Pat Coyle named head of Colorado Division of Housing

Housing veteran Patrick Coyle, 56, has been named as director of the Colorado Division of Housing.

Coyle, who has worked on housing issues for the state and Denver, most recently as the director of the city’s Road Home program at the Department of Human Services, replaces Kathi Williams, who resigned earlier this year.

Coyle previously worked at the Division of Housing, first as manager of the Main Street Redevelopment program in the 1980s and later as head of real estate development for the division from 1994 to 2005. Coyle also served in the Governor’s Office of Economic development under Gov. Roy Romer.

“It is great that Pat has decided to return to DOLA,” said Susan Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. “He comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will certainly add value to the division and the department.”

Coyle noted that many new developments in housing have arisen since he left in 2005.

“It will be very interesting to be back at the Division given the current housing landscape,” Coyle said. “Issues like stimulus funds, foreclosures, and the national recession will all offer plenty of new challenges to address immediately.”

Tom Hart, who headed the housing division from 1991 to 2003, knows Coyle well.

“I first hired him at the division of housing,” Hart told InsideRealEstateNews.com.

Coyle is an excellent choice to head the division, said Hart. who now is the principal of Community Strategies Institute with Jennie Rodgers.

“Pat brings an excellent skills and experience to that position,” Hart said. “The division is fortunate to have Pat. He has a lot of interesting experience and administering private and public funding to create housing for the homeless and the former homeless. I think homelessness has to be front and center.”

Coyle also will have to deal with the impact of rising unemployment and its impact on foreclosures, he said.

Meanwhile, Denver’s Road Home will work with Coyle to find a replacement for him.

“The State of Colorado is fortunate to have the talents and expertise that Pat Coyle has in the arena of housing,” said Jamie Van Leeuwen, Director of Denver’s Road Home.“I can think of nobody who would be a better candidate for this position. Denver’s Road Home has been fortunate to have benefited from Pat Coyle’s expertise and we look forward to working with him more in this new capacity. Denver’s Road Home will be working with Pat Coyle over the next month to ensure a seamless transition into his new role.”