Board of Directors
Elizabeth Bluhm 
Chairperson - Senior Managing Director, Red Capital Markets, Inc.
Ms. Bluhm is a member of the Executive Committee of RED CAPITAL GROUP and heads RED’s San Diego office, providing Fannie Mae DUS and FHA mortgages, tax credit equity, construction financing, mezzanine capital, and tax-exempt bond financing. Ms. Bluhm joined RED’s predecessor entity in 1993, and prior to opening the San Diego office in 2001 directed the firm’s low income housing tax credit business. She has more than 20 years of real estate and capital markets experience, with responsibilities in investor relations, project acquisitions and asset management. Previously, Ms. Bluhm was Vice President of First Boston Corp. in institutional sales, specializing in municipal bonds. She serves on the Advisory Council of the USD Real Estate Institute and the Housing Committee of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Bluhm holds a BA in Philosophy from Scripps College and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School.
Web site: www.redcapitalgroup.com
Jack A. Gardner
Vice Chairperson - President & CEO, The John Stewart Company
Jack Gardner joined The John Stewart Company (JSCo) in 2001, bringing nineteen years of diverse experience in the financing, development and management of affordable housing to the firm. Jack oversees all project development, financing, property management, consulting and marketing activities undertaken by JSCo. His professional experience includes serving as Southern California Program Manager for the Low Income Investment Fund, Executive Director of the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation in Los Angeles, Executive Director of Resources for Community Development in Berkeley, and Acquisitions Director for Edison Capital Housing Investments.
JSCo has been providing high quality diversified housing services in California since 1978, currently managing over 23,000 housing units across the state and employing over 1,100 people. JSCo also has over 900 affordable housing units under development throughout California.
Web site: www.jsco.net
Terry A. Freeman
Treasurer/CFO - National Director of Affordable Housing Finance, Klein Capital Solutions
Terry Freeman is the National Director of Affordable Housing Finance for Klein Capital Solutions (an affiliate of Klein Financial Corporation), a developer of multifamily affordable housing projects and a leader in the creation of innovative financial structures to facilitate the development of such projects. Ms. Freeman manages all phases of Klein’s development projects, and works with her developer clients to structure project acquisition, design, equity, financing and accounting to optimize return. She also advises state and federal government agencies on public policy guidelines affecting the multifamily affordable housing industry.
Ms. Freeman has more than 25 years of experience in real estate finance and asset management. Prior to joining Klein Capital Solutions, Ms. Freeman served as Senior Vice President of Savings Associations Mortgage Company (SAMCO), a consortium lender that provided unique financial services to stimulate the revitalization of communities, 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).
Ms. Freeman is a frequent speaker at real estate industry conferences. Ms. Freeman has authored articles on affordable housing finance for Multifamily Executive, Affordable Housing Finance and Novogradac & Company’s Housing Bond Report.
Ms. Freeman holds a Master of City and Regional Planning, with Distinction, from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Anthropology, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Web site: www.klein-financial.com
Geoff Brown
Secretary - 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, Mr. Brown 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. Mr. Brown earned a BA in Economics from Willamette University and an MBA degree in Finance from the University of Washington. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker and Contractor in California.
Web site: wwww.usapropfund.com
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Ophelia Basgal
Vice President Civic Partnership and Community Initiatives, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Ms. Basgal is the Executive Director of the Housing Authorities of Alameda County and City of Dublin, California. Program responsibilities include 7000 Section 8 housing voucher units and 380 public housing units. Ms. Basgal was appointed by Congress in December 2000 to serve on the 22 member bi-partisan Millennial Housing Commission created to analyze and make recommendations on US housing policy.
Ms. Basgal is also involved in numerous professional and service organizations including the Boards of the Alameda County Employee’s Retirement Association, Merritt Community Capital Corporation, Oakland Museum Foundation and the Advisory Boards of the Center on Housing Policy and University of California’s Puente Program.
She has a BA with distinction from Arizona State University and a MSW in Administration from UC Berkeley.
Web site: www.pge.com
Sean Burton
President & Chief Operating Officer, CityView
Sean is the President and Chief Operating Officer of CityView. CityView is an institutional investor which manages over $700 million
of public pension fund capital for investment in urban housing for working families throughout the United States. Sean is also a
member of the CityView board of directors and the investment committees of CityView West, CityView America and the CityView Los Angeles Fund.
