Our Founders
Jim and Patty Rouse, inspired by a community-based group in Washington, D.C., founded Enterprise in 1982 to see that all low-income people have the opportunity for affordable housing and to move up and out of poverty.James W. Rouse
(April 26, 1914 - April 9, 1996)James Rouse spent his adult life working with the American city—its problems and its opportunities—both as a developer and as a member of various public interest organizations.
In the 1960s, he focused on the development of Columbia, the planned community in Maryland. In the 1970s, The Rouse Company developed the festival marketplace concept and opened Faneuil Hall in Boston. Jim retired as CEO of The Rouse Company in 1979 and in 1982 he and wife Patty launched The Enterprise Foundation, now known as Enterprise.
He was a member of President Eisenhower's Task Force on Housing in 1953 and of President Reagan's Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives in 1982. In 1987, he became chairman of the National Housing Task Force, which made proposals to Congress in March 1988 for a new housing program. The report formed the basis for comprehensive housing legislation signed into law by President Bush in November 1990. Jim was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President Clinton in September 1995. He passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Columbia, Md.
Patricia Rouse
Co-FounderPatricia Rouse co-founded The Enterprise Foundation with her husband, James Rouse, in 1982. She served as vice president and secretary and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the organization (now Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.). She also served as secretary and as a member of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.
Patty is a member of the Founders Committee of World Times, Inc., publisher of The WorldPaper; is on the Board of Directors of Jubilee Housing, Inc. of Washington, D.C.; and has served on the board of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. She lives in Columbia, Md.