WinnCompanies Appoints General Counsel
Ethan Ceplikas has been named general counsel at the WinnCompanies, succeeding Dan Willert, who is retiring later this year after 13 years in the post.
Ceplikas joins the firm from The Community Builders, a Boston-based multifamily company, where he worked for nine years, most recently as general counsel and vice president. Earlier, he practiced in the real estate group at Nixon Peabody and was a member of the legal department of nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing.
Willert has served as the company’s general counsel and chief ethics officer since 2010 and has been responsible for the company’s legal matters, including those involving property acquisition, development, and management as well as a wide range of corporate and regulatory compliance issues.
Rocky Mountain Communities Announces Finance VP
Jessica Patterson has joined Denver-based Rocky Mountain Communities (RMC) as vice president of finance. She brings more than 12 years of experience in accounting, finance, and low-income housing to the nonprofit organization.
Patterson will oversee all finance and accounting functions for RMC, including owning annual budgets, overseeing cash management, structuring and negotiating loan and partnership documents, managing partnerships in cooperation with legal counsel, working on annual audits, and more.
For the last 11 years Patterson worked for Alden Torch and Pacific Servicing. She has targeted experience with multifamily properties, housing authorities, and low-income housing tax credits. RMC owns 11 communities, providing 1,539 affordable housing units for underserved populations statewide, and manages an additional 300 units through its Pillar Property Services entity.
Rockabill Adds VPs
Rockabill Consulting and Development has announced the addition of two new vice presidents—Haley Meisenholder and Nina Ricci.
Meisenholder joins the firm’s growing supportive and purpose-built shelter practice. Prior to joining Rockabill, she was a senior project manager with New York-based nonprofit developer HELPDevCo, where she focused on the development and construction of affordable and supportive housing in the Northeast. Meisenholder also brings public-sector experience, having served as a deputy director within the New York City Department of Homeless Services’ Capacity and Planning division. She has also worked with Neighborhood Restore Housing Development Corp. on the preservation of affordable homeownership within New York City.
Ricci will support the structuring and underwriting of affordable housing developments throughout New York state. Prior to joining Rockabill, Ricci was the director of the Extremely Low and Low-Income Affordability Program at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where she originated over $600 million in loans for new construction affordable housing projects serving low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. During her time at HPD, Ricci aided in the financing and construction of over 9,000 affordable homes.
CHFA Welcomes Community Relationship Manager
Kaylee A. Romero has been appointed community relationship manager serving the San Luis Valley and surrounding region for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA).
Romero will advance CHFA’s work in Alamosa, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Lake, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties. During CHFA’s 50-year history serving Colorado, the total invested in these nine counties exceeds $187 million, including $112 million in mortgages and down payment assistance to support affordable homeownership, $19.7 million to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing, $55.7 million to help small- and medium-sized businesses access capital, and more than $500,000 in grants, sponsorships, and donations, said the agency.
An Alamosa resident born and raised in the San Luis Valley, Romero most recently served as the project director for the College Assistance Migrant Program at Adams State University, where her work centered on supporting migrant seasonal farmworker youth and their families.
Cruz Cos. Announces Promotions
Cruz Cos., one of the country’s largest 100% Black-owned construction, development, and management firms, has announced a number of strategic promotions and hires.
Justin Cruz has been appointed chief operating officer across the company’s three corporate divisions.
John Teixeira, a longtime John B. Cruz Construction team member, has been promoted to project manager.
In addition, the company announced the elevations of Cruz Management team members Jennifer Then to regional property manager and Cherelle Spencer to senior property manager.
The Massachusetts-based company has also recently added a number of professionals, including Isabel DeAndrade, who has joined as executive assistant along with several other key office staff.
The latest highlights of the firm’s growing portfolio include a 50-unit affordable housing community in College Park, Maryland; the soon-to-open Michael E. Haynes Building in Boston with 55 units of affordable housing and the company’s new global headquarters offices; and a mixed-use, 170-unit complex with a five-story affordable wing plus a 10-story condominium with underground parking in the Roxbury, Massachusetts.
