Gary Rhodes, Executive Director

We are honored to welcome Gary Rhoades as our Executive Director starting June 1, 2026. A native Missourian, Gary recently returned from California and is ready to expand upon Heartland’s many successes.

Gary is a civil rights attorney with more than thirty years of leadership experience in public interest law, impact litigation, municipal civil rights enforcement, community education, and legislative approaches. He is recognized nationally for advancing fair housing protections and expanding access to justice.

His impressive professional experience includes:

  • 1993 - 2000: Managing Attorney at Legal Services of Northern California, specializing in fair housing, affordable housing and consumer protection litigation

  • 2000 - 2004: Litigation Director for Southern California Housing Rights Center, and received the “California Public Interest Lawyer of the Year” and “Alumni Public Service” awards

  • 2004 - 2007: Partner for civil rights practice with emphasis on fair housing litigation

  • 2007 - 2023: Deputy City Attorney in the Consumer/Tenant Protection Division in Santa Monica, enforcing laws regarding fair housing, affordable housing, and consumer protection.

  • 2026: Appointed on Kansas City, Missouri’s “Housing Trust Fund Board” by Mayor Lucas

Not only does Gary have the professional experience, but he has collaborated with grassroots organizers to pass and implement pro-tenant municipal policies. As the Deputy City Attorney in Santa Monica, he researched, drafted and helped pass various fair housing protection laws, including a pioneering voucher discrimination ban. He also spearheaded and implemented Santa Monica’s “Right to Counsel” legislation.

Gary has published over thirty articles and co-authored two manuals on housing discrimination, fair housing rights, reasonable accommodations, consumer protection, political asylum, and right to counsel. His work has also appeared in the “Kansas City Star” and “The Pitch,” regarding the civil rights movement in Kansas City, sports, music, and fossils.

Additionally, he is the Co-Founder of “Rhoades to Justice Scholarship” with Kansas City Community Foundation and has organized the October 2024 conference “Fair Housing laws & Litigation: KC Edition.”