About the Author: Frank S. Alexander

FRANK S. ALEXANDER is Sam Nunn Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion.  He is Co-Founder of the Center for Community Progress, an organization that helps U.S. communities integrate vacant, abandoned, and blighted properties back into their economic and civic life.  He has served as Interim Dean of the Law School (2005-2006) and as Visiting Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University (2007). His courses include Property, Real Estate Finance, State and Local Government Law, Law and Theology, and Federal Housing Policies. The author of more than 50 publications in the fields of real estate finance, law and theology, and community development, some of his recent publications include Create Affordable Housing for All,(Spring, 2013); Land Banks, Andrew G. Carswell, ed., The Encyclopedia of Housing 2d edition (2012);  Georgia Real Estate Finance and Foreclosure Law 2011-2012 (6^th ed. 2011); Land Banks and Land Banking (2011), Neighborhood Stabilization Strategies for Vacant and Abandoned Properties (2011), Land Banking As Metropolitan Policy (2008); Louisiana Land Reform in the Storms’ Aftermath (2008); Christianity and Human Rights:  An Introduction (Cambridge Univ. Press 2010) (with John Witte, Jr.); and Christianity and Law:  An Introduction (2008, with John Witte, Jr.).

Recipient of the Emory University Thomas Jefferson Award (2006), the Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Professional School Teaching (2005), the Student Bar Association Award for Most Outstanding Professor (2010, 2004), the Laura Jones Hardman Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service (2001), the Ben F. Johnson Faculty Excellence Award (1998), and the Emory Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching in Professional Education (1991), Professor Alexander was selected eight times as the Professor Who Best Exemplifies the Ideals of the Legal Profession by the Emory Student Bar Association. 

Founder of Emory University's Law and Religion Program in 1982, Professor Alexander's work in recent years has focused on community development and affordable housing.  From 1993 to 1996, he served as a Fellow of the Carter Center of Emory University, specializing in neighborhood redevelopment activities and low-income housing in conjunction with The Atlanta Project.  He served as a Commissioner of the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless from 1994-98.   In May, 2008 he testified before Congressional subcommittees on the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, and in November, 2009 on strategies to address the mortgage foreclosure crisis.

Professor Alexander is past Chairman of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta, a non-profit community service agency providing consumer credit counseling, and of Community Friendship, Inc., a non-profit psycho-social rehabilitation program for the chronically mentally ill.  He is the recipient of The George A. Pindar Award, Real Property Law Section, State Bar of Georgia (2006), the Inspiration Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Public Interest, Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) (2002), the Outstanding Service Award of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society (1996), the Georgia Affordable Housing Award for Individual Initiatives (1995), and the Citizen’s Award for Outstanding Service from the Fulton County/City of Atlanta Land Bank Authority (1995).

Professor Alexander received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina.

