Wallick Communities Promotes Dunfee
Alexis Dunfee has been elevated to senior vice president of development at Wallick Communities. Formerly vice president of development, she will continue leading all aspects of the company’s development division, including its growing development team, and actively working with Wallick’s executive team to expand the company’s presence across the Midwest.
Dunfee’s career at Wallick Communities began in 2012 when she joined the company as a development associate. She was promoted to development manager in 2016 and named vice president in 2018. Over the past decade, she has been involved in the acquisition and redevelopment of more than 2,000 affordable housing units across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan.
Community HousingWorks Creates New Leadership Role
Mary Jane Jagodzinski has been appointed vice president of strategic initiatives, a new leadership position at Community HousingWorks (CHW), a leading affordable housing nonprofit headquartered in San Diego.
She will lead the creation and implementation of new real estate financial tools and structures across the organization to further CHW’s mission of providing environmentally and socially responsible housing opportunities to a spectrum of residents in California and Texas. A veteran of the organization, Jagodzinski previously served as senior vice president of housing and real estate development.
Levy to Retire From Affordable Housing Management
David B. Levy, executive director of Affordable Housing Management (AHM) for more than 30 years, will retire at the end of the year.
Levy has led the Greensboro, North Carolina-based organization since 1993 and has been responsible for the new development or the acquisition and rehabilitation of more than 1,000 units across 20 properties.“It has been an honor and a pleasure to lead AHM and be a strong advocate for affordable housing for this community,” Levy said. “AHM has gone through many challenges; but I am proud to say that we have persevered and been very successful in providing much-needed quality and affordable housing for so many families.”
AHM, formerly known as the Greater Greensboro Housing Foundation, is a 53-year-old private nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide quality affordable rental housing for low- to moderate-income households, including the elderly and disabled.The AHM board of directors will conduct a search for a new executive to be in place by the fall.
Columbia Residential Appoints VP of Operations
Jennifer Harley has been named vice president of operations at Columbia Residential, a leading affordable housing developer, owner, and manager.
She joined the Atlanta-based firm in 2018 as director of operations. In her current role, she is the liaison between the property management, asset management, and development divisions. Harley is also a driver of key functions and processes at all of Columbia Residential’s communities as well as due diligence, key acquisitions, and lease-ups.
During Harley’s 25-year affordable housing career, she has gained extensive experience in new construction, resyndications, acquisition rehabs, and troubled assets. She is an accredited Housing Credit Certified Professional with the National Association of Home Builders, an accredited Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor with the National Apartment Association, and an active member of the Atlanta Apartment Association.
Martin to Lead CohnReznick’s Massachusetts Offices
Kevin P. Martin has been appointed office managing partner in Massachusetts for CohnReznick, a leading advisory, assurance, and tax firm. This significantly expands Martin’s leadership role in the state as he will now lead the Boston office in addition to maintaining his responsibilities managing the Braintree, Danvers, and Fall River offices.
The firm said the move comes at a key time as CohnReznick further builds its bench strength through robust hiring across all levels. Within its Northeast region, the firm’s largest, CohnReznick’s affordable housing, real estate, and not-for-profit practices continue to grow in Massachusetts along with regional expertise in technology, life sciences, private client services, tax credits, financial services, consumer, hospitality, and manufacturing.
“Kevin’s dynamic leadership style, 30-plus years of public accounting experience, and deep commitment to giving back to his community make him the right person for this position,” said CEO David Kessler. “Advancing our capabilities and reputation throughout the New England marketplace is an important part of our strategic growth plan.”
Kessler also expressed appreciation to Ed Kindelan, who is transitioning from the Boston office managing partner role in advance of his January 2024 retirement.
Merchants Capital Names EVP
Josh Reed has been promoted to executive vice president at Merchants Capital, where he leads the acquisition team within the company’s low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity division.
Since joining the company in late 2020, Reed has been instrumental in developing equity relationships with new and existing partners and has played a leading role in the growth of Merchants Capital as a leading national syndicator with over $650 million in closed lower-tier equity since inception with top industry developers in nearly 30 states. He previously served as senior vice president.
