Adam Gross

Director

Adam Gross has served as Staff Counsel at BPI since 1995, focusing on housing and community development issues. He now leads BPI's efforts to increase the supply and equitable distribution of affordable housing. He received his BA from Yale University, MA in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and JD from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was Comment Editor at The University of Chicago Law School Roundtable.

agross@bpichicago.org

Betsy Lassar

Policy Analyst

Prior to joining BPI, Betsy served as Housing Planner and Consultant to the City of Highland Park, where she was responsible for affordable housing activities, including coordinating implementation of the city’s Affordable Housing Plan.  Betsy is founder and currently vice-president of the Highland Park Community Land Trust, and served as Vice Chair of the City’s Housing Commission. Today, she is a Commissioner of the Lake County Affordable Housing Commission.  Betsy's no stranger to BPI, having served as staff counsel from 1977-1984. She holds a JD from Northwestern University and a BA from the University of Michigan. Betsy was elected to serve as a BPI Director in September 2007.

Susannah Levine
Senior Policy Analyst

Susannah joined BPI in July 2003 after receiving her MPP in Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy Studies. Currently, she engages in policy analysis, advocacy, research and community organizing for BPI's Regional Affordable Housing Initiative. As a Public Policy Associate at Illinois Action for Children, Susannah led lobbying efforts and conducted legislative advocacy on behalf of low-income families. Susannah has also worked with the Financial Research and Advisory Committee (FRAC). She received her BA from Brandeis University.

slevine@bpichicago.org

Dan Klaff

Staff Counsel

Dan joined BPI in September 2008.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was Editor-In-Chief of the Harvard Civil Rights - Civil Liberties Law Review, was an Ames Moot Court Finalist, active in the Prison Legal Assistance Project, and a research assistant for Professor Martha Minow.  While in law school, Dan interned in Washington D.C. for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, as well as for Jenner and Block and Bredhoff and Kaiser law firms.  Prior to law school, Dan worked as a research assistant at the Brookings Institution.  Dan received his BS with honors from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations where he was also a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

Dan is  a Skadden Fellow at BPI and works with the Affordable Housing team.

dklaff@bpichicago.org