Doris Bunte
Director of Community Relations
Human Resource Coordinator
(617) 373-4861
[email protected]

Doris Bunte is a highly regarded leader, speaker and trainer as a result of her experiences, first as a user, then provider/advocate, in the areas of housing and human services.

Previous Experience

For more than 25 years, she worked to improve public housing in the United States. Starting as a tenant leader at the Orchard Park housing development in Boston, she went on to become a board commissioner and later the administrator (CEO) of the Boston Housing Authority (1984 to 1992).

In 1973, Doris Bunte became the first African-American woman elected to the Massachusetts Legislature. She was elected to seven consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

She became the first woman — Republican or Democrat — to be appointed to a position in the House leadership in 48 years.

She was appointed chairwoman of the House Committee on Federal Financial Assistance. As chairwoman, Bunte reviewed the allocation of millions of federal dollars that came into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for various programs and projects.

She visited South Africa as technical assistance provider with the Community and Urban Services Support Project, sponsored by U.S. AID, where she was asked to share experiences on issues of low-income housing and partnerships with private industry, homeowners and residents. She visited Johannesburg, Alexandra, Sweto and Cape Town.

Education

Bunte's educational background includes includes a master's degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and, as a Loeb fellow, a certificate in advanced environmental studies from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she was appointed research fellow at the Community Fellows program.

In additional, she has received appointments as research assistant and currently serves as a member of the advisory committee to the Faculty Associates at the William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts.

Personal

Bunte has contributed many years of service on community boards and has received numerous awards and tributes for dedicated community service. As a former public housing resident, commissioner, administrator, director, human service advocate, speaker, leader and trainer, Bunte brings a wealth of experience to assist those with whom she works. She continues to believe that the work of humanity will never be complete until we can convince society that housing rights are "human rights" and, more importantly, that "being poor is not the result of a flaw in character."