Dr. Lesli Gooch

Dr. Lesli Gooch is the Chief Executive Officer of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). Dr. Gooch has been at MHI for ten years. During her tenure she has assembled a strong team that has secured a number of key legislative and regulatory accomplishments for the industry. Under her leadership, MHI has made strides in elevating manufactured housing within Congress and the Administration. For example, in 2023 MHI was able to secure a delay in poorly constructed Department of Energy standards and continues to push to pass legislation to ensure HUD is the sole regulator of the construction of manufactured housing. MHI was successful in elevating the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs in the HUD hierarchy, putting it on par with the offices for single-family and multi-family. In September, HUD released the first comprehensive update to the construction code (HUD Code) in over a decade. HUD also expanded the range of homes to be built under the HUD Code, by allowing for single-section duplexes and multi-unit designs. In June, MHI was a co-presenter of HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase and facilitated the display of two duplex manufactured homes on the National Mall. In Congress, manufactured housing was a key topic during all of Congress’ hearings about housing supply. At the state level, MHI helped states accomplish some key zoning wins and supported them as they combatted state legislation that could negatively impact owners of land lease communities. Dr. Gooch joined MHI after serving across a variety of vantage points in Washington – including as a congressional staff member, congressional candidate, lobbyist, and political scientist focused on Congress. She has served on both Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory committees. Dr. Gooch has been recognized for three consecutive years as one of HousingWire’s Women of Influence for her efforts to elevate housing innovation and expand attainable homeownership. She has been ranked as one of The Hill’s top lobbyists in the United States and was a finalist for the Women in Government Relations’ Advocate of the Year Award in 2020. In 2018, Dr. Gooch was a nominee for the Professional Women in Advocacy’s Excellence in a Federal Issue Campaign award. In 2017, she was named in M Report’s “Wonder Women of Housing” as one of the top females impacting the housing industry. Dr. Gooch has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma.