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Interview by Myra Peabody Gossens, Former Board Chair & Board Member Emerita of Jubilee Housing & Co-founder of Jubilee Support Alliance

Bob Boulter was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Northern Virginia. In 1978, while in a period of deep searching for a service-oriented role in life, he was introduced to renowned developer Jim Rouse, who had become a firm partner and advocate for Jubilee Housing. Jim Rouse hand-picked Bob to lead a group of more than 20 development partners, including Clark Construction, in renovating Jubilee buildings. This role would blossom into 12 years of service as the first Vice President of Jubilee Housing, effectively leading the organization’s day-to-day operation.

Bob would go on to found Jubilee Enterprise of Greater Washington, which developed large multifamily properties in Southeast DC in partnership with community residents and local churches. In 2002, he founded Faithworks, which provides community development and related services to faith-based and community organizations. Over the course of his career, Bob has managed and guided the development of over 1,600 units of multifamily housing.

While there is much to celebrate about Bob’s character and influence, he is quick to emphasize the importance of partnership with resident leaders in this work. Bob shares the following acknowledgement:

“There were many resident leaders, Jubilee Housing board members who represented their neighbors’ concerns, and others in a number of positions. Many displayed exceptional courage and leadership in those days of drug-related, often violent, activity in the neighborhood.

The two I worked with very closely during my 12 years in the Jubilee office, were Rosa Hatfield, a Ritz resident who managed all the Jubilee buildings, and Sheila Royster, who lived in the Cresthill and worked closely with me among the companies that became Jubilee Support Alliance members.

These two women were at the heart of Jubilee Housing’s success. As Rosa continued working in Adams Morgan, Sheila helped launch Jubilee Enterprise of Greater Washington (JEGW) as its Director of Community Management. JEGW expanded the priceless example of Jubilee Housing’s resident involvement into multiple violence-filled communities in Southeast DC, dramatically transforming life for many residents east of the Anacostia River.

Alongside so many others, but without these two women, Jubilee Housing would not be what it is today.”

Enjoy this conversation with Bob Boulter on the early days of Jubilee Housing and what he learned from his experiences. A preview is below, and you can watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel.

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