Kevin Rodin is a developer, strategist and social entrepreneur with a 20-year track record of advancing community investment across California. He is the founder and president of Brisa (formerly CD-RG), where he brings extensive real estate experience, deep public sector fluency, and a strong belief in the catalytic power of neighborhood-scale development. When the stakes are high and the path isn’t clear, Kevin is the leader teams trust to align partners, navigate complexity and move projects forward.
While Kevin’s career has spanned sectors, the through-line has always been a holistic, systems-level approach to community development grounded in the belief that public-private partnerships are the most powerful tool for lasting impact. After earning his master’s from USC, he worked on economic development initiatives in communities ranging from South L.A. to Southeast Asia, supporting post-disaster recovery efforts in Thailand and helping shape local strategies for economic revitalization and inclusive planning. He went on to hold development roles at some of California’s most respected mission-driven housing organizations, including Abode Communities and Community Corporation of Santa Monica, where he led acquisitions, financing, and the delivery of affordable housing projects from concept through construction.
Before launching Brisa (formerly CD-RG), Kevin served as Vice President of Development at The Michaels Organization, the largest affordable housing developer in the country. There, he was part of the team that spearheaded the redevelopment of Jordan Downs, a 100-acre, $1 billion project in South L.A., and managed a pipeline of large-scale urban projects throughout the Western U.S. The experience of working for a housing developer revealed limits of what housing alone could solve. In response, he founded a social enterprise in Inglewood that hired and trained formerly incarcerated community members, creating jobs in a disadvantaged community where stable employment was hard to find. That effort deepened his understanding of how economic opportunity, housing, and health are inextricably linked and how real estate can be used as a tool to improve lives on multiple fronts. Over time, that perspective has evolved into Brisa’s approach: development that doesn’t stop at the property line.
Under Kevin’s leadership, Brisa has secured billions in funding, advised dozens of cities, counties, and nonprofits, and is now building a portfolio of affordable housing and health infrastructure that reflects both his professional rigor and personal commitment to neighborhood-scale impact. From site selection and GHG modeling to deal structuring and application strategy, Kevin is known for bringing speed, precision and big-picture thinking to every stage of a project.
Kevin holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and speaks fluent Spanish.