Selected Publications by This Author

• A City for All: Report of the Gentrification Task Force of the Atlanta City Council, Fannie Mae Foundation/LISC, 2001
• "Baltimore City Land Bank: Laying the Foundations," July 22-23, 2008
• Lecture
  "Baltimore City Land Bank: Laying the Foundations"
  Mayor's Task Force on the Land Bank Authority
  Baltimore, MD
  July 2008
• Testimony
  "before Georgia Senate Banking and Finance Committee and the Georgia House Judiciary Committee"
  Senate Bill 531
  Georgia General Assembly
  Atlanta, GA
  March 2008
• Testimony
  "before the U.S. House of Representatives, Join Hearing of Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Domestic Policy Subcommittee, and Financial Services Committee"
  about mortgage foreclosure crisis legislation
  U.S. Congress
  Washington, D.C.
  May 2008
• Christianity and Human Rights: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2011
• Christianity and Law: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2008
• "Constitutional Questions About Tax Lien Foreclosures," Government Finance Review, Vol. 16 (2000)
• "Don't Bet the House," Partners in Community and Economic Development, Vol. 17, No. 2 (2007)
• "Dorothy Day (1897-1980)" in The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume I, Columbia University Press, 2005
• "Dorothy Day (1897-1980)" in The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume II, Columbia University Press, 2005
• "East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority: From Planning to Execution," December 12, 2008
• Lecture
  "East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority: From Planning to Execution"
  Planning Commission of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge
  Baton Rouge, LA
  December 2008
• Georgia Real Estate Finance & Foreclosure Law 2009-2010, Thomson-West, 2009
• Georgia Real Estate Finance & Foreclosure Law, 4th Edition, Thomson-West, 2004
• "Housing After the Crash... Creating Better Options for our Future," October 5, 2009
• Panel
  "Housing After the Crash... Creating Better Options for our Future"
  World Habitat Day
  Georgia Institute of Technology
  Atlanta, GA
  October 2009
• Housing Trust Funds for Local Governments in Georgia, Fannie Mae Foundation/LISC, 2002
• "Housing Trust Funds for Metropolitan Atlanta" in Making the Case for Mixed Income and Mixed Use Communities
• "Inherent Tensions Between Home Rule and Regional Planning," Wake Forest Law Review, Vol. 35 (2000): 539-561
• "Introduction" in The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume I, Columbia University Press, 2005
• "Introduction" in The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume I, , 2005
• Land Bank Authorities: A Guide for the Creation and Operation of Local Land Banks, Fannie Mae Foundation/LISC, 2005
• "Land Bank Strategies for Renewing Urban Land," Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law, Vol. 14 (2005): 140-169
• Webcast
  "Land Banking as a Foreclosure Mitigation Strategy"
  National Housing Conference
  December 2009
• Podcast Series
  "Land Banking as a Foreclosure Mitigation Strategy"
  Foreclosure Response Podcast Series
  Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
  Atlanta, GA
  September 2009
• "Land Banking as a Foreclosure Mitigation Strategy, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta," September 30, 2009
• "Land Banking as a Foreclosure Mitigation Strategy, National Housing Conference," December 8, 2009
• "Land Banking as Metropolitan Policy," October 29, 2008
• Land Banks and Land Banking, Center for Community Progress, 2011
• "Land Use Planning by Design and by Disaster" in Law and Recovery from Disaster: Hurricane Katrina
• "Law and Health Promotion - The Case for Physical Activity: The Context for Legal Authority and Decision Making," May 12, 2009
• Public Lecture
  "Law and Health Promotion - The Case for Physical Activity: The Context for Legal Authority and Decision Making"
  National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Atlanta, GA
  May 2009
• "LBAs, CLTs, and the Foreclosure Crisis," September 3, 2008
• Forum
  "LBAs, CLTs, and the Foreclosure Crisis"
  Atlanta Regional Housing Forum
  Atlanta, GA
  September 2008
• "Lessons to Learn from the Current Mortgage Crisis," November 2, 2009
• Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives
  "Lessons to Learn from the Current Mortgage Crisis"
  Committee on Governmental Oversight and Reform, Domestic Policy Subcommittee
  Washington, D.C.
  November 2009
• "Life Together: How Housing Law Defines America's Families," February 7, 2005
• Symposium
  "Louisiana Land Reform in the Storms' Aftermath"
  Loyola Law School
  New Orleans, LA
  January 2008
• "Louisiana Land Reforms in the Storms' Aftermath," January 18, 2008
• "Lousiana Land Reform in the Storms' Aftermath," Loyola Law Review, Vol. 53, No. 4 (2008): 727-762
• "Neighborhood Stabilization and Land Banking," Communities & Banking, Vol. 20, No. 3 (2009)
• "Policy Reform and Regulatory Strategies for Vacant Property Reclamation: Federal Responses to Vacant Properties," May 8, 2009
• "Policy Reform and Regulatory Strategies for Vacant Property Reclamation: Federal Responses to Vacant Properties"
  Ford Foundation
  New York, NY
  May 2009