Prior to joining CityView, Sean served as vice president of corporate business development and strategy for Warner Bros. where he was responsible for managing its global wireless business, working on strategic investments and executing traditional strategic planning functions. His other professional experience includes working at O’Melveny & Myers, LLP as an attorney in the real estate and corporate groups and serving in the White House and with the Democratic National Committee during the Clinton Administration. Sean is a graduate of the New York University School of Law and the University of California, Irvine.
Sean actively participates in community activities. He was appointed by two different Mayors of Los Angeles to serve as a commissioner of the West Los Angeles Planning Commission where he was elected Vice President. Sean also took a leading role in advocating structural changes in the California State fiscal and budgetary process when he was appointed by California Governor Gray Davis to sit on the California Commission on Tax Policy and the New Economy in 2001. Sean serves as a board member of the Los Angeles Business Council and the California Housing Consortium as well as a Trustee of the John Thomas Dye School and as a board member of the West Los Angeles Little League. He continues to be active in local politics and was co-chair of City Council President Eric Garcetti’s re-election campaign and was the Treasurer and a founding steering committee member for the “Yes on Proposition H” $1 billion affordable housing bond campaign.
He lives in West Los Angeles with his wife Teresa and his son Russell (8) and daughter Grace (6) and stays busy coaching soccer, basketball and baseball.
Web site: http://www.cityview.com/
Carol Galante
President, BRIDGE Housing Corp.
Carol Galante is the President of BRIDGE Housing Corporation, the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing in California. BRIDGE specializes in the development of affordable apartments and homes in an array of revitalization, transit-oriented, urban infill, and mixed-use/mixed-income developments. BRIDGE has created over 13,000 homes serving more than 35,000 Californians. Ms. Galante is responsible for the overall direction of BRIDGE, including real estate development, property and asset management, and corporate administration, as well as its major affiliates such as BUILD, an investment advisor to CalPERS under the California Urban Real Estate Program, and BASS, a licensed life care provider. She joined BRIDGE as Vice President in 1987.
She serves as Vice Chair of the national Housing Partnership Network and is a Director of the California Housing Finance Agency, the California Housing Consortium and the Center for Creative Land Recycling. Ms. Galante co-chaired California’s successful Proposition 1C campaign in 2006 that garnered approval for a $2.85 billion bond for affordable housing and urban infill development. Among Ms. Galante’s honors have been Builder Magazine’s Top 50 Most Influential People in Home Building 2006, Multifamily Executive Magazine’s 30 Most Influential Men and Women in the Multifamily Industry 2006, San Francisco Business Times 2003 Deal Maker of the Year and Most Influential Women in the Bay Area, and the 2002 U.C. Berkeley College of Environmental Design Distinguished Alumna Award. She is a licensed real estate broker and holds a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan and a Master of City Planning from U.C. Berkeley.
Web site: www.bridgehousing.com
Hunter Johnson
President & CEO, 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 14,000 units throughout California. Hunter has led the 20-year-old non-profit in its growth from 1,045 to almost 5,000 affordable units across the state. LINC’s assets are valued at close to $300 million and total revenues are $28 million. Hunter has a bachelor’s degree in Urban Sociology from the University of Tulsa and a graduate degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley. In addition to the Housing Consortium Board, he is a director of the Housing Partnership Network and a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Housing Conference.
Web site: www.linchousing.org
Jeanne Peterson
Principal, The Reznick Group
Ms. Peterson was appointed Executive Director of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee by State Treasurer Phil Angelides in March 1999, and has changed the system for tax credit allocation in the state. She came to California from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, where she worked for eighteen years in the delivery of affordable housing, first as a staff attorney, and then as Director of Legal Affairs. She directed a staff of attorneys in bond and multifamily loan closings, was involved in all program and policy decisions of the agency, and had oversight of the low income housing tax credit program since its inception. She has been a frequent speaker and writer on tax credit issues. She envisioned and was instrumental in the creation of the Michigan Capital Fund for Housing, the state equity fund.
Ms. Peterson holds bachelor and master’s degrees in history, as well as a JD. She serves on the board of the California Housing Consortium, and represents Treasurer Angelides on the board of the California Housing Finance Agency.
