Jack Woodruff

Rooted Housing Director

Jack Woodruff (he/him) is a housing and education leader committed to expanding access to stable, affordable housing in Oakland. His work focuses on building practical, market-based solutions that create shared value for educators, property partners, and communities, helping more people live where they serve.

At the Oakland Fund, Jack leads Rooted’s Affordable Housing Marketplace, supports housing acquisition efforts, and advances housing policy at the state level, while developing partnerships with property owners and managers and structuring opportunities that increase access to below-market housing for educators. His work bridges mission and execution, translating housing strategy into real homes for those serving Oakland’s schools.

An Oakland native, Jack’s career reflects his dual commitment to education and housing. Prior to joining Rooted, Jack worked across education, housing, and financial innovation. He served as Executive Director of Aspire Education Project, where he led efforts to expand access to high-quality academic mentorship for students from historically underserved communities across the Bay Area. He later worked at the intersection of housing and finance through roles with Landed, a mission-driven startup expanding pathways to homeownership for educators and essential workers, and Unison, a housing finance company pioneering home co-investment models that help homeowners access equity without taking on additional debt. Through this work, Jack developed a strong foundation in housing affordability, financial innovation, and market-based approaches to expanding access and opportunity. 

Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bard College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an enthusiastic advocate for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and completed his own in 2019. Outside of work, he enjoys biking, backpacking, spending time with family, and continuing to push past his long-standing fear of singing in public.