During his John T. Dunlop Lecture in Cambridge, Mass., on Oct. 4, Marc H. Morial, CEO of the National Urban League, debunked many of the myths on the causes of the subprime mortgage crisis and outlined several policy options that could help pave the way for economic prosperity for future generations.

In his lecture, "Promoting Innovative Housing Policy and Practice: Lessons From the Past, Challenges for the Future," the 11th in the series at the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies, the former mayor of New Orleans also pointed out the challenges that distressed urban areas and low-income housing face and how the issues surrounding them can be addressed as the economy recovers from the deepest recession since the Great Depression.

As the CEO of the National Urban League since 2003, Morial transformed the nearly 100-year-old civil rights organization into a driving force of economic advancement for minorities and the underprivileged. He has spearheaded such programs as the Urban League’s Urban Youth Empowerment Program — which assists young adults in securing sustainable jobs — as well as programs that promote housing, small business growth, workforce development, education and health. Under his stewardship, the Urban League also has had record fundraising success.

As mayor of New Orleans, he oversaw decreases in the city's rates of unemployment, crime and poverty.

“The National Housing Endowment would like to thank Mr. Morial for serving as lecturer at the 11th annual John T. Dunlop Lecture, and for his insight on issues in urban development and the future of housing,” said Bob Mitchell, a trustee of the National Housing Endowment and the 2000 NAHB president.

The lecture series, co-sponsored by the endowment and the Joint Center for Housing Studies, honors John T. Dunlop, Lamont University professor emeritus of Harvard University from 1985 to 2003 and advisor to U.S. presidents, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also served as the secretary of labor during the Gerald R. Ford Administration. In 1986, Dunlop was named to the NAHB Housing Hall of Fame. He also was a founding trustee of the endowment.

Lecturers in the series have included such renowned housing officials and building industry leaders as Shaun Donovan, current HUD secretary; Jack Kemp, former HUD secretary during the George H.W. Bush Administration; Henry Cisneros, former HUD secretary during the Clinton Administration; and Lewis S. Ranieri, founder of Hyperion private equity funds and CEO and president of the private investment firm, Ranieri & Co., Inc.

To view a replay of Morial’s lecture, posted on the Joint Center for Housing Studies website, click here.

For more information about the endowment, visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.