Geoff Brown
Chairperson – President, USA Properties Fund
Geoffrey C. Brown is President of USA Properties Fund. USA Properties Fund develops, through construction or acquisition and rehabilitation, affordable housing for families and seniors, primarily in California and Nevada. In addition, its subsidiary, USA Multifamily Management, manages its own projects in a portfolio consisting of approximately 4,000 units.
Before joining USA in 1989, Geoff was employed at Sanwa Bank California in their Real Estate Industries Division. During his tenure at Sanwa Bank as Vice President and Manager of the Pasadena Real Estate Office, he oversaw the construction lending activity for residential and commercial loans.
Linda Mandolini
Vice Chair & Co-Policy Chair – Executive Director, Eden Housing
Linda Mandolini has served Eden Housing as a Project Developer, as the Director of Real Estate Development, and since 2001, as Executive Director. She oversees all the affordable housing production, resident support services and property management components of the organization, and their combined annual operating budget of over $4 million. In 2008, Linda was named a Woman of Distinction by the East Bay Business Times.
Linda held various community development positions in Boston prior to moving to California in 1996. She served as Director of Transportation and Land Use Development at the Silicon Valley Manufacturing group in Silicon Valley.
Jack Gardner
Secretary – President & CEO, The John Stewart Company
Jack Gardner joined JSCo as its President and CEO in 2001, bringing eighteen years of diverse experience in the financing, development and management of affordable housing to the company. Jack’s professional background includes the public, non-profit and private sectors. He has served as Senior Housing Development Analyst for the City of Santa Monica, Southern California Program Manager for the Low Income Housing Fund, founding Executive Director of the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, Executive Director of Resources for Community Development in Berkeley and Acquisitions Director for Edison Capital Housing Investments.
Jack is experienced in both the new construction and preservation of residential properties and his historic renovation projects have received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award, the Los Angeles Conservancy Award and the California Preservation Foundation’s Affordable Housing Award.
Ken Sauder
Treasurer – President and CEO, Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation
Ken Sauder is president and CEO of Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation. He was the organization’s founding executive director in 1999. Under Ken’s leadership and assisted by a strong staff and solid board of directors, Wakeland has grown its development portfolio to over 5,500 units in 31 projects throughout California and Washington.
Ken has over 30 years of community development and affordable housing experience, working exclusively for non-profits, both internationally and nationally. He has extensive expertise in working with a variety of funding sources — tax credit, tax exempt bonds, municipal bonds, HOME funds, CDBG funds, set-aside money and a variety of foundation funds.
Jeanne Peterson
Co-Policy Chair – Principal, The Reznick Group
Jeanne has been involved in affordable housing public policy issues for almost thirty years, the majority of them in the public sector. She is currently the Principal in charge of Reznick Group’s National Affordable Housing Finance practice. Prior to assuming this position she was appointed Executive Director of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) for five and one half years.
Jeanne came to California from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), where she worked first as a staff attorney, and then as Director of Legal Affairs. In Michigan, she directed a staff of attorneys in bond and multifamily loan closings and had oversight of the low income housing tax credit program from its inception.
Mary Kaiser
Membership Chair – President, California Community Reinvestment Corporation
Mary Kaiser is a 30-year financial services executive, specializing in marketing, lending and integrating the delivery of financial products and services. Mary joined the California Community Reinvestment Corporation in 1995 as President and CEO, since increasing net worth of the company by $14 million while evolving the product lines to meet the increasing needs of membership as well as the low-income communities served. CCRC provides permanent mortgages, tax-exempt private placement bonds, acquisition/rehabilitation/permanent financing, and equity for the development of affordable rental and for-sale housing, extending in excess of $800 million in new loan commitments, funding of over $500 million in loans
Mary serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Economic Development Council, Executive Committee of the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders, Board of Trustees of Community Reinvestment Fund, Board of Directors of California Environmental Redevelopment Fund, Advisory Board of the Ventura County Community Foundation and the Low Income Investment Fund Loan Committee.
