As director of programs for the Rural and Native American Initiative (RNAI) at Enterprise Community Partners, Russell Kaney manages key relationships with national, regional and local partners that lead to the creation of affordable housing. Providing technical assistance and training, Russell is an expert in sourcing capital for affordable housing developments which include grants, debt, equity and alternative avenues of investment. With a focus on rural and Native American housing issues, he is an advocate for federal, state and local programs advancing rural and Native American housing production.

Russell formerly served as a director with Enterprise’s Multifamily Mortgage division as well as with the Syndication team. Specializing in transactions involving the low-income housing tax credit, he has introduced Enterprise to strong development relationships throughout the country.

Prior to joining Enterprise in 2005, Russell was an underwriter and low-income housing tax credit allocator for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) located in Madison, Wisconsin. Between 1994 and 2003, Russell was Director of Housing Investments for Heartland Properties, Inc., a real estate investment company specializing in affordable housing acquisitions and owned by Alliant Energy, a Wisconsin based public utility. From 1982-1994, Russell was an underwriter and asset manager with Rural Development, a credit agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). At USDA, he assisted in the massive effort to reconstruct the devastated housing areas of South Florida following the destruction left by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Russell is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has continued his real estate education at the University of Illinois and the University of Maryland. Immediately after graduation and prior to beginning his real estate career, Russell volunteered to serve two years through the U.S. Action/Peace Corps program in South America.

Russell volunteers his time with affordable and not for profit organizations including the Wisconsin Collaborative for Housing. He was one of the initial organizers and serves on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Council for Affordable and Rural Housing. He is a current Board member with the Council for Affordable & Rural Housing.