Jesse Kanson-Benanav

Abundant Housing MA

Jesse Kanson-Benanav is the Executive Director of Abundant Housing MA where he oversees all aspects of the organization's mission to stand up for abundant housing for all in communities across Massachusetts. Jesse brings to this role nearly 20 years experience in the affordable housing industry where he's worked as a community organizer, policy consultant, and most recently as a developer of affordable homes at a number nonprofits serving Massachusetts and New England. Outside his professional career, Jesse became active in the grassroots pro-housing movement in 2012 as founder of A Better Cambridge (ABC) where he served as chair until 2019. Jesse's work with ABC was recognized as a "Game Changer" in 2016 by the Boston Globe for its positive contributions to the local economy, and he was recognized as a "Rising Star" by Metro Housing Boston in 2019. Jesse is a graduate of Oberlin College and has a Master of City Planning Degree from MIT. He lives in Jamaica Plain, Boston, with his wife and toddler.