CREW Boston awards Donna Brown the 2025 Suzanne King Public Service Award

CREW Boston recently honored Donna Brown, Executive Director of South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation (South Boston NDC), with the 2025 Suzanne King Public Service Award, celebrating her decades of impact in the community development field and her unwavering commitment to affordable housing in South Boston.

 “I am truly humbled to be in the company of past Suzanne King Public Service Award winners,” she said, adding that the honor is especially meaningful given the legacy of the women who came before her.

Each year at CREW Boston’s Achievement Awards, the Greater Boston commercial real estate community celebrates the professional achievements and public service contributions of some of the organization’s most accomplished members.

Brown’s career in community development began in the City of Boston’s Public Facilities Department and evolved into her leadership at South Boston NDC, where she has helped develop nearly 200 units of affordable housing. Under her direction, South Boston NDC has expanded its mission beyond housing to include small business support and quality-of-life programming such as the South Boston Farmers Market and community gardens.

Brown used the occasion to advocate for continued support of community development corporations (CDCs), emphasizing their role in tackling gentrification and housing displacement. “As community-based organizations, our core missions are improving our neighborhoods while supporting vulnerable residents,” she said.

She shared a personal anecdote that encapsulates her philosophy: “I recounted to my husband the parable of the little girl saving starfish on the beach. When her grandmother said, ‘You can't save them all,’ the girl replied, ‘But I can save this one.’ That is the essence of community development — providing affordable places to live in my community of South Boston, so that someone’s grandmother has a place to call home.”

Brown also called on her peers in the real estate industry to lend their time, skills, and voices to support CDCs across Massachusetts. “We all need board members, volunteers, and advocates for affordable housing development,” she said. “Supportive voices, as well as resources, are critical to our success.”

Brown’s deep ties to South Boston — where she has lived with her family for more than 35 years — are matched only by her passion for building a community where everyone has a place to call home.