Terry Freeman
Immediate Past Chair – Principal, Terry Freeman & Associates
Terry Freeman began her own woman-owned real estate services firm, Terry Freeman & Associates, LLC in 2010. She brings more than thirty years of experience to her company’s focus on providing advisory services in the areas of real estate finance, development, asset management and troubled assets for developers, owners, lenders and government entities.
For the past ten years, Terry served as Director of Klein Financial Corporation and Principal of its Klein Capital Solutions. Prior to joining Klein Capital Solutions, she served as Senior Vice President of Savings Associations Mortgage Company (SAMCO), Chief Asset Officer for San Francisco Federal, Senior Vice President of Great American Asset Management Company, Portfolio Manager for Glenborough Corporation and as a Senior Consultant in the Real Estate Industries Group at SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute).
Laura 
Archuleta
President, Jamboree Housing Corporation
In ten short years, Laura Archuleta has guided Jamboree from a small, Irvine-based local housing developer with 750 units into a statewide provider of affordable housing with more than 6,700 units for families and seniors in 35+ communities.
Laura’s commitment to enhance the quality of life for residents who live in the communities she serves spans nearly 20 years, resulting in the production/preservation of more than 10,000 housing units being leased or sold to lower-income families and/or seniors. She co-chaired the State’s Proposition 1 C Campaign Finance Committee in 2006-its passage equating to additional funding to increase affordable housing options for California residents.
Orlando Cabrera
Counsel, Nixon Peabody
Orlando Cabrera is a member of Nixon Peabody’s Affordable Housing group and advises public housing authorities, housing finance agencies, community development agencies, developers, and financial institutions on complex affordable housing matters. He has significant experience with U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) regulatory matters (including native american housing issues), low-income housing tax credits, debt financing, state financing programs, tribal financing programs, and general real estate.
Orlando formerly served as CEO and president of National Community Renaissance, a national nonprofit affordable housing developer. Prior to that was appointed by President George W. Bush as the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Rebecca Clark
Executive Vice President for Northern California, BRIDGE Housing Corp
Rebecca Clark joined BRIDGE as Executive Vice President for Northern California in 2011. Before joining BRIDGE, she worked as an affordable housing consultant for a variety of nonprofit and for-profit clients, including serving as Managing Director and Acting President for LINC Housing Corporation. Prior to that, she spent a decade in executive leadership positions at National Community Renaissance (National CORE) and two of three nonprofits that merged to form National CORE in 2006. As Executive Director of Southern California Housing Development Corporation, she grew the development pipeline from six projects in 2000 to 37 projects in 2006.
Rebecca previously founded and served as Director of the Construction Management Division at the Los Angeles Community Development Commission. Earlier at the LACDC, as Manager of the Housing Development Division, she negotiated and developed loan agreements and contracts committing over $75 million in subsidy funds, which resulted in more than 2,000 new and rehabilitated affordable homes.
Leslye Corsiglia
Director, City of San Jose–Housing Department
Leslye Corsiglia has over 25 years of experience in the affordable housing field in both State and local government positions. Since 2001, Leslye has served as the Director for the City of San José’s Housing Department, having held the position of Assistant Director for ten-year period beginning in 1991. Under her leadership, the Department has become one of the most active and well-respected housing organizations in the nation.
Prior to joining the City of San José in 1991, Leslye worked for the State of California in its Departments of Developmental Services and Housing and Community Development. She was appointed by the Governor to the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s senior staff and was responsible for the daily oversight of the State’s housing loan and grant programs, including administration of the State’s first affordable housing bond initiatives that made $600 million available for the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing throughout the State.
Matt 
Franklin
President, MidPen Housing
Matthew O. Franklin joined MidPen Housing as President in July 2008. Matt is responsible for the strategic direction and oversees all areas of the company operations including real estate development, property and asset management (current portfolio of 5,400 units), corporate administration and resident services.
Matt came to MidPen from an appointed post as Executive Director of the San Francisco’s Mayor’s Office of Housing. Matt’s previous roles include Director of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development; Vice President of Emerging Markets for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and senior positions at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton.
Lynn Hutchins
Goldfarb & Lipman, LLP
Lynn is a partner at Goldfarb & Lipman LLP where she has practiced since 1984 in the areas of affordable housing, community economic development, environmental law, and real estate finance.
