Corporation (ICDC) and Southfair CDC. Each organization will hold a board seat in the newly formed DCLT. The City of Dallas approved the creation of the Community Land Trust program in 2019. The DCLT aims to submit its municipal application to the City of Dallas this fall.
“I’m honored to be part of DCLT and lead our team in pursuing its mission of providing a long-term solution to Dallas’ ongoing affordable housing crisis,” said Kendrix. “Strong community partnerships fostered through organizations like TREC CI and continued education have been crucial to the formation of our organization and will play an even more significant role in its long-term success.”
Kendrix most recently served as director of fundraising for TREC CI, where he played an integral role in forming DCLT by securing partnerships with local nonprofit organizations and engaging Grounded Solutions Network, a national leader in establishing CLTs, to raise awareness of CLTs and explore how a CLT could advance Dallas’ affordable housing goals.
“Ossie has been instrumental in ensuring that DCLT can successfully launch with the right resources and partners in place,” said Dominique Pryor-Anderson, senior director of community investment at TREC CI. “Under his proven leadership, I am confident that DCLT will continue to build on TREC CI’s commitment to empowering communities through equitable development that positively impacts our city, its residents and their future.”
TREC CI and its community partners established DCLT through the Dallas Collaborative for Equitable Development (DCED). Founded by TREC CI in partnership with Dallas College and LiftFund, DCED is dedicated to equitable housing and real estate development, jobs and wealth creation, and community ownership and leadership opportunities in Dallas’ most historically underserved neighborhoods. The DCED and its work are made possible through a $6 million investment from JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Partnerships for Raising Opportunity in Neighborhoods (PRO Neighborhoods) program.
“South Dallas Fair Park Innercity Community Development Corporation is proud to stand alongside TREC CI and all our partners in establishing DCLT, and Ossie’s industry experience and leadership will guide us successfully throughout our launch and well into the future,” said Billy Lane, Dallas CLT board vice president and executive director at ICDC. “I look forward to working with Ossie, our board and the entire DCLT team to provide affordable homebuying options for current and future Dallas residents.”
Throughout his career, Kendrix has also held roles as a Nonprofit Fundraising Strategist for Juniper Services, LLC and as President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his master’s in public administration from Drake University, and he also holds certificates in Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) from Marquette University and Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
About TREC Community Investors (TREC CI)
For more than 30 years, TREC Community Investors (TREC CI) has made catalytic investments with over 250 nonprofit organizations dedicated to transforming Dallas. TREC CI furthers that work by creating equitable development that revitalizes the region’s most underserved communities. Employing a place-based strategy that transforms a neighborhood block by block, TREC CI provides a combination of loans, equity-equivalent investments, and expert TREC-member technical assistance to work in a collective partnership with neighborhood leaders and community members. Nearly 20 years ago, TREC CI’s first major place-based investment of $1.5 million helped spark the creation of Klyde Warren Park. Community Investors is a 501 c3 organization certified by the United States Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Learn more at treccommunityinvestors.org.
About TREC
For more than 30 years, The Real Estate Council (TREC) has represented nearly 2,000 commercial real estate professionals and over 400 companies. TREC’s mission is to cultivate relationships in the commercial real estate industry to catalyze community investment, influence policy, propel careers, and develop the leaders of tomorrow. We believe relationships are the lifeblood of career success, civic responsibility, and community investment. Learn more at recouncil.com.
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