Sharon Wilson Géno

President, National Multifamily Housing Council

Speaker | 2023 Ideas Summit

Sharon Wilson Géno is the president of NMHC. She is a 30-year veteran of the housing industry, during which she has helped guide numerous for-profit, nonprofit and governmental entities around housing affordability, community development and other housing policy challenges.

Sharon most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS), the housing and healthcare affiliate of the Volunteers of America parent organization and one of the largest nonprofit affordable and mixed-income/mixed-use housing operators in the nation. VOANS operated 240 properties and nearly 13,000 units in over 40 states during her tenure.

She originally joined the organization as its Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs and provided advice and counsel to the organization on a wide variety of legal matters, including housing operations and housing development issues.

Before joining Volunteers of America, Sharon was a partner in a private practice in Washington DC, where she advised on housing and community development projects, government contracting, corporate structure, internal governance, and compliance with federal, state and local laws.

During her career, Sharon has served as both in-house counsel and outside General Counsel for various types of organizations. Her legal experience includes providing advice regarding government and non-government contracts, nonprofit organizations, corporate formation, litigation, employment law, tax law, and other topics. She has also taught courses on housing law and policy at The George Washington School of Law and Georgetown University.

She has also worked on legislation and advocacy efforts related to affordable housing programs on both the local and national levels. Sharon has a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs from St. Louis University and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University.