Frank S. Alexander
{{Short description|American academic}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = Frank S. Alexander
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Frank Spruill Alexander
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1952}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| residence =
| occupation =
| known_for =
| spouse =
| children =
| parents =
| awards =
| website =
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list | University of North Carolina | Harvard University}}
| thesis_title =
| thesis_url =
| thesis_year =
| school_tradition =
| doctoral_advisor =
| academic_advisors =
| influences =
| discipline = Law
| sub_discipline =
| workplaces = Emory University
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students =
| main_interests = Law and religion
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas =
| influenced =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
}}
Frank Spruill Alexander (born 1952) is an American legal scholar, serving as the Sam Nunn Professor of Law at the Emory University School of Law. He is also General Counsel for Center for Community Progress.[http://www.communityprogress.net/frank-s--alexander-pages-105.php Center for Community Progress Bio]
Early life and education
Alexander was born in 1952. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from University of North Carolina in 1973 and later received his Juris Doctor and Master of Theological Studies degrees from Harvard University in 1978.[http://www.law.emory.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/frank-s-alexander.html Frank Alexander's University of Wisconsin Faculty Page]
Professional career
In 1982 Alexander co-founded Emory's Center for the Study of Law and Religion. The center was the first of its kind among American law schools and, at least initially, focused on producing scholarly interdisciplinary work on the interplay of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.[http://cslr.law.emory.edu/about/mission-history/ History of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923055001/http://cslr.law.emory.edu/about/mission-history/ |date=2012-09-23 }} Many important legal scholars have worked at the center, including Harold J. Berman, Johan D. van der Vyver, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, and Michael Broyde. Other associated scholars include Martin E. Marty, Stephen G. Post, and Martha Albertson Fineman.
Alexander's focus is on community development and affordable housing. He is the nation's leading scholar on land-banking and a driving force in the movement to create land banks, which he describes as "governmental entities that specialize in the conversion of vacant, abandoned and foreclosed properties into productive use."{{Cite web |url=http://www.communityprogress.net/filebin/pdf/new_resrcs/LB_Book_2011_F.pdf |title=Frank S. Alexander, Land Banks and Land Banking (2011) |access-date=2011-08-19 |archive-date=2013-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101194647/http://www.communityprogress.net/filebin/pdf/new_resrcs/LB_Book_2011_F.pdf |url-status=dead }} He authored the seminal book in the field in 2005, Land Banks and Land Banking, and was instrumental in establishing the land bank in Flint, Michigan, and other communities.{{Cite web |url=http://www.communityprogress.net/land-bank-book-resources-105.php |title=Center for Community Progress Website |access-date=2011-08-19 |archive-date=2011-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819180420/http://www.communityprogress.net/land-bank-book-resources-105.php |url-status=dead }} An updated version of this book is offered for free on the Center for Community Progress website.{{Cite web |url=http://www.communityprogress.net/filebin/pdf/new_resrcs/LB_Book_2011_F.pdf |title=Frank S. Alexander, Land Banks and Land Banking (2011) |access-date=2011-08-19 |archive-date=2013-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101194647/http://www.communityprogress.net/filebin/pdf/new_resrcs/LB_Book_2011_F.pdf |url-status=dead }}
Alexander has received numerous awards for his teaching and served as a past Chairman of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta.[http://www.law.emory.edu/fileadmin/faculty_documents/cv/FrankAlexanderCV.pdf Frank Alexander Bio]{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} And he is a frequent commentator to NPR and other news sources on topics of urban development and the mortgage crisis.[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129108026 Mhari Saito, Judge May Hold Investors Responsible For Blight, NPR (August 11, 2010)]{{Cite web |url=http://www.wsbtv.com/news/26970220/detail.html |title=Mortgage Lender Accused Of $100M In Bad Loans, WSBTV (February 23, 2011) |access-date=2011-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830020532/http://www.wsbtv.com/news/26970220/detail.html |archive-date=2011-08-30 |url-status=dead }}[http://www.philly.com/philly/news/127452163.html Patrick Kerkstra, Taxes wither on the vine, The Philadelphia Inquirer (August 13, 2011)][https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/complex-system-leaves-thousands-of-bank-owned-properties-to-become-eyesores/2011/06/28/AG0EFDsH_story.html Brady Dennis, Complex system leaves foreclosure properties to become eyesores, Washington Post (June 30, 2011)]
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Frank S.}}
Category:Emory University faculty
Category:Harvard Divinity School alumni