Ari Beliak

President & CEO

Ari Beliak is President & CEO of Merritt Community Capital Corporation, where he has led record growth since 2019, closing the four largest funds in the organization’s history and raising nearly half of the $1.6 billion Merritt has secured over 35 years. As a driver of reinvesting back into the affordable housing industry, Ari launched Commitment to California, Merritt’s workforce development initiative that has provided $4.5 million through scholarships, internships, and professional development—supporting more than 1,500 affordable housing professionals across California since its launch in 2021.

Prior to joining Merritt, Ari served as Senior Vice President at Bank of America, where he managed over $3 billion in affordable housing financing across Northern California, Nevada, and Colorado, including overseeing the nation’s largest affordable housing project, the San Francisco Rental Assistance Demonstration.

Over his career, he has helped create more than 10,000 affordable homes and has been recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 by the San Francisco Business Journal. Ari holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law, and a BA from UC Berkeley.

Ari currently serves as Past President of the Board of the National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF) and is a board member of the California Housing Consortium (CHC) as well as Christian Church Homes (CCH).