Dr. Myriam Igoufe

Dr. Myriam Igoufe is the chief research and innovation officer (CRIO) for DHA. Dr. Igoufe is responsible for driving and implementing research-based initiatives to advance DHA’s growth, productivity, and to expand the organization’s long-term innovative capabilities. She leads and manages the innovation process inside the organization, which includes the pursuit of operational and technological advancement and introducing innovative and practical models and policies. Her work has received coverage from the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Pew, CBS, the Texas Tribune, the Dallas Business Journal, and others.

Since joining DHA, Dr. Igoufe has led many successful programs aimed at fostering upward- mobility for communities chronically under-resourced in North Texas. In 2019, Dr. Igoufe and her Policy Development & Research (PD&R) team designed and launched a pioneer program named Children First North Texas (CFNTX). The program, designed to combat segregation, focuses on the provision of mobility counseling and support services for Voucher families with children living in racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty. In 2021, President Biden’s request for 2022 discretionary funding included funding a nationwide CFNTX-like program, mirroring DHA’s program architecture and intent. More recently, Dr. Igoufe and her team developed an automation-driven system to expeditiously disburse emergency rental assistance to COVID-impacted households in Dallas. The team deployed an innovative equity-focused model, covered by the Wall Street Journal, which allowed for the successful and efficient disbursement of more than $24M to Dallas residents.

Prior to joining DHA, Dr. Igoufe led the country’s largest collaborative group to develop the North Texas Fair Housing Assessment (22 local governments, PHAs), which was part of a new planning process established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requiring federal grantees to identify, evaluate, and address fair housing issues and factors contributing to discriminatory issues. 

In 2020, Dr. Igoufe and her team secured a multi-year applied research partnership with Harvard University’s research group ‘Opportunity Insights’ led by renowned economist Dr. Chetty. Dr. Igoufe and her team also were selected to participate in a nationwide initiative to advance diversity, equity & inclusion in education (The Bridges Collaborative), led by The Century Foundation. 

Dr. Igoufe also serves on the City of Dallas Undesign the Redline Advisory Board, the MDHA Racial Equity Committee, Commit’s Strategic Planning External Steering Committee, and has been named to the Advisory Council of the Dallas Economic Opportunity Leadership Academy.

After attending the Sorbonne Law School in Paris, she received her bachelor’s degree in political science, government, and international law as well as her master’s degree in public administration from Lamar University. Dr. Igoufe earned a Ph.D. in urban planning and public policy from the University of Texas at Arlington.