Lynn represents numerous nonprofits and public agencies in the development, financing and management of low and moderate income housing projects and programs. She structures and negotiates agreements for all phases of the development process, including formation of special-purpose entities, acquisition of property, loan closing, hazardous materials advice, land use permits, and syndication of housing projects. She frequently advises and lectures on labor issues related to housing and community development projects.
Lynn is active with the American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development Law and the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California. She is a co-author of A Legal Guide to California Redevelopment (Third Edition), a leading reference source on redevelopment legal issues.
Jim Kroger
Treasurer – Partner, Novogradac & Company LLP
Jim Kroger is a partner in the San Francisco, Calif. office of Novogradac & Company LLP. Jim has extensive experience in consulting for affordable housing projects with financing from low-income housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds. He conducts workshops regarding tax credit applications, tax-exempt bond applications and tax credit property compliance; and he has created a training program to help property managers become certified in IRS Section 42 tax credit property compliance. Jim is the technical editor of the monthly Property Compliance Report newsletter, which is published to help property managers and owners with IRS Section 42 tax credit property compliance.
Mary Ellen Shay
Legislative Advocate, CAL-ALHFA and President, ME Shay Co.
Mary Ellen Shay began her career as a VISTA volunteer in 1970. She worked in Shasta County and founded the Self Help Home Improvement Project with her VISTA colleagues. SHHIP just celebrated its 30th Anniversary. She has worked at the local, state and federal level in developing affordable housing and has had a private consulting business since 1986. She has prepared over 300 market studies for affordable housing and serves as program liaison to over 20 HOME projects. She has assisted in the preparation of numerous tax credit and bond applications, as well as other affordable housing programs.
As a legislative advocate, she represents the California Housing Authorities Association and the California Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies. She is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program Advisory Committee.
Doug Shoemaker
President, Mercy Housing California
Doug joined Mercy Housing California as their President in 2010. He is responsible for leading MHC’s operations in California including the oversight of affordable housing development, fundraising and strategic planning.
Shoemaker has more than 15 years experience in the affordable housing and community development industry. Prior to joining MHC, Shoemaker was the Director of Mayor’s Office of Housing in San Francisco where he successfully led the City’s major housing initiatives, including HOPE SF (the City’s comprehensive public housing transformation efforts). As the chair of the Citywide Loan Committee, he oversaw lending on dozens of affordable housing developments, including the City’s pioneering supportive housing programs. a legislative advocate, she represents the California Housing Authorities Association and the California Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies.
Jim 
Silverwood
President & CEO, Affirmed Housing Group
James Silverwood founded Affirmed Housing Group, a for-profit affordable housing development corporation, in 1990. Mr. Silverwood has over 27 years experience in residential development, including land acquisition, engineering, architecture, finance, construction management, marketing, and asset management.
Jim has been active in regional and statewide legislative issues in California and served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Building Industry Association North County Division from 1989 to 1992, including serving as President in 1991. Jim was appointed to the California State Treasurer’s Housing Finance Advisory Committee in 1996 and served through 1998.
Dianne Spaulding
Executive Director, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
Dianne Spaulding is in her tenth year as the Executive Director for the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California. NPH is a 500 plus membership association representing housing practitioners and the developers of affordable housing primarily in the nine counties around the San Francisco Bay area. In 2003 Dianne was recognized in Northern California with the Catherine A. Bauer Leadership Awards and in 2002 with the Housing Genius Award.
She has held numerous positions including tenure as the Regional Director for the Bay Area Information and Retrieval System, Director of Governmental Affairs and Transportation for the Fresno City and County Chamber of Commerce and as Deputy Director for the Older Americans Organizations, a large multi-service agency serving the frail elderly in Central California.
Ronne Lynn Thielen
Executive Vice President, R4 Capital Inc
Ronne has extensive experience in multifamily housing finance and has specialized in the low-income housing tax credit program since its inception in 1986. She currently is the Executive Vice President of R4 Capital Inc and is the current president of both the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition and the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association.
