“ I believe my work strengthens not only the organization but the community that we serve and live in.”
Bo Han, Project Manager
Chinatown Community Development Center

Overview

Area of the Commercial Real Estate Industry do you specialize in:
Affordable Housing Development

Description of the goal of the company you work for:
The Mission of the Chinatown Community Development Center is to build community and enhance the quality of life for San Francisco residents. We are a place-based community development organization serving primarily the Chinatown neighborhood, and also serving other areas including North Beach and the Tenderloin. We are a community development organization with many roles – as neighborhood advocates, organizers, and planners, and as developers and managers of affordable housing. We believe in a comprehensive vision of community, a quality environment, a healthy neighborhood economy, and active voluntary associations. We are committed to the empowerment of low-income residents, diversity and coalition building, and social and economic justice.

How you started your career in Commercial Real Estate
The path to my new career was a circuitous one. Before switching my career, I worked as an architect for two decades, working mostly on institutional projects. For the first decade, I was too busy learning and growing in my field to question what I was doing, but during my second decade of working, as I grew into a more senior role, I did not enjoy the cutthroat environment of the corporate firm I was at and working many long hours for clients who did not seem to have a clear social and/or environmental agenda.

About 9 years ago, I left my corporate job to spend quality time with my aging parents overseas while testing out a culinary program. I discovered that although I enjoy culinary-related activities, I did not want to pursue it as a career. I returned to San Francisco and enrolled in a part-time sustainable MBA program. I also got a job at a small development firm. However, I still did not have a clear direction for my career. I decided to sell my tiny house in San Francisco and traveled around the world for 1-1/2 years, during which I realized that having affordable housing was critical for any society.

At the end of my travels, I decided that I wanted to work on sustainable development. I enrolled in the online Masters in Real Estate program at Georgetown University, which proved to be a great program. After a year into the program, I saw a job posting for a project manager for affordable housing development at Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC). I thought it would be good practice to interview. Fortunately, I landed the job and started working full-time while still in my graduate program. I was able to do my thesis on affordable housing financing on modular housing, using one of my work projects as a comparison. It’s been just over two years since I’ve joined CCDC, and I truly love the people I work with and still feel strongly that I made the right switch regarding my career.

What personal goals did you set for yourself?
My main focus was to learn about financing for development as much as possible. I hope to eventually create a sustainable community where people can age in place.

Approach

Examples of how you feel your company makes a difference in the industry
CCDC’s values are “respect, compassion, empowerment, and teamwork,” which I find to be in true practice and makes me feel fortunate to be part of a great organization. As a small place-based organization, we advocate and support those in the community to contribute their voices and support other BIPOC organizations to grow by partnering with them.

Examples of how your role impacts the success of the company
As an affordable housing developer, I help advocate, sustain and improve existing housing stock as well as develop more affordable housing for those truly in need. I believe my work strengthens not only the organization but the community that we serve and live in.

Steps have you taken to grow in your position
I’ve been participating in many great training programs through such nonprofits as LISC, NeighborWorks, and CHP (California Housing Partnership). In addition, I’ve hosted mini-workshops to teach those in our department about reading architectural drawings and share my design skills in preparing for presentations. It has also been fascinating to get involved in advocating for regulations that affect state and federal financing for rehabilitating existing affordable housing projects.

Results

Examples of unexpected changes that occurred in your growth experience
Switching to a position with a nonprofit after working for a for-profit organization for over two decades also required adjusting to a reduced income and changing my lifestyle. However, overall, I am a happier person as I don’t ask myself anymore “why and for whom am I working so hard?” I’m much more satisfied with the work I do on a daily basis and really enjoy working with my coworkers as well as other professionals in this industry as we share similar values.

Result of planning your progression
I cannot say that I had a clear plan for arriving at where I am at. I tried a few different paths during my five/six-year search period, which included a painful period of self-doubt and financial worries before discovering my path and focusing on it. It was a journey that helped me grow as an individual, and although I feel certain that I am on the right path, I hope to continue to discover, learn and grow.