The Board of Directors of Long Island Housing Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the selection of Ian Wilder, Esq. as its new Executive Director and Marian D. Reid as the Deputy Director. Long Island Housing Services is a civil rights organization serving Nassau and Suffolk counties since 1969. Wilder will fill the vacancy created by the retirement in July of nationally respected Executive Director Michelle Santantonio. The selection was made after a regional search and selection process, during which Wilder served as Acting Executive Director for the organization.
Long Island Housing Services is a private, nonprofit HUD-qualified Fair Housing Enforcement Organization and a federally certified, approved Housing Counseling agency. Our mission is the elimination of unlawful discrimination and promotion of decent and affordable housing through advocacy and education.
“I am honored to be entrusted with Long Island Housing Service’s legacy of landmark civil rights litigation,” Wilder remarked. “As Long Island Housing Services enters its next half century, we look to remove the stain of systemic segregation from the landscape of Long Island and empower all our neighbors to live the American Dream.”
Wilder brings a depth of knowledge about the organization to the position of Executive Director, having held positions there as Acting Executive Director, Deputy Director, Foreclosure Prevention Program Manager, Staff Attorney, and Housing Counselor over the last nine years. Prior to his association with Long Island Housing Services, Wilder worked for 14 years as an attorney in private practice with an emphasis on Long Island real estate. In his personal life, Wilder has been a social justice advocate, a political activist, a nonprofit board member, and a published writer. He has a J.D. from George Washington University Law School and a B.B.A. in Management from Hofstra University.
Deputy Director Marian D. Reid reported that: “As we begin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, sadly, housing discrimination is real and it still exists. In my new role as Long Island Housing Services’ Deputy Director, I know that I will continue to make a positive contribution to Long Island Housing Services and at the same time remaining highly motivated in combating housing discrimination on Long Island.”
Reid has many years of Fair Housing experience with Long Island Housing Services. On November 14, 1994, upon successful resolution of her race complaint filed with the Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity Division of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), Reid joined Long Island Housing Services as a full time-employee. She is a highly dedicated and motivated civil rights advocate, who has years of direct relevant experience in investigating and combating mortgage fraud, predatory sales/marketing and lending abuses. Reid’s prior work experience as an Appraisal Supervisor with the Real Estate Loan Servicing Division of TRW Inc. is where she gained experience in analyzing real estate appraisals and noting practices that aroused concerns about racial discrimination in the valuation of homes.
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