John Baker currently serves as The LOFT’s Interim Executive Director and had previously served on The LOFT’s Board of Director’s for four years, including serving on The Boards Executive Committee as Board Secretary.  

Prior to coming to The LOFT in his current capacity, John worked at Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO) a housing counseling and fair housing nonprofit located in White Plains, NY from 2015 to 2018.  John served as Director of WRO’s Senior Housing Program, counseling seniors in Westchester County seeking to locate and maintain affordable housing options.  John also conducted reverse mortgage counseling sessions on behalf of the agency to provide information and HUD required counseling certificates for clients seeking reverse mortgages. John also served as WRO’s Fair Lending Program Manager conducting civil rights testing investigations based on protected categories under federal, state and county law throughout the Hudson Valley Region. 

John has also worked at national civil rights organizations for almost 15 years in Washington D.C. including the Equal Rights Center and the National Fair Housing Alliance, where he conducted regional and national civil rights compliance investigations, often as part of large-scale federally funded initiatives.  John has always been interested in the intersection of civil rights and the LGBT community, In 2014 he conducted a first of its kind civil rights testing investigation to assess potential levels of discrimination among same-sex couples as they sought housing in the over 55 housing market.  Conducted in 10 states, the study led to an ongoing national education and outreach initiative.

John currently serves on the Board of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission and serves as the chair of it's Fair Housing Board. He lives with his husband Alex, and their three dogs, Tenby, Harlow and Sammy in Cortlandt Manor, NY!