Gregory J. Melanson
Senior Advisor
Greg is a Senior Advisor within the Real Estate practice at ZRG Partners. Prior to joining ZRG in 2022, Greg was Partner at Terra Search Partners, where he was the Co-Head of Affordable Housing and Impact Investing. Greg’s clients benefit immensely from his 20-plus years in multiple areas of the real estate industry, including lending, investing, and affordable housing finance. That’s complemented by his more recent experiences in executive leadership with Bank of America and in nonprofit leadership as the Deputy Executive Director of Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ).
Greg is well known for the passion he has for nonprofit organizations. He guides them adeptly through the complicated process of leadership succession and the transition of long-serving and founder leaders. His enthusiasm, market knowledge, and deep industry connections are a winning combination for organizations whose success depends heavily on their senior leadership.
A personal commitment to equality and justice guide Greg in his participation on boards of nonprofits. He serves on the Board of Directors of MANNA, Inc., a nonprofit developer of affordable for-sale and rental housing. In 2020 he led the CEO Search Committee, and successfully transitioned the leadership, replacing the retiring CEO who created the organization more than 40 years ago. Recently, Greg served on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of CHANGE All Souls Housing Corporation, which provides affordable housing in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After the sudden passing of that organization’s Executive Director, Greg served as Interim Executive Director and assisted the organization to find a permanent leader. His previous board roles include National Equity Fund, N Street Village, and GreenHome. Greg is currently a member of the DC Office Local Advisory Council of LISC and is on the leadership committee of ULI’s Affordable Workforce Housing Council.
Greg earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University in Maryland with a major in business administration, followed by an MBA from George Washington University with a concentration in real estate.
Outside of his work, he finds pleasure in biking, yoga, cooking, travel, reading, and movies. Greg is married to Dan Anderson, his partner of over 20 years. They have two rambunctious Wheaten Terriers, Dooly and Lily, and split their time between Washington, D.C., and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