Reed’s experience includes consulting for tax credit developers on various aspects of sourcing and structuring LIHTC real estate projects. Earlier in his career, he worked at one of the nation’s largest tax credit equity syndicators, where he engaged in closing, underwriting, and structuring over $700 million in lower-tier equity acquisitions. He also previously managed the construction department that oversaw construction underwriting and monitoring for projects nationwide, including over $600 million in equity investments.
Brinshore Development Announces Promotions
Brinshore Development has promoted several members of its development staff to management positions.
Karly Brinla, previously an associate developer responsible for project management assistance, including predevelopment, financing, construction, marketing, and community outreach, has been elevated to vice president, development manager for Section 18, permanent supportive housing, and Rental Assistance Demonstration projects in Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, and Utah.
Michael Sciortino, previously an associate developer responsible for project management assistance, including energy-efficient initiatives, predevelopment, financing, construction, marketing, and community outreach, has been promoted to vice president, development manager for LIHTC and publicly funded projects across Texas.
Anna Libby, previously an associate developer responsible for project management assistance, including predevelopment, financing, construction, marketing, and community outreach, has become vice president, development manager for multiphase, mixed-income developments, and public housing repositioning projects.
Scott Puffer, previously vice president of business development responsible for securing affordable and market-rate multifamily apartments, senior-living communities, and commercial and mixed-use business opportunities, has been promoted to senior vice president of business development.
Throughout the nation, Brinshore has more than 20 projects under construction in the first quarter.
Nixon Peabody Announces 2023 Partner Class
Nixon Peabody has elevated several attorneys to the law firm’s 2023 partner class, representing a wide range of practice areas, including affordable housing and community development finance.
The partner promotions became effective Feb. 1. Overall, 50% of this year’s group are members of historically underrepresented groups at the partnership level in the legal profession. The new partners include:
Julia Casteleiro, Affordable Housing & Real Estate, New York City: Building on a background in general real estate, Casteleiro works with clients toward the common goal of providing safe and affordable housing to all people. She helps clients navigate all aspects of acquiring, financing, and developing multifamily housing, from the first steps of negotiating a purchase and sale agreement to reviewing and finalizing closing documents. Casteleiro has worked with many of the development teams involved in preserving and rehabilitating public housing owned by the New York City Housing Authority. In addition to negotiating financing aspects, she has also been involved in negotiating long-term ground leases, community facility leases, and commercial leases. Casteleiro is a member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
Emily McKinney, Community Development Finance, Washington, D.C.: McKinney focuses her practice on community development and revitalization matters. She works primarily with the firm’s LIHTC team, representing large institutional investors in the acquisition, financing, and syndication of real estate transactions that utilize federal LIHTC tax credits. She helps transactions run efficiently by conducting necessary due diligence, identifying key issues early in the process, drafting and negotiating the core documents for a transaction, and using collective intelligence to find cost-effective solutions for her clients. McKinney works closely with clients to ensure that the terms of a deal are structured in a manner that enables clients to mitigate risk while achieving their business goals
Ian O’Banion, Affordable Housing & Real Estate, San Francisco: O’Banion represents developers, investors, lenders, and property owners in a variety of real estate transactions, including acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, workout, and sale-leaseback transactions across numerous property types, ranging from industrial to office buildings to vineyards. Drawing on his experience as a licensed architect in California, he advises clients with respect to real estate development matters, from the purchase of raw land to the formation of design and construction agreements. O’Banion also helps clients navigate challenges presented by climate change and investigate related opportunities for financing, sustainability measures, and resource conservation in order to build smarter, more resilient communities. He is an active member of the American Institute of Architects.
Kathie Soroka, Affordable Housing & Real Estate, New York City: Soroka represents developers, housing authorities, public entities, syndicators, and other stakeholders in affordable housing transactions involving federal and state tax credits. She is noted as one of the nation’s foremost professionals in public housing repositioning, including the Rental Assistance Demonstration, Section 18 demolition/disposition, and Section 22 conversion. Soroka is also a recognized authority on complex regulatory issues involving the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Before joining Nixon Peabody, she served as senior counsel to the general counsel at HUD during the Obama administration. Soroka is a member of the Housing and Development Law Institute’s board of directors. She is also active with the Illinois Housing Council and the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing.
