Dr. Troy Nash and his daughter Arielle Nash are Co-founders of The Nash Group
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition there is a shortage of more than 7 million
affordable homes for our nation’s 10.8 million plus extremely low-income families. There is no state or county where a renter working full-time at minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment. Seventy percent
of all extremely low-income families are severely cost burdened, paying more than half their income on rent.
This is a big problem, and one Arielle Nash, co-founder of the Nash Group intends to combat. She with her dad,
Dr. Troy Nash founded The Nash Group a 100% minority owned and operated affordable housing development
firm to provide creative affordable housing solutions. “I believe housing is a fundamental right,” said Arielle. This
belief is born out of her fathers lived experience.
Humble Beginnings
Dr. Troy Nash Defied the Odds and believes in the American Dream. He is an innovator, pioneer, and
leader who blazed a path as a successful real estate entrepreneur and affordable housing expert. A lifelong
resident of America’s heartland, Troy was born in Kansas City Missouri. Raised by a single-mother, Nash knows
first-hand the struggles of growing up without a father in the home. Troy grew up in poverty, on welfare, living
in Section 8 housing. The product of the Kansas City Missouri Public School System, he worked a series of
odd jobs to help his mother make ends meet.
Labeled “at-risk” early in life, Troy was told he was not college material. As a teenager, the almost high school
dropout discovered the United States Air Force which changed his life forever. Against all odds, with no money
or family connections, Troy would set out on a path that would lead to traveling to over 50 countries around the
world, a stint in public office, and becoming the very first African-American real estate executive to become a
principal/shareholder in a top tier commercial real estate firm in the history of the State of Missouri; shattering a glass ceiling that stood since Missouri became the 24th state on August 10, 1821.
Lifelong Learning
Troy realized early in life getting an education was the only way out of poverty. With the help of the G.I. Bill, scholarships, and government loans, he was able to get an education. Nash earned a B.S. in economics from Wesley College in Dover, Delaware while serving on active duty; participating in both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm during the war with Iraq. When he returned to Kansas City, Nash attended the University of Missouri – Kansas City College of Arts and Sciences earning an M.A. in political science and an M.A. in Economics. Nash also earned a J.D. from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law and an M.B.A. from the Bloch School of Management. In 2015, Nash earned a Doctor of Education degree from Saint Louis University. Dr. Nash holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Southern California and is completing a Master’s in Real Estate from Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
Mentors Matter
Just as he was mentored by former Kansas City Mayor Emanual Cleaver II (now a United States Congressman) and real estate developer and business leader Hugh J. Zimmer, Dr. Nash continues to train up the next generation of real estate entrepreneurs like his daughter, Arielle. The 22-year-old graduated Pembroke Hill High School, a prominent private college preparatory school in 2018. She took a gap year and worked on capitol hill for the Chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance with broad jurisdiction over national housing
policy. The fluent Chinese speaker represents the next generation of millennium leaders who put people before profit, and believes in giving back. “We understand providing affordable housing is fundamental to decreasing poverty and providing people with dignity,” said Arielle Nash.
