Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM

Chief Executive Officer

Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM, has been Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Housing since 1987. Under her leadership, Mercy Housing has grown to become an award-winning, national, not-for-profit housing organization with a presence in more than 200 cities, 43 states and the District of Columbia and serving more than 136,800 people in more than 40,000 quality, affordable homes.

Sister Lillian is a national spokesperson for the cause of affordable housing and the needs of people who are economically poor. She believes that providing safe, quality housing for everyone, regardless of income, is a matter of economic and social justice.

She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of San Francisco. Before becoming CEO of Mercy Housing, Sister Lillian worked in the health care field for 16 years. In 1998, the University of San Francisco recognized Sister Lillian by awarding her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. In 1999, she received the prestigious Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California’s Affordable Housing Leadership Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2006, Sister Lillian received the 25th Annual Housing Leadership Award from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. In 2009, Sister Lillian was inducted into the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame by Affordable Housing Finance Magazine.

Sister Lillian is currently serving on the boards of the National Housing Trust, the Alegent Health System in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Editorial Advisory Board of Affordable Housing Finance magazine. She is a past member of the Affordable Housing Advisory Council for the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Fannie Mae National Housing Advisory Council, Washington Mutual’s National Community Council and the advisory committee of the Bank of America Community Development Bank. She has served on the boards of the Catholic Health Corporation, Catholic Healthcare West, The Colorado Trust, and the Low Income Investment Fund and as a Public Interest Director for the Federal Home Loan Bank in Topeka, Kansas.