Colin McNiece joined MassHousing in 2019 as General Counsel and was appointed Chief Legal & Operating Officer in 2024. He is responsible for overseeing the Agency’s day-to-day operations and implementing strategic plans to confront the Commonwealth’s housing challenges.

Colin oversees the departments of human resources, internal audit, legal, marketing and communications, and administration. He also serves as a key strategic advisor to the MassHousing Board. During Colin’s tenure with MassHousing, the Agency has seen sustained growth in its core business lines, including $6.8 billion in total affordable housing lending.

Before launching his legal career, Colin worked in city planning, including serving as Chief Planner and Economic Development Director in Lowell, Massachusetts. Under his leadership in Lowell, Colin was responsible for spearheading the development of the City’s Arts District, developing an urban revitalization plan, and leading the restructuring of the municipal parking system, as well as the financing of a new facility to catalyze development.

Recognizing the integral role that financing plays in municipal revitalization—and the challenge of balancing redevelopment needs with the technical requirements of the federal tax code—Colin elected to earn his law degree. His legal career concentrated on public finance. Prior to joining MassHousing, Colin spent over a decade at a Boston-based law firm, where his public finance practice specialized in housing, transportation, higher education, health care, and economic development.

Colin earned a Master of Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law.