[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9271]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MICHAEL RUBINGER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 2016

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Michael Rubinger, 
President and CEO of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
  Mr. Rubinger will be retiring from LISC later this month after 17 
years as its creative and results driven CEO. During his tenure, LISC 
has grown into one of the largest and most well respected non-profits 
focusing on community and economic development in distressed 
neighborhoods throughout the country.
  LISC equips struggling communities with the capital, strategy and 
technical expertise to make change imaginable. Working with local 
leaders, LISC invests in housing, health, education, public safety and 
employment--all basic needs that need to be addressed at the same time 
for communities to succeed.
  Michael Rubinger was hired as a LISC program officer shortly after 
the establishment of the organization. He now completes his more than 
four decades of service to the organization and leaves in place a 
reliable, constructive, and innovative partner in community 
redevelopment made stronger by his stewardship and leadership and the 
lasting impact that his career has made on the community development 
field.
  Among other notable achievements, Michael oversaw the development and 
implementation of LISC's Building Sustainable Communities initiative, a 
transformative approach to investing in communities which focuses on 
proving a comprehensive framework to meeting the needs of the 
community, including investments in housing, economic development, 
income and wealth building, education, health, and community safety.
  LISC and hundreds of neighborhoods across the country are stronger 
because of Michael Rubinger's vision for healthy and robust 
communities. He knows the importance of hearing the voices of those in 
the community and of making sure that key local stakeholders come 
together to find common ground.
  Michael is leaving LISC on a high note. 2015 was among the best years 
in LISC's history, including a record number of program and investment 
milestones, such as financing 21,000 affordable homes and apartments, 
opening its 80th Financial Opportunity Center in order to help 
residents build a more stable future, and establishing new partnerships 
nationwide. All of that contributed to LISC's $1.3 billion in program 
and investment activity for 2015, an amazing accomplishment.
  I have seen firsthand his influence in Toledo, Ohio. His 
comprehensive approach to revitalization was evident when LISC opened 
its Toledo office in 1989. It was my honor to introduce LISC to Toledo 
back then, and I am proud to be associated with the organization that 
has helped distressed neighborhoods across Ohio.
  With 16,000 Toledo homeowners unable to afford the cost of major 
exterior maintenance, Toledo LISC, the Toledo Fair Housing Center and 
the Lucas County Land Bank created the Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Inclusive Communities initiative to help those in need.
  In 2015, nearly 150 families were provided with a complete roof and 
gutter replacement. The roof and gutter replacements have helped 
individual homeowners, who live at or below 120 percent AMI, to 
preserve their property while shoring up Toledo's housing stock 
overall.
  These homeowners also participated in financial literacy and 
homeownership counseling workshops offered by two LISC-backed Financial 
Opportunity Centers (FOCs). The FOCs provided counseling and education 
to 234 homeowners who applied under the program.
  I am especially proud of Toledo LISC's work but also know that these 
efforts are not unique to Toledo--that similar stories have occurred in 
the 30-plus cities where LISC offices are located, as well as in the 
over 14,000 rural counties that LISC serves through its national rural 
program, Rural LISC.
  It is with great admiration that I pay tribute to Michael Rubinger 
and to his legacy of service on behalf of low-income families and 
communities. His unwavering dedication to making communities better and 
more viable through economic development initiatives in hundreds of 
urban and rural areas should be commended.
  I know my colleagues in the House of Representatives will join me in 
congratulating Michael Rubinger on his retirement and in thanking him 
for his noble choice to spend his most productive years in making 
America and her neighborhoods better for his efforts.

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