She most recently served as a liaison on behalf of Centerline to national, state and local associations regarding affordable housing issues. Before joining Centerline in 1994, she served as executive director of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee from 1991 to 1994. Prior to that she was deputy director for program and policy development at the National Council of State Housing Agencies.
Percival Vaz
President/Chief Executive Officer, AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.
With more than 29 years of industry experience, AMCAL Multi-Housing Inc.’s President and Chief Executive Officer Percival Vaz is an expert in single and multi-family developments, construction, property management and real estate investment.
After founding AMCAL in 1978, Percy successfully transformed the company into one of the industry’s leading builders by planning, developing, building and managing projects valued at more than $350,000,000 throughout California. In 1996, due to market demand, AMCAL shifted its focus primarily on affordable housing. With more than $216 million awarded in tax credits since 2003, AMCAL continues to develop high-quality urban multi-family housing that provides architecturally attractive, meticulously constructed and environmentally smart opportunities for affordable family living in both for-sale and rental properties.
William A. Witte
Managing Partner, The Related Companies of California
Bill Witte is the Managing Partner of The Related Companies of California, one of the largest developers of urban and multifamily housing in the state. Related currently has over 6,000 units of affordable and mixed-income housing developed or under development in California. It has developed projects in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego.
Prior to joining The Related Companies in May of 1989, Bill served as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Neighborhoods under Mayor Art Agnos in San Francisco, where he oversaw all housing, development and redevelopment activities for the City, and, from 1981–1988, as Director of Housing and Economic Development under Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Ex-Officio Members
Cathy Creswell
Acting Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development
Effective January 3, 2011, Cathy E. Creswell will serve as Acting Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) which operates under the aegis of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (Agency) in Sacramento.
Cathy has been involved in housing and community development since 1979 and has worked for HCD in various roles since 1985; most recently, in 2001, being appointed as Deputy Director of the Division of Housing Policy Development. Prior to her tenure with HCD, Cathy was the Director of a Community Development Association in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Director of a tenant counseling organization and served as a consultant to several housing and community development organizations.
Sean Spear
Executive Director, California Debt Limit Allocation Committee
Sean L. Spear is currently the Executive Director of the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC) for the California State Treasurer’s Office, which administers the private activity bond program for California. Sean has over twenty years of experience in community development and housing finance. Prior to joining the State Treasurer’s Office in August 2009, he previously served as the Director of Major Projects for the City of Los Angeles Housing Department; overseeing the operation of the five rental housing production-related units; including the $100 Million Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Prior to joining the LAHD, he was a Community Development Manager with Fannie Mae’s Housing and Community Development Unit. Before joining Fannie Mae, Sean was a Senior Development Specialist (Housing) with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and a Project Manager (HOPE VI/New Construction) with the San Francisco Housing Authority.
Claudia Cappio
Executive Director, California Housing Finance Agency
Previously she held the position of Development Director for the City of Oakland, CA. Claudia has been a planner in the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years, working for local governments on both large-scale and small planning and development efforts. Prior to that she served as the Manager of Major Development Projects for Oakland, worked as the Planning and Building Director for the City of Emeryville, and also held the position of Planning Director for the City of Albany.
William Pavao
Executive Director, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee
State Treasurer Phil Angelides appointed William Pavão as the Executive Director to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) in August 2005. Bill came to TCAC from the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) where he was serving as Deputy Director over the Division of Financial Assistance Division. Bill had been heading up the Department’s programs division since March 1997.
Emeritus Directors
Theodore Chandler
Chief Operating Officer (COO), AFLCIO
Ted Chandler is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) with over 20 years of experience in housing finance and community development, including 15 years with Fannie Mae and six years with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). As COO, he oversees company operations including Multifamily, Marketing, Investor Relations, Labor Relations, and Communications.
Formerly as Vice President of marketing for Fannie Mae’s Western Regional Office in Pasadena, CA, Ted was responsible for managing relationships with national mortgage banking customers. He joined Fannie Mae as Director of the Boston Partnership Office, where he worked with lenders, developers, government officials, community and nonprofit organizations, and industry partners to customize Fannie Mae financing to meet local needs. During his time with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Ted served as Chief Executive and Chief of Staff. He was later Deputy Executive Director of the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency in Boston.
