A third generation Colorado native, Rodger A. Hara has worked in affordable housing finance and development for federal, state and local government agencies and private sector mortgage companies since 1972. He founded his own firm, Community Builders Realty Services in 2008, and now guides those agencies along with for-profit and non-profit organizations through the affordable housing finance and development maze. He was Chairman of the Lakewood Housing Authority and Vice Chairman of the Englewood Housing Authority, a member of the RTD Fast Tracks Citizen Advisory Committee, the boards of several community-based non-profit affordable housing organizations and is a former Trustee of the Colorado Outward Bound School, the Colorado Episcopal, Sam S. Bloom and Recovery Foundations. He is a member of the Vestry at St. John’s Cathedral where he is also an usher, lector and Eucharistic Visitor.
He is a frequent lecturer on affordable housing at local, regional, and national conferences and local universities and for the Urban Land Institute of Colorado. He designed and has led a 6-month long affordable housing development and finance seminar for 17 years and is the editor/curator of the Affordable Housing Spotlight section of the Multifamily Properties Quarterly for the Colorado Real Estate Journal. He is advising Metropolitan State University of Denver on creation of an affordable housing property management and social services program, is on the faculties of the Urban Land Institute REDI and University of Denver Executive Certificate in Affordable Housing Programs.
A graduate of the University of Denver, he has done post-graduate studies at the University of Colorado at Denver. He lives in Denver, sings in and manages an Irish band and hosts Celtic music, Big Band and Jazz shows on KGNU Community Radio. He is a former member of the board of Theatre Esprit Asia, the DCPA Community Relations and Chairman’s Councils and has been a DCPA Tour Ambassador for 15 years.