Mr. Gunning serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Lighthouse Public Affairs. He is a veteran of finance, housing policy, insurance, and community development investment in California. With over two decades of experience working with the Legislature, he has been appointed by two governors to serve on the California Housing Financing Agency and most recently was appointed by Governor Newsom to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System Board (CALSTRS).
He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the California Building Industry Association (CBIA). In his role as the chief advocate for CBIA, Mr. Gunning represented the membership before the California State Legislature, the Governor’s Office, and other state agencies to advocate for intelligent, constructive policies that bolster the homebuilding industry and increase homeownership opportunities.
Previously, Mr. Gunning was the Vice President for the Personal Insurance Federation of California (PIFC). He represented PIFC member companies before the California State Legislature, the Governor’s Office, and the Department of Insurance. As the lead lobbyist for PIFC, Mr. Gunning advocated for personal lines insurance issues including auto, homeowners, and insurers’ community investment issues, among others.
At the California Department of Insurance, Mr. Gunning was the Director of the California Organized Investment Network. In that capacity, he sought to match insurance investment capital with safe and sound investments for economic development and affordable housing in urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Mr. Gunning continues his interest in community development through his affiliation with the Alliance for Community Development in Oakland, CA where he is Chairman of the Board of Directors. As mentioned above, in 2010 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Mr. Gunning to the California Housing Financing Agency and he was reappointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016. Until 2021 he served on the Board of Trustees for America First Quantitative Funds, a mutual fund in Roseville, CA. In April of 2022, Gunning was appointed to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System Board.
Mr. Gunning holds a BA in Political Science and History from Claremont McKenna College and an MA in Public Policy from Claremont Graduate School. He lives in Elk Grove, CA with his wife, Kelly, and their daughters, Elon and Emma.
