National Church Residences Promotes Norris
Michelle Norris has been promoted to executive vice president of external affairs and strategic initiatives after serving for four years as senior vice president of development and public policy at National Church Residences, one of the nation’s top affordable housing developers.
In her current role, Norris is guiding the Ohio-based nonprofit’s mission toward greater focus, impact, and investment. Her primary responsibilities include mission expansion and impact, public policy, community affairs, communications, and public relations.
Norris is also president of National Church Residences Investment Corp.
Pennrose Management Hires VP of Operations
Gayle Filo has joined Pennrose Management Co. as vice president of operations to direct property management operations for the Pennrose portfolio in Maryland, Ohio, and areas of Pennsylvania. She will also be responsible for lease-up activities of new properties in the Pennrose development pipeline that will be built in Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Filo has more than 25 years in the property management business, managing for owner-managers and fee clients alike. Her multifamily experience spans from luxury high-rise to distressed urban properties, including many new construction lease-ups and various affordable programs across multiple markets. She was most recently vice president with Edgewood & Vantage Management, where she was responsible for a portfolio of approximately 5,300 units of conventional and affordable housing.
CHFA Promotes Two
The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) has announced Dorothy Axelson has become its new research and strategy director and Jerilynn Martinez has become marketing and community relations director. Both have been promoted from management positions in their respective divisions at CHFA.
Axelson joined CHFA in 2010 and has more than 20 years of strategic planning and project management experience. Prior to joining CHFA, Axelson was a consultant in the mortgage banking software industry, implementing solutions for streamlining operations as director of professional services at Harland Financial Services and later as principal consultant at Mortgage Cadence.
Martinez has been with CHFA for eight years and served as CHFA’s marketing and communications manager prior to her current role. She has more than 15 years of experience in housing policy and developing internal and external communications campaigns. Prior to joining CHFA, Martinez served as the vice president of public relations for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver.
DCHFA Appoints New Leader
Todd A. Lee has been appointed acting executive director of the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA), announced the agency’s board of directors.
His permanent appointment to the position is pending confirmation by the Council of the District of Columbia.
Lee brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of multifamily and commercial real estate finance. As vice president for multifamily equity in the community investments unit of the multifamily division at Fannie Mae, he built a national investment portfolio that grew to 44,000 housing units, with a gross asset value of $4.5 billion.
Lee succeeds Maria K. Day-Marshall, who previously served as interim executive director and general counsel. Day-Marshall continues to serve as general counsel.
Jamboree Makes Personnel Moves
Jamboree Housing Corp. announced that James H. Fox Jr. has joined its corporate staff in the newly created position of controller. The California-based firm has also promoted Welton R. Smith to senior vice president of housing development.
In this new role, Fox will give oversight to all finance, accounting, and reporting activities to the governing board, finance, and audit committees. He’ll also lead all day-to-day finance operations and supervise the accounting team.
A certified public accountant, Fox brings to Jamboree more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience, including 11 years in financial management of multifamily assets. Prior to joining Jamboree, he was CFO at Clippinger Investment Properties, a real estate investment and management firm with interests in 17 commercial and multifamily assets.
Smith, who joined the affordable housing developer in 2014 as vice president of housing development, is responsible for all aspects of the company’s housing development and associated operations, including business development, acquisitions, entitlement, planning and design, construction, and major capital improvements.
California Nonprofit Adds to Team
Cathleen (Cate) Murphy has joined Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO) as senior program manager.
In her new role, Murphy will work to expand IHO’s partnerships with public and private community members and policymakers to create services and opportunities that benefit and grow communities. One of Murphy’s major initiatives is to implement IHO’s Economic Self-Reliance program, which equips residents with the necessary tools to build assets, increase income, and achieve financial stability.
IHO is a longtime nonprofit developer in Southern California.
Murphy brings more than 10 years of experience in working with and advocating for affordable housing and homeless services in the nonprofit, faith-based, and local government sectors. She is the former executive director of iHOPEoc (Interfaith Homeless Outreach Project for Empowerment), where she launched south Orange County, Calif.’s first resource center focused on serving the needs of the chronically homeless. In 2009, she co-authored the county’s first Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness.
Real Estate Attorney Joins Ballard Spahr
Tracey A. Leitman has joined the Ballard Spahr law firm as counsel in the firm’s New York City office.
Leitman, who focuses on real estate finance transactions and has structured and closed loans for retention by lenders as well as loans to be securitized in numerous large-scale deals, has practiced in the New York metropolitan area for almost 30 years. She handles sophisticated multistate and large-portfolio lending transactions, including mezzanine, bridge, and construction loans.
Her experience also includes conveyance, construction, management, and leasing of complex commercial, retail, and residential projects, including shopping centers and hotels.
Capital One Adds to Multifamily Finance Team
Cortney Mauldin has been appointed senior vice president and chief underwriter for multifamily finance at Capital One. Mauldin will be responsible for the oversight and quality control of all underwriting functions related to Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured transactions.
Prior to joining Capital One, Mauldin served as senior vice president, chief underwriter at Love Funding. In that role, he was responsible for managing the development training and work product of the underwriting team while maintaining relationships with members of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) headquarters, Multifamily and LEAN staff.
