Boston, MA. November 1, 2019 Commonwealth Land Trust (CLT), a 34-year provider of supportive housing in Massachusetts, has hired Iva Comey to succeed Ellen Tan as its President & CEO. Ellen Tan will retire in December after 25 years building CLT to its present success with seven properties providing housing for over 600 formerly homeless residents in Boston and Lawrence.
Ellen Tan said, “Iva Comey brings deep experience in strategic, outcome-focused management of programs for the communities that CLT serves.” Iva is currently the Assistant Director of the Office of Children, Youth and Families within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, managing programs involving state agencies, local communities, human services providers, and private vendors. Previously she was Deputy Commissioner for Operations Management at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and Senior Finance Manager at Justice Resource Institute. She holds an MBA/Master of Science in Finance from Northeastern University, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/International Relations from American University in Bulgaria.
Iva Comey said, “Ellen has created a unique business model and an effective organization to achieve CLT’s goals of preventing homelessness and preserving neighborhoods. It is a privilege for me to join CLT, to continue the great work that is being done in support of this mission.”
CLT Board Chair Arthur Johnson said, “Over her 25 years as President and CEO, Ellen Tan has done an amazing job of consolidating the management of CLT’s diverse portfolio of rental housing, developing a system of case-management services, maintaining a strong financial base, and strengthening our board and staff. We will miss her greatly. We are very enthusiastic about what Iva Comey will bring to CLT to build on this success.”
Commonwealth Land Trust is a nonprofit founded in 1985 to provide supportive, affordable housing and on-site case management services to some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents. CLT owns and manages over 400 units of affordable housing for over 600 formerly homeless people facing barriers to housing due to ongoing struggles with addictions, mental illness, disabling conditions/diagnoses (such as HIV/AIDS), or histories of incarceration. CLT’s holistic approach links housing with on-site case-management services to break the cycle of homelessness. Linking housing and care, CLT works to rebuild lives and communities.
