Nathan Taft

Nathan Dudley Taft passed away suddenly at the end of February, 2025. Having pursued epic adventures near and far, Nathan filled his 51 years beyond their conceivable capacity, as an adoring father and husband, as a devoted family member and friend, and as a force in his field of work.

Nathan was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 8, 1973 and grew up in Santa Barbara, California where he developed an enduring love for the ocean, surfing, and natural beauty. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School (Class of 1991). While in school, Nathan volunteered at Transition House, serving families impacted by homelessness. This experience proved formative for what would become the focus of his professional life.

Nathan graduated from Yale University in 1995 with a BA in History. From 1995 to 1997, he was a Yale China Fellow at Yali Middle School in Changsha, Hunan Province after which he spent two years traveling domestically to recruit prospective students for the Yale undergraduate admissions office. Nathan then worked for Yale’s Office of New Haven and State Affairs, which sparked his interest in community development and real estate. In 2004, he earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management. That same year, Nathan joined Jonathan Rose Companies, where over the next twenty years he oversaw the acquisition and preservation of affordable and mixed-income multifamily housing. Nathan was key to the launch of JRCo’s first social impact fund in 2005 and, under his stewardship as Chief Investment Officer, the investment business has grown to preserve and develop 20,000 units of affordable housing representing over $4.5 billion of real estate. Nathan’s deep and broad legacy includes the impact he has had on countless lives, providing them access to more hospitable, healthy, and environmentally sustainable housing.

Nathan was a member of the Urban Land Institute Affordable Workforce Housing Council, the National Multi Housing Council, the Pension Real Estate Association, and the 13th class of the Aspen Institute First Movers Fellowship. Nathan served on the boards of Impact Capital Managers, an impact investing organization of fund managers, Goddard Riverside, a 130-year-old settlement house in New York City that serves low-income families and seniors, and the Yale-China Association, a nonprofit that administers education, arts, and healthcare exchanges between the United States and China.

Nathan met his wife Soogy in New York City, introducing himself after chasing her as she was leaving a restaurant. Their children, Wallis and Eli, are by far Nathan’s proudest accomplishment, and he fiercely protected and nurtured them. An involved parent, Nathan urged his children to read, to be curious and to engage in the world with empathy and kindness. He was also the fun, active parent who would take the children surfing in the ocean or in a wave pool in a New Jersey mall, skiing through the trees, mountain biking or sledding at midnight in Riverside Park. To Nathan, the world held unlimited possibility – whether for travel, achievement, food, experience or connection. There was always so much to do and so much to get done. In all areas of his life, Nathan was generous, principled, engaged, thoughtful, and caring. He lived each day with intent and purpose and exerted his influence not only on those immediately around him, but also the broader community. An avid reader, thinker, runner, surfer, cyclist, nature-lover, and skier, Nathan cherished every moment and hated saying no to anything or to anyone – a testament to his mindset as a time optimist.

Nathan is survived by his wife, Soogy Lee, whom he married in May of 2007, their two children, Wallis (17) and Eli (15), and a Cavapoo named Coco. Along with his immediate family, he is survived by his mother Louise Dudley Taft, his father Thomas Prindle Taft, and his three siblings Genevieve, Seth, and Charles and their families. Nathan donated his organs, his generosity and compassion evident until the end. He is and will be missed dearly.

Donations in Nathan’s honor may be made to Goddard Riverside’s housing program at goddard.org, or to Transition House at transitionhouse.com. Nathan's family will be holding a private Memorial and Celebration of life April 10th at 2PM.