William Hughes
Executive Director

William “Billy” Hughes joined the Irvine Community Land Trust in July 2023. As Executive Director he manages its day-to-day activities, including negotiating development agreements for new affordable housing projects, managing the financial investments of the Land Trust, and drafting and advocating for state and federal legislation that will help community land trusts.

 Billy brings over 30 years’ experience in the real estate industry as a developer, investor and lender. Over the past decade his achievements include the acquisition and development of multifamily properties, and the redevelopment of historic buildings to create over 6,000 multi-family, affordable homes. Hughes’ projects have received numerous awards including the Project Of The Year by the Carolina Real Estate Creative Thinkers (2017)

Hughes’ projects have included the use of low-income tax credit, HOPE VI financing, PBRA and Urban Enterprise Zones, and expert knowledge in complex financing. He has partnered with Atlanta Housing Authority, Dekalb County Housing Authority and multiple other housing authorities and development authorities and was named “Developer of Choice” by the Fulton County Housing Authority. Having started his career as a real estate lender, Hughes brings lending expertise and financial structure knowledge to the construction and development of projects.

Mr. Hughes is married to his college sweetheart and has six children. He attended Yale University and Loyola Marymount University where he received degrees in Business and Real Estate Finance. He received an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.