Kenzie Bok is a lifelong Bostonian who grew up in the small downtown neighborhood of Bay Village. She cares passionately about making Boston a great city for people from all walks of life and all stages of life to flourish and put down roots. With a background in affordable housing, budget analysis, and civic engagement, Councilor Bok was elected to represent District 8 on the Boston City Council on November 5, 2019. Her district includes Mission Hill, Longwood, Audubon Circle, Fenway, Kenmore, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and the West End. At 30, she is currently the youngest serving Councilor.

Prior to her election, Councilor Bok was the Senior Advisor for Policy and Planning at the Boston Housing Authority. She also previously served as Budget Director for another city council office. As a citizen, Bok helped lead the successful 2016 ballot initiative campaign to enact the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in Boston. She serves on the board of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA) and on the vestry of Trinity Church in Copley Square. Bok also formerly held community leadership roles as part of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), the Bay Village Neighborhood Association, the Back Bay Gateway CAC, the Spark Boston Council, the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, and the Democratic State Committee. She lives on Beacon Hill, where her family has been deeply involved in neighborhood life for more than 65 years.

Councilor Bok’s priorities include increasing housing affordability (both rental and homeownership) at every income level to anchor our families and seniors, improving our transportation system and public infrastructure to move people around more safely, efficiently, and equitably (whether by foot, bike, bus, subway, or car), ensuring excellent schools for all Boston’s children and great career opportunities for our youth, and making Boston a model for how to tackle climate change. In an increasingly unequal city, she is invested in partnering with the city’s non-profit and for-profit institutions to accountably share resources in pursuit of greater equity. Councilor Bok is committed to providing excellent constituent services, a voice for community planning of responsible development, and strong stewardship of public land and public assets like parks and libraries.

After graduating from Harvard College, Bok earned an M.Phil and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Cambridge in England as a Marshall Scholar. She holds a lectureship at Harvard University, where she has taught courses on “Justice in Housing” and the philosopher John Rawls.

Chrystal Kornegay currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of MassHousing which lends over $1

billion annually to produce and preserve affordable rental housing and create homeownership

opportunities for low- and moderate-income borrowers. Under Chrystal’s leadership,

MassHousing launched a highly successful Down Payment Assistance program; secured over

$80 million to expand its Workforce Housing initiative; and developed a nationally recognized

program for homeownership production in communities of color.

Before joining MassHousing, Chrystal served as the Baker-Polito Administration’s

Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development where she successfully advocated to

increase state capital dollars for affordable housing by almost 18%; partnered to increase rental

subsidies for low income families by 42%; and collaborated to dramatically reduce the number

of homeless families in motels.

Prior to her work as Undersecretary, Chrystal was President and Chief Executive Officer at

Urban Edge, one of New England’s largest community development corporations. She is

credited with leading the organization’s financial transformation, resulting in a $3 million

increase in the Agency’s net asset position.

Chrystal serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the

Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, the National Housing Trust and is a member of the Federal

Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Advisory Committee. Chrystal holds a Master’s in City Planning

from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. from Hunter College.

Justin Cruz is COO of Cruz Companies, one of the country’s largest and most enduring 100% Black-owned integrated construction, real estate development, and property management enterprises. With deep experience in the multifamily sector, in his role as Chief Operating Officer Justin Cruz is also responsible for overseeing the organization’s portfolio of primarily affordable residential units across dozens of properties in the Northeast including both new construction buildings and assets converted to residential through adaptive reuse and renovation. Justin Cruz is also closely involved in leading Cruz C.A.R.E.S., a dedicated 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of Cruz Companies.

Stefano Basso, AIA, Principal at SV Design, is experienced in addressing diverse housing needs in the current market through thoughtfully designed mixed-income, affordable, and mixed-use developments across Greater Boston, the North Shore, and Cape Cod. His expertise in meeting EOHLC guidelines and exceeding Passive House requirements along with his creative and dedicated team approach have consistently delivered successful projects. Stefano has worked with leading affordable housing developer, Harborlight Homes, on numerous projects - with many in the pipeline. Other affordable housing clients include Ipswich Housing Authority, Chelmsford Housing Authority, MA Coalition for the Homeless, Housing Assistance of Cape Cod, Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council and more. Stefano received a Master of Science in Construction Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University and is heavily involved in community design steering committees and advisory boards.

SV Design is an award-winning architecture and interior design firm with a portfolio of affordable housing, mixed-use developments, institutional projects, and residential custom homes. The Block at Odell Park, a mixed-use, market-rate development in Beverly, has received several awards for excellence in construction and a Gold BRAGB (Builders & Remodelers Association of Greater Boston) PRISM Award for Excellence in Community Design / Best Mixed-Use Community. SV Design has been featured in New England Real Estate Journal (NEREJ) for its affordable senior housing project, Maple Woods (Wenham, MA), and affordable family and senior housing development, Granite Street Crossing (Rockport, MA). Stefano Basso was recently featured in NEREJ’s Ones to Watch – Industry Leaders section for his expertise in and commitment to providing affordable housing in Massachusetts and his contribution to restoring the historic Cabot Theater in Beverly.