Brett Theodos

Brett Theodos is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Community Progress. Theodos is a senior fellow and director of the Community Economic Development Hub at the Urban Institute. His work focuses on economic and community development, neighborhood change, affordable homeownership, consumer finance, and program evaluation and learning.

His research includes evaluations of the Economic Development Administration, New Markets Tax Credit, Small Business Administration loan and investment programs, Opportunity Zones, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods, Community Development Block Grant, and Section 108 programs. He is studying how capital flows (or fails to flow) into communities, including the role of mission finance actors like community development financial institutions. He leads projects researching how entrepreneurs can access capital.

Theodos has conducted studies of neighborhood change and geographic mobility. He is evaluating several place-based initiatives. He’s led studies of affordable homeownership supports, including shared equity models like community land trusts. In the financial capability space, he’s led studies of financial coaching, financial curriculum, and rules of thumb for decision-making. He’s explored the geography of debt.

Theodos is working to grow nonprofit capacity in performance measurement. He directs Measure4Change, which provides technical assistance and facilitates a community of practice for nonprofits and has led randomized controlled trial evaluations of youth workforce and education preparedness programs.

Theodos also serves on the Board of the Douglass Community Land Trust and the Housing Authority of Prince George’s County.

Theodos received a bachelor of arts from Northwestern University, Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University, and PhD in public policy from George Washington University.