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As a student at DCRP, Theo Noell envisioned himself working for a financial intermediary where he could use public investment to leverage private investment for affordable housing and economic development. Fortunately, that is just what Noell is doing today. Noell is a housing and community development analyst for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. He helps administer the bank’s affordable housing program and other community development initiatives.

According to Noell, the Federal Home Loan Bank occupies a unique and influential niche in the community economic development field. The bank is a privately capitalized government sponsored enterprise that bridges the public and private sectors. The bank works closely with its members – private financial institutions – to promote affordable housing and community economic development.

Noell has two primary duties at the bank. The first is to analyze the efficacy and impact of the bank’s affordable housing program. He performs statistical and quantitative analyses and writes descriptions of the homeownership initiatives supported by the bank across New England.

Noell’s other responsibility at the bank is to maintain the visibility of the bank’s affordable housing program – the Community Investment Program – by making sure that the member banks know about the program so that they can participate in it.

Noell uses the skills he learned at DCRP on a regular basis. "DCRP provided me a strong grounding in social science analytical skills coupled with intensive practical training. Emil Malizia’s development finance class gave me a good introduction to what I’m doing today," he says. Noell particularly values the comprehensive nature of DCRP, "the fact that it gives you exposure to land use, housing, community development, and economic development made me stand out among other job applicants." He says that his background in economic development complements other people in his department at the bank whose backgrounds are in architecture, banking, affordable housing development, and mortgage lending – "I think I fill an important niche in terms of policy and local level experience."