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Alumni Awards List

CAROL (C. J.) EISENBARTH HAGER grew up in Topeka where her mother and father, a public health nurse and an actuary, were involved in many community-service related activities. She readily attributes her own interest in public and community service, as well as her affinity in working with data, to her parents' community involvement.

C. J. became increasingly interested in housing and community planning while attending Marquette University, where students were encouraged to become community volunteers because the school was located in an economically distressed part of Milwaukee. She tutored children in math and English, provided lunch for the homeless, and served as treasurer for Marquette's first annual Hunger Clean-Up, which paired a day of public service with raising funds for local homeless shelters. That initial Hunger Clean-Up raised $40,000 and has occurred annually ever since. The most recent event raised $150,000.

After graduating from Marquette with a B.A. in economics, C. J. returned to Kansas to attend K-State and pursue the Master of Regional and Community Planning. Because of her interests in housing and policy analysis, she participated between her first and second years of study in K-State's Community Service project. She was appointed to a team asked to develop a homeless service delivery plan in Hutchinson. One of that team's other participants was Mark Hager, a K-State graduate who had returned from a Peace Corp assignment early due to political turmoil in his assigned country. Five years later, Mark and C. J. were married.

Because of her volunteer experience at Marquette and with K-State's Community Service project, C. J.'s interest in housing policy was heightened. Her first job after completing the MRCP was with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, which is routinely acknowledged as one of the best housing finance agencies in the country. C. J. coordinated the completion of Minnesota's first housing and economic development consolidated plan, required by HUD to receive funding from its grant programs. The plan analyzed the state's housing and economic development needs, addressed how four state agencies would meet those needs, and resulted in over $30 million of annual federal funding for Minnesota. She also helped coordinate a governor's economic development and housing initiative, which addressed critical housing needs in areas of Minnesota that were experiencing significant economic growth.

After leaving the Housing Finance Agency, C. J. then staffed two committees of the Minnesota House of Representatives--the Housing and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee, which legislated funding for all state housing and community/economic development programs, and the Tax Committee, where she served as specialist on tax increment financing.

Soon, C. J. and Mark relocated to Washington, D. C., where C. J. worked as the Director of Public Resource Development at the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, a national nonprofit organization created by Congress to provide financial support, technical assistance and training for community-based revitalization efforts. While serving in that capacity, she assisted two public housing authorities and their partners to qualify for an innovative HUD demonstration program which provided Section 8 voucher funding for first-time home purchase. Later, C. J. became the Director of Congressional Affairs for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. During the time C. J. served in that capacity, the Corporation's annual Congressional appropriation increased from $75 million to $115 million.

As C. J. and Mark now have an 18-month-old daughter, Zoe, C. J. has chosen to step back from her career to spend more time at home. She does find time to consult, working as the lobbyist of a small housing and community development association and helping to coordinate a conference for HUD. C. J. will be unable to participate in person during the 2004 Alumni Honoree program due to a previous commitment.