• "Property and Christian Theology" in Christianity and Law: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2008
• "Q & A with the Experts: Frank S. Alexander"
• Renewing Public Assets for Community Development, Fannie Mae Foundation/LISC, 2000
• Testimony
  "Senate Bill 57 and House Bill 264 - mortgage finance and foreclosure legislation"
  Georgia House of Representatives Judiciary Committee
  Atlanta, GA
  March 2009
• Lecture
  "Stabilizing Neighborhoods with Concentrations of Vacant and Abandoned Properties"
  Federal Reserve Board
  Minneapolis, MN
  September 2008
• "Tax Liens, Tax Sales and Due Process," Indiana Law Journal, Vol. 75 (2000): 747-807
• "Testimony before Baltimore City Council," June 17, 2009
• Testimony
  "Testimony before Baltimore City Council"
  Taxation and Finance Committee, on City Council Bill #09-0261
  Baltimore City Land Bank Authority
  Baltimore, MD
  June 2009
• "Testimony before Georgia Senate Banking and Finance Committee and the Georgia House Judiciary Committee," March 4 and 25, 2008
• "Testimony before the Georgia House of Representatives Judiciary Committee," March 20 and 24, 2009
• Testimony
  "Testimony before the Ohio General Assembly"
  Senate Committee on Ways & Means and Economic Development, House Committee on Local Government and Public Administration, House Bill 313/Senate Bill 188
  December 2009
• "Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, Joint Hearing of Oversight and Government REform Committee," May 22, 2008
• "Testimony, Ohio General Assembly, Senate Committee on Ways & Means and Economic Development," December 2, 2009
• "The Context for Legal Authority and Decision Making, Supporting Development at the State Level," June 29, 2009
• Public Lecture
  "The Context for Legal Authority and Decision Making, Supporting Development at the State Level"
  National Housing Conference
  Chicago, IL
  June 2009
• "The Conviction of Things Not Seen: A Tribute to Hal Berman," Emory Law Journal, Vol. 57, No. 6 (2008): 1393
• "The Evolving Legal Landscape for Louisiana Redevelopment," August 14, 2008
• Summit
  "The Evolving Legal Landscape for Louisiana Redevelopment"
  Summit on Smart Growth
  Center for Planning Excellence
  Baton Rouge, LA
  August 2008
• "The Foreclosure Crisis and Community Loss Mitigation," February 13, 2009
• Richard E. Nelson Symposium
  "The Foreclosure Crisis and Community Loss Mitigation"
  University of Florida Levin College of Law
  Gainesville, FL
  February 2009
• "The Foreclosure Process and Community Loss Mitigation," July 15, 2008
• Symposium
  "The Foreclosure Process and Community Loss Mitigation"
  Symposium on Stabilizing Communities: Addressing the Negative Impacts of Foreclosure
  Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
  Los Angeles, CA
  July 2008
• "The HERA Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Land Banking and Housing Trusts," November 19, 2008
• Lecture
  "The HERA Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Land Banking and Housing Trusts"
  OneAthens Housing Group
  Athens, GA
  November 2008
• "The HERA Neighborhood Stabilization Program: Converting Liabilities into Assets," October 8, 2008
• "The Housing of America's Families: Control, Exclusion, and Privilege," Emory Law Journal, Vol. 54, No. 3 (2005): 1231-1270
• "The Mortgage Crisis, the Credit Crisis, and $700 Billion," October 6, 2008
• Lecture
  "The Mortgage Crisis, the Credit Crisis, and $700 Billion"
  Emory University School of Law
  Atlanta, GA
  October 2008
• "The Structure of Law in Public Health Systems and Practice" in Law in Public Health Practice, 2nd Edition
• "The Structure of Law in Public Health Systems and Practice" in Law in Public Health Practice, 2nd ed.
• "The Study of Law and Religion: An Apologia and Agenda," Ministry & Mission, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1988): 4-15
• The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume I, Columbia University Press, 2005
• The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume II, Columbia University Press, 2005
• The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Columbia University Press, 2007
• The Teachings of Modern Protestantism on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Columbia University Press, 2007
• The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Columbia University Press, 2007
• The Weightier Matters of the Law: Essays on Law and Religion, Scholars Press, 1988
• "Theology and Law," Emory Law Journal, Vol. 54 (2005): 325
• "Transforming Foreclosed Properties into Community Assets: Framing the Solutions and Opportunities for Intervention," May 2, 2008
• Lecture
  "Transforming Foreclosed Properties into Community Assets: Framing the Solutions and Opportunities for Intervention"
  Furman Center for Real Estate
  NYU Law School
  New York, NY
  May 2008
• "Vacant and Foreclosed Properties - State Laws and Federal Responses," June 2, 2009
• Public Lecture
  "Vacant and Foreclosed Properties - State Laws and Federal Responses"
  National Vacant Properties Campaign
  Louisville, KY
  June 2009
• "William Stringfellow (1928-1985)" in The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume I, Columbia University Press, 2005
• "William Stringfellow (1928-1985)" in The Teachings of Modern Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature, Volume II, , 2005