NYC Housing Partnership Names CEO
Molly Wasow Park has been appointed CEO of the New York City Housing Partnership, a nonprofit that works to expand affordable housing across the city through public-private partnerships.
Park is a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services, the nation’s largest municipal social service agency. Prior to that, she served as first deputy commissioner at the city’s Department of Homeless Services and held senior positions at the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
“Molly Park brings important experience and skills as the Housing Partnership faces new dimensions and challenges in providing greater access for more New Yorkers to safe and comfortable affordable housing,” said Ron Moelis, chairman of the board of directors of the organization. “Her unique background and expertise combine a deep knowledge of the realities of affordable multifamily residential development and preservation in New York City along with a responsiveness to social needs. This enables the Housing Partnership to broaden our range of services while maintaining our leadership in forming productive partnerships among city, state, and federal agencies and private-sector property owners, developers, and financial institutions. We are aligned with other stakeholders in the affordable housing community in supporting the successful implementation of the mayor’s new housing plan that will benefit all New Yorkers.”
The Partnership has helped create or preserve more than 100,000 low- and moderate-income housing units in the five boroughs, leveraging over $11.1 billion in private financing and utilizing more than $550 million in subsidies for affordable housing.
Jamie Smarr, the recent CEO, is set to remain as president through the end of 2026 to support the executive transition, said officials.
KeyBank Announces Moves
KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has announced a key hire and new leadership appointments to further strengthen and scale its equity syndications platform.
Naomi See has joined CDLI as a senior banker on the business development and investor relations team, enhancing the platform’s ability to deepen institutional investor relationships and accelerate capital formation. She is based in Seattle.
See will focus on raising capital and supporting the sourcing, structuring, and syndication of investments across low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) and state credits. She will work closely with acquisitions, fund management, and originations teams to align investor demand with a growing pipeline of opportunities.
Celia Smoot has been promoted to head of equity originations, where she will lead investment strategies and execution, supporting continued growth of the firm’s affordable housing equity pipeline.
She has more than two decades of experience in LIHTC investing, fund structuring, and community development finance.
These announcements build on a series of recent strategic leadership investments across the platform. In March, Christina Knuckles was promoted to head of equity syndications and fund management. She has been instrumental in shaping the platform’s growth and is leading the team as it continues to scale and evolve. Previously, Jon Burckin was named senior banker in equity distribution.
DCHFA Names SVP
Shelynda Burney Brown has joined the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) as senior vice president of multifamily lending and neighborhood development.
She brings more than 25 years of experience advancing complex real estate development and equitable neighborhood investment initiatives across the Mid-Atlantic region. Her work includes the successful management of more than 4,200 housing units representing over $950 million in development costs.
Lawson Announces Promotion
Katherine Bradshaw has been promoted to controller at Lawson, a Virginia-based manager and owner of approximately 5,000 apartment units.
She will oversee the firm’s accounting operations and financial reporting functions while continuing to support the company’s strategic growth initiatives.
Bradshaw steps into the role ahead of the planned retirement of Annette Gavrish from the role she’s held since 2014.
Bradshaw joined Lawson in 2023 as assistant controller and has extensive experience in financial reporting, accounting operations, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance. Prior to joining the company, she held accounting and financial reporting leadership roles with Armada Hoffler and Brillio.