Daniel Kay Hertz

Daniel leads Impact for Equity’s Housing Program with a focus on removing barriers to high-quality, affordable housing across the Chicago region and Illinois.  Guided by the principle that housing is a human right, Daniel develops and leads the advocacy agenda of the housing team and provides organizational leadership for Impact for Equity.

Prior to joining Impact for Equity, Daniel served as the Director of Policy, Research, and Legislative Affairs at the Chicago Department of Housing, where he played a leadership role in successful efforts to strengthen tenant protections, reform the city’s zoning laws through an equitable transit-oriented development lens, and pass a $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond that seeded the country’s largest municipal social housing revolving fund.  Daniel is also the former Research Director at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, where he led research on state and local pension issues and managed operations of a fair housing program.  He was a Senior Fellow at City Observatory, a think tank and outlet for urban policy analysis.

Daniel has a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy with a Certificate in Municipal Finance.  He received his B.A. from Harvard College.  Daniel authored the book The Battle of Lincoln Park: Urban Renewal and Gentrification in Chicago.  He was named to the Crain’s Chicago 40 Under 40 list in 2022.