National Church Residences Creates Office of Employee Engagement
National Church Residences has established an Office of Employee Engagement that will focus on culture, leadership, equity, and inclusion. This is the nonprofit organization’s clear statement that it will hold itself accountable for an employee culture open and inclusive to all, according to the firm.
Danielle Willis, formerly senior vice president of human resources for the organization, will lead the new office as senior vice president of employee engagement and chief diversity officer. Julie Fox, formerly vice president of education, will serve as vice president of engagement and leadership development.
“While we have always been very intentional in treating the 42,000 seniors we serve and our 2,800 employees with the utmost dignity and respect, our employees are looking to us to elevate our commitment to their experience,” said Mark Ricketts, president and CEO. “We will hold our organization accountable to the immediate change we want to see in the world, and this new Office of Employee Engagement, under Danielle and Julie’s leadership, demonstrates our commitment to value each employee’s voice and experience.”
The office will oversee the development of policies and practices to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, servant leadership, and career development. A dashboard will measure progress on management and leadership diversity, employee retention and referrals, career readiness, and staff mobility.
“This new office is the direct result of input we received from employees, our newly formed Anti-Racism Task Force, and our board of directors,” Willis said. “From the front-line staff to the board, we intend to deliberately build and sustain a diverse, thriving, equitable, and inclusive culture that values all employees regardless of race, color, religion or creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, or disability.”
The Michaels Organization Names Regional VP
Kecia Boulware has been named regional vice president of development for The Michaels Organization’s affordable housing portfolio in California.
The largest in Michaels’ portfolio, California includes urban and rural developments spread across both the southern and northern regions of the state.
During her time with Michaels as a vice president, Boulware has been the lead developer on the comprehensive transformation of Jordan Downs in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest public housing communities.
Before joining Michaels in 2015, Boulware served as senior project manager at AMCAL Multi-Housing, where she led geographic expansion and strategic initiatives along with developing new housing communities. Throughout her career, she has managed the development of over 1,000 new apartment homes for families and seniors in California and Texas.
Located in Michaels’ regional Los Angeles office, Boulware supervises a development staff of three.
The Michaels Organization is a national leader in residential real estate, serving 145,000 residents in more than 400 communities nationwide.
Molly McShane Becomes CEO of The McShane Cos.
Molly McShane has been appointed CEO of The McShane Cos., a national real estate development and construction services provider. She previously held the position of COO.
Since joining the company in 2002, McShane has spearheaded major strategic initiatives across its portfolio of services, most notably its expansion into new geographic markets and a conscious effort to create a diverse workplace. During her tenure as COO, the organization posted record growth. Earlier, she served as chief investment officer.
A trailblazer in the construction and commercial real estate industries, McShane was named NAIOP Chicago’s first female president in 2018. She was also a founding co-chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Women’s Leadership Initiative Chicago’s executive board.
Capital One Appoints Head of Agency Finance
Kate Byford has been named head of agency finance at Capital One. She joined the company three years ago as senior vice president and served as head of capital markets and multifamily operating officer for Capital One Multifamily Finance prior to assuming this role.
Byford came to the company after a decade at Freddie Mac, where she was a senior director and head of multifamily capital markets pricing. Before that, she worked for BB&T Capital Markets and Wachovia Securities.
“This is an exciting time to lead the agency business,” Byford said. “The pace of transactions is on the rise, we have an outstanding team, and Capital One is deeply committed to the business. I'm looking forward to building on our best-in-class platform and finding new ways to serve our clients.”
Capital One Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Group offers a comprehensive array of financing solutions for property owners and developers nationwide, including balance sheet and agency lending.
Meltzer/Mandl Architects Names Principal
Eli Meltzer will serve as principal of Meltzer/Mandl Architects (MMA), taking over leadership from his father, Marvin Meltzer, who has led the firm for the past 40 years.
Eli Meltzer joins from Kliment Halsband Architects, where he was a project architect for almost three years. In his new role, he is responsible for managing all aspects of the design, sales, and operations.
Prior to MMA, he spent several years working on Hudson Yards, the largest private real estate development in the U.S. He also has experience in the health care industry, developing innovative prototypes for clinical and exam space in the surgery department at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and designing several privately funded and state-bonded K-12 facilities in New York City and its suburbs.
Meltzer/Mandl Architects is widely recognized for its numerous New York City affordable and market-rate housing projects.
