Profile

Mickey Northcutt was born and raised in Houston, Texas but decided to move up to Massachusetts to attend Boston University after spending a year in Germany as an exchange student. He enrolled in Boston University’s Urban Affairs and City Planning program and was fascinated by how the issues he was studying directly affected people's lives. After graduating, he remembers wanting “to do something mission oriented and make a difference in the world,” and this passion was what eventually led him to community development.

Mickey was drawn to community development during one of his first jobs out of college. He recalls how one of his colleagues in Sen. John Kerry's office was explaining how access to affordable housing “was the most pressing issue you could work on in New England if you really want to make a difference in people's lives. I would say that [was] a catalytic moment.” After roles in property management and LIHTC syndication, Mickey joined the then-Beverly Affordable Housing Coalition as their Executive Director. Three years later, BAHC merged with then-Salem Harbor CDC to create North Shore CDC (NSCDC). As NSCDC grew and evolved, Mickey’s career in community development was solidified. He explains,

“It was inspiring know our work was a part of a movement and that we had a legacy of activism to fulfill alongside our housing development work. Community building and engagement was the foundation of all of our work. Listening to the community led us to all sorts of interesting work, ranging from building youth-oriented housing to creating a small business incubator to launching a public art program and creating a Neighborhood Ambassador program. The richness of this work is what distinguishes community development from other housing development. What the community development movement does is precious.”

Over the course of his eighteen-year tenure as NSCDC’s CEO, Mickey oversaw and contributed to considerable organizational change and growth. He currently uses his previous experiences to help others with organizational strategy and ambitious development projects as a consultant and coach, now affiliated with Publicos Studio.

During this time of rapid change and uncertainty, we decided that now would be an excellent opportunity to collaborate with Mickey and offer our first CDC CEO Group Coaching Program. The program is designed to provide CDC CEOs with a confidential, supportive space to address complex leadership challenges, strengthen resilience, and build community with peers facing similar opportunities and pressures. Mickey is eager to facilitate a program like the group coaching program he found so valuable when he was a CDC CEO. He elaborates, “I know what it's like to need a sounding board. It's exciting to be able to provide that kind of environment for folks on the front lines of community development.”

Outside of work, Mickey is a proud dog dad and enjoys spending as much time as possible in the ocean scuba diving, free diving, and open water swimming.

The Mel King Institute’s CDC CEO Group Coaching Program will begin in January 2026. If you are interested in participating, apply here before November 30, 2025. Learn more about the program in our CDC CEO Group Coaching Info Webinar on November 19, 2025.