In this episode, host Atticus LeBlanc, CEO of PadSplit, interviews Dennis Shea, EVP at the Bipartisan Policy Center and Chair of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, about his career spanning Senate work, trade roles, and becoming HUD Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Shea explains Ron Terwilliger’s impact as a housing philanthropist and how the BPC Housing Center was created. They discuss BPC’s “American Housing Act” framework focused on supply, preservation, and support, and the House and Senate housing bills that passed with large bipartisan margins, including the Senate build-to-rent divestiture requirement and other controversial aspects. They note executive orders on deregulation and mortgage access, emphasize multiple solutions beyond federal action, explore coliving and shared housing, especially for aging households, and Shea highlights regulatory compliance costs as a major driver of high housing costs.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:20 Dennis Shea Career Path

03:52 HUD and Housing Mission

07:29 Who Is Ron Terwilliger

11:53 BPC Role in Housing

14:49 Senate Bill Controversy

17:16 Build to Rent Details

21:34 Coliving and Aging

28:55 Getting It Over Line

34:33 Rapid Fire and Wrap

One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast

Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/

Connect with Dennis Shea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-shea-6a745517/

References:

• Bipartisan Policy Center: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/
• Bob Lighthizer: https://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/bob-lighthizer/
• Senator Bob Dole: https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_DoleRobertJ.htm
• Ron Terwilliger: https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/about/j-ronald-terwilliger
• Habitat for Humanity International: https://www.habitat.org/
• Enterprise Community Partners: https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/
• Urban Land Institute: https://uli.org/
• Roger Staubach: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roger-Staubach
• 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/whats-in-the-21st-century-road-to-housing-act/
• Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown: https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Boat-Americans-Berlin-Olympics/dp/0143125478
• National Association of Home Builders: https://www.nahb.org/