Contact: Julia Helmreich, Director
Communications, Development & Events
(916) 447-9832 ext. 1008
West Sacramento, Calif. – Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is pleased to announce that Moises Loza has been selected to receive RCAC’s William French Award. The award recognizes Loza’s achievements in rural housing. Loza was the executive director of the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), a national nonprofit corporation that works to increase the availability of decent housing for rural low-income people.
The William French Award was established to honor William French, one of RCAC’s founders who later served as its chief executive officer for 30 years. When he retired in 2007, the RCAC board of directors created the William French Rural Leadership Award, noting French’s ability to start, grow and sustain an institution that has a significant impact on rural communities.
“Moises Loza’s contributions to rural communities span a lifetime,” said Stanley Keasling, RCAC chief executive officer. “It is an honor to recognize his tireless work by presenting him with the William French Award.”
A native of South Texas, Loza’s family traveled extensively across the South, Midwest and West in search of farm work. He worked at HAC from 1973 to 1978, and from 1981 until now. Since becoming HAC’s executive director in March 1989, he has been one of the nation’s strongest voices on behalf of affordable housing in rural America.
Loza’s skilled leadership enabled HAC to improve the lives of thousands of rural residents. The organization provides technical assistance, training and research, and has a revolving loan fund with assets of approximately $80 million to assist with housing development for low-income families and hard-to-serve populations in rural areas, including in the colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border, migrant farmworkers, and Native Americans. It has loaned close to $300 million which has helped build more than 68,000 units in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. HAC also conducts legislative policy and program analyses to assist federal, state and public agencies to help serve rural areas more effectively.
Mr. Loza is the Rural Development Leadership Network chairman. He also is the National Low Income Housing Coalition treasurer, and is on the board of directors of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the National Housing Conference, and the National Rural Housing Coalition. He also serves on the Morgan Stanley Advisory Committee.
RCAC will present the award to Moises Loza during a ceremony to be held Wednesday, November 1 at its Rural Symposium in Salt Lake City.
Rural Community Assistance Corporation is a nonprofit organization that serves rural communities throughout the western United States and Pacific Islands. RCAC provides training, technical and financial resources and advocacy so rural communities can achieve their goals and visions.