Will N. Cooper, Sr.
Chairman & Director, WNC & Associates, Inc.
Wilfred N. Cooper, Sr. co-founder and Director of the California Housing Consortium, is also the founder, Chairman and a Director of WNC & Associates, Inc. WNC is a specialist in affordable housing and owner of over 150 affordable rental properties (over 7,000 units) in the state of California.
Will is a recognized leader in the affordable housing industry. He has testified before committees of the U.S. Senate and the House about affordable housing issues. He is a Life Director of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), a National Trustee for NAHB’s Political Action Committee and the 2003/2004 Chairman of NAHB’s Multifamily Council. Will is also a Director of the National Housing Conference (NHC), and a member of NHC’s Board of Governors.
Janet Falk
Janet Falk has extensive experience in the development and financing of nonprofit housing. She was the Vice President for Real Estate Development for Mercy Housing California (MHC), where she oversaw all of MHC’s development activities statewide. She is particularly knowledgeable in utilizing the low income housing tax credit and tax-exempt bonds for nonprofit projects and in the ways in which local and state governments can most effectively assist in the development and preservation of affordable housing.
Prior to joining Mercy Housing, Janet served as Executive Director of the California Housing Partnership Corporation from 1999 to 2002. At CHPC, she specialized in the refinancing of federally assisted projects and the policy issues involved in the preservation of at-risk housing. Prior to joining CHPC, Janet was the Co-Director of Community Economics, Inc. for 19 years. She also worked for five years as a housing and community development specialist for local government agencies in the Bay Area.
Hunter Johnson
President and Chief Executive Officer, LINC Housing Corporation
Hunter Johnson, President and CEO of LINC Housing, has more than 30 years experience in development, affordable housing, and structuring public/private partnerships. During his career, he has had a hand in developing more than 16,000 homes throughout California. Hunter has led the 25-year-old non-profit in its growth from 1,100 to more than 6,000 affordable units across the state.
Prior to joining LINC, Hunter was Director of Development for American Development Consultants in Palm Springs, a firm specializing in facilitating development projects for non-profit and for-profit housing sponsors, cities, redevelopment agencies, and Indian Tribes. Previously, Hunter served as Executive Director of the Emeryville Redevelopment Agency and as Chief of Rehabilitation for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.
G. Allan Kingston
Vice Chairman of the Board, National Community Renaissance Corporation
Allan recently joined the board of National CORE, the non-profit successor to SoCal Housing and the National Housing Development Corporation. Previously, for 18 years as the President/CEO of Century Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing lender, Allan helped create more than 11,000 units of affordable housing in 220 developments, located in 66 communities throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Prior to joining Century, Allan directed the private real estate development activities and projects of large corporations for several years, and was a partner in several commercial real estate and residential projects in California, Hawaii, and the Midwest.
Alex Sanchez
Executive Director, Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara
Alex Sanchez is the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara. The Housing Authority is Silicon Valley’s housing services agency serving lower and moderate income households in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. The Housing Authority has received a Standard & Poor’s rating of “Strong Performer”, the highest designation given to public agencies. This distinguished designation considers all aspects of the agency’s operations, including quality of developments, asset management and budgeting practices.
Alex has worked in the public sector for the past 25 years for various California communities. His primary expertise is in housing finance, community development and redevelopment. Prior to assuming his duties as was Director of Housing for the City of San Jose and the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara, Alex served as Director of Housing for the City of Santa Ana and Deputy City Manager and Assistant Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Bell Gardens.
Johrita Solari
President & Founder, Solari Enterprises, Inc.
Johrita Solari: President and Founder of Solari Enterprises, Inc. a full service property management company specializing in the management of affordable multifamily housing. Mrs. Solari has 28 years experience in property management with a portfolio consisting of more than 3,500 affordable multifamily housing units in 53 locations and commercial properties throughout the United States.
She is the former vice-chair of the California Housing Consortium Board of Directors, immediate past chair of the NAHMA & NAHB Housing Credit Certified Professional Board of Governors, Past President and Founding Member of National Affordable Housing Management Association and serves on Board of Directors of various industry and community associations.