Odetta MacLeish-White, AB, JD, LLM

Odetta MacLeish-White is a 23-year professional in affordable housing, community development, and systemic change. She has worked on systemic vacancy as director of engagement for the Center for Community Progress and led the TransFormation Alliance, a partnership of nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses working with residents to improve housing, transit, and jobs access. She supported community stabilization efforts and nonprofit capacity nationwide as a senior program director with Enterprise Community Partners and created affordable housing recommendations as staff director for Florida’s Affordable Housing Study Commission. She began her career developing tax credit units and managing small commercial properties. While at Enterprise, Odetta was part of the implementation team for the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge, funding six cities for cross-sector systems change.

Each of these experiences has deepened Odetta’s understanding of the systemic barriers prevent communities from achieving shared prosperity. She translates that understanding into impact by designing solutions and programs that center lived experiences, eliminate unhelpful processes, and challenge racism and unconscious biases. Odetta focuses on naming the root causes of inequity and highlighting the interplay of power and privilege that sustain disparities. These lessons shape her commitment to value systems that create strong frameworks for program design, community building, and trusting partnerships. 

Odetta earned her Juris Doctorate and LLM in international law from Duke University School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree in English and American literature and language from Harvard-Radcliffe University. She lives in Marietta, Ga. with her husband of 27 years, Todd, and their two children, Isaiah and Adria.