The NHP Foundation Appoints Vice President of Fundraising and Communications
Megan Carras has been named vice president of fundraising and communications at The NHP Foundation (NHPF). It is a newly created position for the national nonprofit affordable housing developer.
Carras joins NHPF’s New York office, bringing more than a decade of experience in community development finance, nonprofit fundraising, communications, and research.
She spent six years at the Washington Area Community Investment Fund, most recently serving as chief development and communications officer and head of sustainability. Carras spearheaded fundraising strategies that generated more than $25 million in revenue and secured new funding partners, including Wells Fargo, CareFirst, Starbucks, and JP Morgan.
CLPHA Announces Three New Hires
The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) has filled three positions. Isaac Dozier is the new director of Housing Is, CLPHA’s pioneering initiative to align health, housing, and education efforts to improve the lives of public housing residents. Lesley Frieman and Chandler Ian Wilkins have joined as senior policy analysts. They will be responsible for researching and developing CLPHA’s positions on a range of policies including public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, preservation and redevelopment, and economic mobility.
Dozier comes to Housing Is from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where he led more than $100 million in public-private partnership initiatives connecting public housing authorities, developers, and community organizations to HUD’s redevelopment priorities as the senior project manager for the Neighborhood and Community Investment for the Jobs Plus Program. Before HUD, he held positions at the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers, Florida, Urban Strategies, and the Housing Authority of New Orleans.
Freiman is a policy and strategy leader with more 15 years of experience advancing housing stability, economic mobility, community health, and family well-being through cross-sector partnerships, implementation support, organizational learning, and capacity building. Prior to joining CLPHA, she was an associate at Abt Global, where she directed research, evaluation, and technical assistance initiatives for federal and nonprofit clients.
Wilkins is a housing policy researcher with experience studying the intersection of federal housing policy, disaster recovery, and community resilience. He previously served as a research associate at the Urban Institute, where he led and contributed to federally and philanthropically funded research on housing resilience, disaster preparedness, flood mitigation in subsidized housing, and equitable community resilience planning.
CLPHA is nonprofit organization that works to preserve and improve public and affordable housing through advocacy, research, policy analysis and public education. Its 85 members represent virtually every major metropolitan area in the country. Together, they manage 40% of the nation’s public housing program.
Romero to Lead HomeRise as Organization Winds Down
Ancel Romero has been appointed CEO of HomeRise, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that recently announced it is ending operations.
A former board member, he succeeds Tim Daniel, who had served as interim CEO since July and will work with Romero on the handoff, announced the organization.
HomeRise’s wind-down continues in partnership with the city and county of San Francisco. Residents will stay in their homes, and leases, rental assistance, and services will continue, said officials.
Romero is founder of The Ancel Romero Management & Consulting Group. He previously was president of HumanGood Affordable Housing in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he oversaw 95 affordable housing communities serving more than 7,000 older adults in California, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Before that, he led the affordable housing division of American Baptist Homes of the West, a HumanGood legacy organization.
In Memoriam: Nic Retsinas
Longtime affordable housing leader Nicolas Retsinas recently died in Providence, Rhode Island. He was 79.
During the Clinton administration, he served as commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration and as an assistant secretary at HUD.
Retsinas also was a director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) at Harvard University. Following his retirement, Harvard University created the Nicolas P. and Joan B. Retsinas Endowed Faculty Director position to serve as the JCHS’ leader.
Affordable Housing Finance inducted Retsinas into its Hall of Fame in 2008.
A celebration of life is planned for Dec. 14 in Providence.