Web site: www.reznickgroup.com
Ken Sauder
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 Mr. Sauder'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.
Mr. Sauder 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.
He previously held positions as director of community development for South Bay Community Services; founding director of Latin American Program for Habitat for Humanity International; and the first director of Tijuana-San Diego Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Sauder holds a master's degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor's degree in social work from Temple University. He is active in a variety of organizations promoting affordable housing and serves on the board of Directors for the San Diego Housing Federation.
Web site: www.wakelandhdc.com
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 serves on the Board of Directors of the California Housing Consortium and is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program Advisory Committee.
Web sites: www.calalhfa.org and www.meshayco.com
John Shirey
Executive Director, California Redevelopment Association
John Shirey has over 30 years of experience from a variety of government positions. He has proven expertise in all areas of general management, including human resources, finance, budgeting, organizational development, policy-setting, program implementation, and government relations. Throughout his career he has set high standards of integrity and professionalism.
Mr. Shirey is currently the Executive Director of the California Redevelopment Association (CRA). Based in Sacramento, CRA serves over 350 redevelopment agencies and over 300 private and non-profit organizations engaged in redevelopment activities. Mr. Shirey is responsible for overseeing legislative advocacy, professional training and development, and public information services provided by CRA to its members.
Mr. Shirey is actively involved in professional associations such as the American Society for Public Administration, California Association for Local Economic Development, the International City/County Management Association, the Urban Land Institute and International Council of Shopping Centers. He is a master official with USA Track & Field and officiated at the 1996 Olympic Games and four Olympic Trials.
Web site: www.calredevelop.org
Masood Sohaili
Partner - Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Masood Sohaili recently joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips to help them expand their affordable housing practice in Los Angeles. Previously he was a partner in the Transactions Department of O’Melveny & Myers LLP’s Los Angeles office. He has worked on a wide variety of corporate transactions over his more than two decades of practice. His expertise includes securities offerings and structured financings, with a particular emphasis on affordable housing transactions. Masood has been involved in all aspects of affordable housing transactions for over two decades, representing issuers, underwriters, credit enhancers and borrowers in the financing and development of affordable housing throughout the United States. His clients range from large institutions such as Fannie Mae, UBS Financial Services , and Prudential Capital Company, to development companies.
Masood received his law degree and M.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California. He received his B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Masood has served on the Board of California Association for Local Economic Development and on the Fannie Mae Housing Impact Advisory Board.
Web site: www.manatt.com
Dianne J. Spaulding
Executive Director, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern CA
Dianne Spaulding is Executive Director of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH). Under her leadership, NPH has established a national reputation for housing advocacy efforts that have led to historic legislation and funding; distinguished itself by creating the Fellowship Program for People of Color in Non-Profit Housing; and designed award-winning communications tools to build community acceptance of affordable housing. Ms. Spaulding is also a recognized statewide leader having served on the Board of Housing California for 10 years, five of those as its President. Her success in affordable housing is indicative of her over 20-year commitment to non-profit community-based organizations. She is a graduate of the University of California, and holds a degree in political science and psychology.
Web site: www.nonprofithousing.org
Ronne Lynn ThielenManaging Director, Affordable Housing, Centerline Capital Group
Ronne is responsible for acquiring tax-credit and bond-financed properties in the western region of the United States. She also serves as a liaison on behalf of Centerline to national, state and local associations regarding affordable housing issues. Ronne is the current president of both the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition and the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association. Ronne has extensive experience in multifamily housing finance and has specialized in the low-income housing tax credit program since its inception in 1986. Before coming to 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 and, before that, she served at the Vermont Housing Finance Agency in the areas of multifamily finance and asset management. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.
Web site: www.centerline.com
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, Vaz 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.
Born in Bombay, India, Vaz immigrated to the United States in 1966. After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles with a master's degree in electronics and a minor in business, Vaz worked within the aerospace and electronics industries before obtaining his contractor's license in 1979 and building his first apartment building.
Vaz is on the Board of Directors for the California Housing Consortium, an organization dedicated to advancing affordable housing and community development issues throughout California. He is also a member of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), the California Redevelopment Association and the Building Industry Association (BIA). A recognized leader in the affordable housing industry, Vaz has been invited to speak about urban redevelopment for several forums, including the Urban Land Institute, Pacific Coast Builders Conference, National Housing Conference, BIA, the University of Southern California and SCANPH.
