“Jo” Ellen Davidson

A visionary leader, Jo brings decades of experience in real estate development,  management, finance, and community development to her role as CEO of Grovewood. As the leader of Grovewood, Jo works to identify development opportunities in an increasingly challenging real estate market and unite the many stakeholders needed to bring new affordable housing communities to life in South Metro Denver. She is a master collaborator, time and again bringing together the public and private entities needed to bring new units of affordable housing online.

Throughout her 40+ year career, Jo has served in a leadership and/or consulting capacity for numerous local and national organizations across the public and private sector, addressing a variety of community needs, from finance and banking, housing, job training, Special Needs, health and wellness, and economic development. As a collective outcome, she has helped successfully navigate the complex world of affordable housing to secure funding and deliver more than 3,000 affordable rental and homeownership units, along with jobs and human services across Colorado and surrounding states. Jo currently serves on the Board of Directors for Signal Behavioral Health Network.

Previously Jo served as the community reinvestment officer for two financial institutions and was the founding director of the Denver office of The Enterprise Foundation. She was appointed for two 4-year terms on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority for which she was the chair for one year. She served on the FHLBank Topeka Advisory Council for 10 years, was Chair for seven. She is passionate about social, health, economic, and diversity, and believes that housing is foundational to human health, wellbeing, and the realization of human potential.