Gloria Bruce, the Program Director of Housing Security and Public/Private Partnerships at Crankstart (a local family foundation), recently joined Transform’s board of directors. We talked with her about her background in affordable housing, her current foundation role, and what excites her about Transform’s role in the world.

A passion for affordable housing

Bruce had always been interested in community development issues after volunteering with residents of public housing during her college years. When seeking a job during her master’s program at UC Berkeley, a fellowship at HUD connected her with several of the East Bay’s affordable housing organizations, where she found her passion. “I love the people in the [housing] field,” she says, noting that she realized right away she had found the “theory of everything” — the issue that brings together racial, social, and economic justice, and much more. “It’s funny because 20 years ago, housing was not at the top of every conversation the way it is now,” she adds.

After almost two decades of nonprofit leadership in affordable housing, including as executive director of East Bay Housing Organizations, Bruce joined Crankstart last year. “It’s obviously quite different helping to decide how philanthropic funds get out there,” she says. Instead of fundraising and managing yearslong campaigns as groups like EBHO and Transform do, she’s funding nonprofits and working on much shorter timelines. 

“I’m working in a very different position in my role in making social change,” Bruce says, noting that she still works with a lot of the same organizations she worked with in her prior roles.”I’m not as directly involved on the ground anymore, but I love finding awesome community leaders to fund and support.”

Joining the Transform team

Although Transform’s housing work intersects with Bruce’s experience, Bruce is a lifelong transit rider and joined the board with more of a focus on transportation. ”I know this is a really pivotal moment, particularly with public transit systems, and I wanted to be a part of that,” she says. “People need to revalue the public sphere and the public good and understand how much our communities are knit together by public transit.” Even if you don’t take the bus or train, she notes, it’s essential to understand how many people rely on it and how transit benefits everyone. 

Bruce is excited to support Transform’s work to bring Bay Area transit ridership back to pre-pandemic levels and improve our systems. “We really have to invest in infrastructure and services so they use it, and it’s part of the fabric of their lives,” she says. “Everyone in the Bay Area should have those choices. Transform can be part of painting a vision of this is how we get around as a community.” 

Bruce adds, “The other thing I’ve come to feel really passionate about in the last couple of years is traffic violence and pedestrian safety.” While she likes to get around Oakland by bike and transit, she says, “I have definitely adjusted the way I move around town and the way I get my kids around town.” 

And she sees the relationship between transportation and housing. “I think that the cost of living in general in the Bay Area is making it hard for so many things to get accomplished,” Bruce says. “Transportation costs are a big part of that, along with housing costs.” 

High points and challenges

When Bruce isn’t working, she likes to be outside, taking walks with her family. On days off, you might find her exploring a San Francisco neighborhood she hasn’t been to or taking in amazing views on the hidden stairs and walkways around Oakland and Berkeley.

And she knows the Bay Area she loves didn’t happen by accident. “It’s the behind-the-scenes work over time that shapes the landscape and community,” Bruce says. Transform doesn’t often grab headlines but has often been a force behind needed reforms. From safety improvements to the elements that make neighborhoods vibrant, “None of that happens without skilled advocates working for it.” 

Transform is thrilled to have Gloria Bruce supporting our team of skilled advocates.