A recipient of the West Angeles Community Development Corporation's Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award, Vaz also received the William F. McKenna Award for leadership in the field of affordable housing by LINC Housing Corporation.
In addition to his participation within the real estate industry, Vaz is an active member of the community, previously serving on the Board of Directors for The Wellness Community in Westlake Village, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing free emotional support, education and hope for people with cancer and their loved ones. He is also the co-founder of the Sonaz Peace Foundation, an organization that has funded over 6,000 cataract surgeries for people in rural India. Vaz is a benefactor of the Civic Arts Plaza and St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, both located in his home city of Thousand Oaks.
Web site: www.amcalhousing.com
Ex-Officio Members
Lynn L. Jacobs
Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development
Lynn L. Jacobs was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as the Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that operates under the aegis of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in Sacramento effective April 2006.
Jacob's position includes oversight for administering the state's housing finance, rehabilitation, and community development programs; oversight of the state's housing policy, planning and code-setting processes, and regulating manufactured housing and mobile home parks. Jacobs leads the administration of Proposition 46 $2.1 Billion in Bond Funds for affordable housing. Since January 2004, those funds will have incentivized or created more than tens of thousands of affordable homes and shelter spaces for Californians.
Lynn is a native Californian who has resided in Ventura since 1979. She is married to Gary Jacobs, a local attorney, and has one adult son, Matthew. A product of Los Angeles public schools, Lynn graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College/Harvard University.
Prior to assuming the Presidency of Ventura Affordable Homes, Lynn served as President of Affordable Communities Inc, and has been responsible for the construction of over 400 homes affordable to first time buyers in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. She has written numerous articles for publications and received many awards including the National Building Innovations in Affordable Housing Award in 1997. Lynn began her career in banking with Citibank in Los Angeles and has worked for Wells Fargo Bank in Ventura and Humboldt Counties.
Besides being a leader in producing affordable housing in California, Lynn has been extremely active in the building industry. She has served as President of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, as a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the California Building Industry Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Homebuilders. She currently is a member of SCANPH, the Southern California Association of Non Profit Housing Developers.
Community service has been an integral part of Lynn's career. She served 9 years on the city of Ventura's Planning Commission, with 2 years as Chair. She has been President of the American Cancer Society in Ventura County, President of Soroptimist International of Ventura, and h as worked closely with Ventura's schools in various capacities, currently serving on their Bond Oversight Committee. She has served as Chair of Ventura County's Workforce Investment Board, a public/private entity that manages workforce programs and training dollars countywide. At the State level, she has served on the Loan and Grant Committee of the Department of Housing and Community Development and is honored to have been appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to be a member of the Board of Directors of the California Housing Partnership Corporation.
Lynn actively supports sensible solutions to California's growing housing crisis.
Web site: www.hcd.ca.gov
Joanie Jones Kelly
Executive Director, California Debt Limit Allocation Committee
Joanie Jones Kelly is currently the Executive Director of the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC), which administers the private activity bond program annually for California. The maximum private activity issuance amount for Calendar year 2006 is in excess of $2.8 billion. The bonds issued are purchased by the private sector and the repayment is not the obligation of the state or the federal government. Agencies and organizations authorized to issue tax-exempt private activity bonds or mortgage credit certificates must receive an allocation from CDLAC. There are six programs that receive private activity bond allocation from CDLAC: Qualified Residential Rental, Single-Family Housing, Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase, Industrial Development Bonds, Exempt Facility Bonds, and Student Loan Bonds.
Ms Kelly has been at the Treasurer's Office since 1986 where during her tenure she has coordinated the issuance of tax exempt bonds for: industrial development bonds, pollution control, higher education, student loans, library construction and public school financing.
Prior to joining the State Treasurers staff, Ms. Kelly was Chief of Administration for the Department of Veterans of Affairs, where she directed the forecasting, planning and sale of municipal bonds to finance the Cal-Vet Loan Program.
Ms. Kelly began her Investment career at the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) as an Investment Officer. She was responsible for the purchase and sale of marketable securities for the short-term bond program and for conducting research analysis for corporate securities purchases.
Ms. Kelly has a Masters Degree in Public Administration/Finance from Pepperdine University, a B.A. from California State University at Long Beach and an A.A. Degree from Santa Monica College.
