Cohen-Esrey Appoints Development Director
Lisa Sorensen has been named development director at Cohen-Esrey Development Group (CEDG). She will be based in Denver and will focus her efforts on extending the firm’s affordable housing development platform into Colorado and bordering mountain states.
Sorensen brings over 20 years of experience in affordable housing development to her new role at CEDG, having served most recently as a senior development manager at the Denver Housing Authority, where she was instrumental in closing numerous key partnerships, providing project management, and securing financing.
Her experience also includes tenures with MBR Development, Simpson Housing Corp., and Deloitte & Touche, as well as work as an independent consultant.
Cinnaire Announces VP of Community Development
Dionna Sargent has been named vice president of community development in Cinnaire’s Wilmington, Del., office. She is responsible for advancing community-based and comprehensive development objectives in Wilmington neighborhoods, and she will continue to lead the CDFI Advisory Committee to identify community development needs and priorities, coordinate conferences and roundtable discussions on sustainable neighborhood revitalization practices, and raise grant funding to support grassroots development projects in Wilmington.
She joined Cinnaire in 2014 and recently served as community development market leader.
Sargent also recently led the efforts of Equitable Wilmington, a collaborative partnership between Cinnaire, True Access Capital, and the NCALL Loan Fund aimed at promoting inclusive growth in Wilmington’s West, East, and Northeast neighborhoods. Under her leadership, Equitable Wilmington received a competitive $4 million JPMorgan Chase Pro Neighborhood grant that will be used to support affordable housing development, small businesses, and community facilities in the city.
CFH Names Executive Director
George Davies will be the next executive director of CFH, Inc., a 40-year-old Northern Virginia nonprofit that provides sustainable housing solutions and life skills education to area residents. He has been named to take over the organization from longtime leader Karen DeVito when she retires at the end of this year.
For the past seven years, Davies has worked at Fellowship Square, which provides quality housing in Reston, Woodbridge, and Upper Marlboro for some 800 low-income seniors who can live independently. During his time at Fellowship Square, Davies was tasked with administering a $3.2 million program budget and overseeing 30 staff members.
CFH has helped to provide sustainable housing solutions to families in 21 counties, cities, and towns through a variety of programs that include senior rental assistance, security deposit assistance, affordable and workforce rental homes, downpayment assistance, and homeownership solutions.
Love Funding Makes Moves
Doug Knebel has joined Love Funding’s St. Louis team as senior director.
He brings more than 15 years of experience in commercial lending, banking, and servicing to Love Funding.
Most recently, he served as associate director of commercial banking, and previously as commercial relationship manager, at Midland States Bank, Love Funding’s parent company. Love Funding is a leading provider of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) multifamily, affordable, and health-care financing.
Michael McKenzie has joined Love Funding as a director based in Boulder, Colo.
He brings more than 30 years of experience in finance, most recently in multifamily agency and low-income housing programs.
Previously, McKenzie served as vice president of originations for Dougherty & Co. in Boulder, where he serviced clients across the country with Fannie Mae DUS and FHA Department of Housing and Urban Development agency executions. Prior to Dougherty, he served as CFO and strategist for Thistle Communities of Boulder, a nonprofit affordable housing developer headquartered in Boulder.
Tidwell Group Welcome Partner
Eric Beining has been named the newest partner at the Tidwell Group. He brings 20-plus years of commercial real estate, nonprofit, and public accounting experience to the firm’s Columbus, Ohio, office.
Beining began his career working at a Big Four CPA firm, where he gained experience working with tax-exempt organizations, high-net-worth individuals, as well as pass-through and corporate tax returns. He’s also served as the CFO of a Columbus-based commercial real estate and appraisal firm. His focus as CFO was primarily on investor relations, financial reporting, and project financing.
