Laura Abernathy joined ROC USA in 2024 as senior vice president of policy and partnerships, bringing 15 years of experience and expertise creating policies and programs that prevent displacement, expand the supply of affordable housing options and support low-income families and individuals.
Laura advocates for and shapes public policies and resources that support the growth, sustainability and affordability of manufactured home communities while empowering the residents who live in them.
Previously, Laura served as senior director of housing policy at the National Housing Trust, where she worked with policy makers across the country to preserve and improve existing multifamily affordable rental housing. In addition to being a national expert in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, she has worked in Denver to update and pass a preservation ordinance that grants the City a right-of-first-refusal to purchase and preserve multifamily affordable rental housing, created Preservation Collaboratives in Colorado and Miami and developed a policy framework designed to preserve existing subsidized and naturally occurring affordable housing in San Diego.
Laura received her bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and her master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Florida, in Gainesville, where she concentrated on housing and community development. Outside of work, Laura enjoys traveling, cooking, keeping her plants alive and taking Portuguese lessons.