Community development organization NeighborWorksAmerica Friday announced that it has appointed NCUA ChairmanDebbie Matz to the post of vice chair of its board.

Matz replaces Gigi Hyland on the NeighborWorks board; Hyland was board chair when she resigned from the NCUA Board inOctober.

Determined by statute, NeighborWorks America's board consists ofthe heads of federal financial regulatory agencies and HUD.

Matz previously served as vice chair of NeighborWorks America'sboard in 2004 during her first term on the NCUA board.

“I feel honored to return to the NeighborWorks America Board andcontinue their outstanding work to ensure individuals and familieshave access to safe, affordable homes,” Matz said in astatement.

“NeighborWorks America has grown tremendously since my firstterm on the board,” she said. “Working with community developmentfinancial institutions and other leading community-basedorganizations, NeighborWorks America fulfills a vital mission andmakes a lasting impact that benefits consumers and our nation'seconomy.”

As vice chair, Matz will support Chair Sarah Bloom Raskin fromthe Federal Reserve to provide strategic oversight in support ofNeighborWorks America's mission. The organization createsopportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthentheir communities by providing access to homeownership and to safeand affordable rental housing.

In the past five years, NeighborWorks organizations havegenerated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in thesecommunities. NeighborWorks America said it now supports a networkof more than 235 nonprofits, located in every state, the Districtof Columbia and Puerto Rico.

“Director Matz is a public service veteran who has tremendousCapitol Hill experience and oversees federally insured creditunions,” said NeighborWorks America CEO Eileen Fitzgerald.