Web site: www.treasurer.ca.gov/cdlac/
Theresa F. Parker
Executive Director, California Housing Finance Agency
Theresa (Terri) Parker, Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), comes to us with a long and distinguished career in the public sector and a wealth of experience in State government. She assumed her gubernatorial appointment at CalHFA in June of 1997 and was reappointed in October of 2003. Just prior to this appointment, she served as Chief Deputy Director for Policy at the Department of Finance, as well as a key advisor on many issues ranging from local government and construction finance to health care and the welfare system. As Chief Deputy, Terri worked with the Director of Finance in preparing and managing the annual state budget. She also represented the Governor and the Director of Finance on more than 60 authorities, boards and commissions that deal with virtually every aspect of state finance.
Web site: www.calhfa.ca.gov
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. Mr. Pavão 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.
Since coming to TCAC, Mr. Pavão has initiated an effort to operate a more transparent, participatory program. His efforts have included clarifying and streamlining regulatory changes, greater disclosure of decision-making and greater use of TCAC’s website for disseminating information. In addition, Mr. Pavão is now holding monthly Southern California office hours out of the Treasurer’s downtown Los Angeles office.
Mr. Pavão has both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Social Welfare program planning and administration. His undergraduate career included an internship with the East Bay Gray Panthers’ housing committee; a directorship of a nonprofit renters organization; and an internship with the City of Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board. Before entering graduate school, Mr. Pavão spent a year as a VISTA neighborhood organizer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Pavão was born in Southern California’s Inland Empire, raised in the Central Valley, and educated in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Web site: www.treasurer.ca.gov/ctcac/
Emeritus Directors
Theodore Chandler
Vice President-Housing and Community Development, Fannie Mae
Ted Chandler is Fannie Mae’s Vice President of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for the Western United States. He is responsible for Fannie Mae's community lending and community development business in the region, as well as communications and public affairs. Based in Pasadena, California, he manages Fannie Mae’s regional HCD staff, and nine Partnership Offices throughout the West.
Before assuming his current position, Chandler was director of Fannie Mae's Boston Partnership Office. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, he served as the Deputy Director, CFO, and General Counsel of the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency (MIFA). He began his career with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, where he served as Acting Director and Chief of Staff.
Web site: www.fanniemae.com
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
Web site: www.wncinc.com
Janet Falk
VP for Real Estate, Mercy Housing Corporation
Janet Falk has extensive experience in the development and financing of nonprofit housing. She is Vice President for Real Estate Development for Mercy Housing California (MHC), where she oversees all of MHC’s development activities statewide. She is responsible for underwriting risk and return, as well as evaluation of new business opportunities. She also serves as part of MHC’s senior management team.
Ms. Falk has extensive experience in the financing and development of affordable housing, including new construction, rehabilitation, special needs housing, mobile home parks, tenant purchase of rental properties, and artists’ live/work space. 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, Ms. Falk 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, Ms. Falk 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. She received a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor’s Degree from Stanford University.
Web site: www.mercyhousing.org
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
Prior to joining Century, Mr. Kingston 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
Web site: www.nationalcore.org
Nancy McLaughlin
private consultant & former CHC Executive Director
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.
Prior to his recent appointment, Alex Sanchez was Director of Housing for the City of San Jose. In San Jose, the center of Silicon Valley where the median home price exceeds $600,000, Mr. Sanchez developed one of the most comprehensive and ambitious housing programs in the nation. Since 1988, the City of San Jose has assisted in the development of more than 10,000 housing units. Using local redevelopment funds, the City has provided more than $290 million and leveraged more than $1.1 billion of private and public capital for the construction or rehabilitation of housing serving lower and moderate-income households.
Mr. Sanchez 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 in the City of San Jose and the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara, Mr. Sanchez 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. Alex Sanchez completed his undergraduate work at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
Mr. Sanchez is an active participant with a number of national and state housing policy organizations.
Web site: www.hacsc.org
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
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. Mrs. Solari holds a variety of designations and certifications among those are a certified National Affordable Housing Management Professional-Executive, and Housing Credit Certified Professional. She holds an active Real Estate license, serves on the Advisory Board of the Assisted Housing Management Insider and Tax Credit Housing Management Insider.
Web site: www.solari-ent.com
