New Hope Housing Names New Leader
Jennifer Litwak Schindler has been named president and CEO of New Hope Housing in Houston.
She joins the nonprofit organization after leading PH Development Group in Northern California. Litwak brings 15 years of experience in real estate development and law, having contributed to the creation, preservation, and renovation of more than 8,000 apartment homes.
In addition, she is co-chair of the Urban Land Institute's National Affordable & Workforce Housing Council.
Litwak Schindler takes the helm of New Hope Housing from longtime leader Joy Horak-Brown, who announced earlier this year that she is stepping down after more than 30 years with the organization.
WHEDA Announces Housing Tax Credit Manager
Jillian Wielgat has been appointed low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program manager at the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA).
She will oversee all aspects of WHEDA’s state and federal LIHTC program, including management of the qualified allocation plan and administration of the competitive application and scoring process that guides how housing credits are awarded across the state.
Wielgat joined WHEDA in 2019 and most recently served as manager of portfolio monitoring on the multifamily compliance team. In this role, she provided technical assistance and supervised a team supporting tax credit, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and WHEDA financing programs. Among her accomplishments, she helped secure $8 million in renewable rental assistance through the fiscal 2023 Section 811 project rental assistance program, expanding Wisconsin’s program that provides housing support to low-income adults with disabilities.
Robinson+Cole Expands Affordable Housing Practice
Theresa A. Omansky has joined Robinson+Cole as a partner in its real estate and development group and its affordable housing practice.
Based in the law firm's New York office, she represents corporations, developers, and institutional lenders in affordable housing transactions, including ownership interest transfers, acquisitions, construction and permanent financings, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac transactions, and LIHTC and tax-exempt bond transactions.
Omansky joins Robinson+Cole after serving as general counsel and corporate secretary at the Housing Partnership Development Corp. and its affiliated entities, where she helped advance the organization's affordable housing pipeline in partnership with public and private entities, government agencies, and community stakeholders. She has also served as associate counsel at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, where she advised on affordable housing programs, banking and insurance regulations, and arbitration and data privacy policies.
Her arrival builds on the growth of the firm’s affordable housing team, which includes the addition of associate Kaleigh Kenny as well as Lachanee K. Scott and Stephanos Karavas, whose practices further complement the team's work on affordable housing, community development, financing, and development projects.
Holladay Ventures Adds to Team
Donnell McGhee, vice president of development, and Shaun Walker, development manager, have joined Holladay Ventures, a Nashville-based affordable housing developer.
McGhee leads the firm’s development of affordable housing, overseeing the acquisition and development of multifamily housing spanning LIHTC, tax-exempt bond, and workforce housing opportunities. As the company expands beyond new construction and into the acquisition of existing affordable properties, McGhee will lead that initiative.
Over his career, he has been involved in 15 projects totaling 2,200 units and more than $500 million in development costs across Texas, the Midwest, and the Southeast.
Walker brings experience in LIHTC development, Housing Assistance Payment contracts, and transaction execution across the 4% and 9% housing tax credit programs in acquisition-rehab and new construction. Over the course of his career, he has worked on more than $300 million in development, representing over 2,800 units of affordable housing.
Damschen Resigns from Utah Housing Corp.
David C. Damschen has resigned as president and CEO of the Utah Housing Corp. (UHC). He will continue to lead the organization until his successor is named.
Damschen has led UHC since May 3, 2021, after serving as state treasurer and as an ex officio member of UHC’s board of trustees. During his tenure, the state housing finance agency financed more than 10,000 affordable rental housing units by deploying over $1.5 billion in housing tax credits and $1.3 billion in tax-exempt multifamily debt capital to projects throughout Utah.
It also financed the development of 825 permanent supportive housing units that serve people who were chronically homeless and secured more than $5.8 billion in financing to help more than 15,000 families become homeowners.
“I am extremely proud of what UHC has accomplished during my time as president and CEO,” Damschen said. “The past several years of housing-market instability have made UHC’s work more important than ever. It has been a privilege to lead a dedicated team working to expand access to affordable housing and homeownership across Utah.”
Lument Names Head of Loan Servicing and Asset Management
Jon Boone has been appointed senior managing director and head of loan servicing and asset management at Lument. He is based in the company’s Birmingham, Alabama, office.
Boone joins Lument after 23 years at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, where he oversaw a sizable servicing portfolio and delivered execution across Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Federal Housing Administration (FHA), commercial mortgage-backed securities, life company, third-party servicing, and bank platforms.
He is second vice chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial Real Estate Finance Servicer Council.
Lument's loan servicing portfolio is one of the largest in commercial real estate, with an unpaid principal balance exceeding $57 billion across more than 6,500 loans serviced for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, life companies, and other capital providers.