User:AccordingtoNGoreHayes/sandbox

J. Forest Hayes

James Forest Hayes (born September 19, 1964) in Gary, Indiana. He is Senior Advisor, Real Estate & Economic Development Issues to [|Mayor Muriel Bowser] in Washington, DC. He has vast public and private sector experience ranging from downtown commercial development to urban neighborhood transformation/revitalization and throughout his career he has administered and overseen the development of over $1Billion in construction and real estate assets.

Hayes has successfully worked on complex development issues involving entitlements, historic preservation, Low-Income Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits (public subsidies), Tax Increment Financing (TIF), and mixed-use development. Before working in the Bowser Administration, Hayes was confirmed as the Executive Director of the City of Gary Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) by its board of directors and he previously served as the Director of the newly formed Department of Commerce in the City of Gary, Indiana, serving as Gary’s Senior Economic Development and Real Estate Development Officer.

Before working in Gary, Hayes served as the Senior Economic Development Advisor to former Washington, DC Mayor Adrian [|Adrian M. Fenty]. As Chief Operating Officer of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development (DMPED), Mr. Hayes was responsible for directing economic development policy, capital projects and public/private partnerships on behalf of the Executive Office of the Mayor while overseeing strategic planning, operations, contracting/procurement and administration for over $400 million in construction and real estate development projects and $13 billion in assets.

Hayes worked for Washington’s top ranked government relations firm, Cassidy & Associates, representing Major League Baseball (MLB), the Professional Golf Association (PGA), Hampton University, the Mohammed Ali Center and numerous other non-profits, universities and hospitals. He also spent about 8 years as a staffer in the US House of Representatives, serving in a variety of governmental capacities for Members of Congress, specifically serving as Associate Staff for the Sub-committee on Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations for [|Congressman Jose E. Serrano (D-NY)]; Chief of Staff for [|Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)]; Legislative Director for former [|Congresswoman Julia Carson (D-IN)] and Staff Assistant to [|Congressman Peter Visclosky (D-IN)].

J. Forest Hayes attended Howard University. He and his wife Nicole Gore split their time between Washington, DC and Waterford, Virginia. They have two children, Brayden Forest and Ella Nicole.