Housing Trust Group Names CFO
Mario Robaina II has been promoted to chief financial officer (CFO) at Housing Trust Group (HTG), a leading affordable housing developer headquartered in Miami.
As CFO, he is responsible for accounting, budgeting and forecasting, strategic planning, cash management, and asset management for the entire HTG enterprise.
Robaina joined HTG in 2015 as vice president of finance, where he oversaw structuring, modeling, underwriting, negotiating, and closing a range of multifamily 9% and 4% low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) developments. Prior to joining HTG, he held various roles at Cornerstone Group and Flagler, and had closed over $1 billion in new construction, redevelopment, and refinancing real estate transactions.
HTG is a multifamily residential community developer with over 6,000 affordable and market-rate units throughout Arizona, Florida, and Texas as well as more than 2,000 new apartments in the pipeline.
True Colors United Appoints CEO
Dylan Waguespack has been named CEO of True Colors United, an organization that implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people. The organization was co-founded by singer Cyndi Lauper in 2008.
Waguespack joined True Colors United in 2019, most recently serving as chief policy officer. He has developed, directed, and implemented the organization’s federal, state, and local administrative and legislative public policy agenda. He also served as the organization’s primary spokesperson and is a trusted thought leader within the housing justice and LGBTQ equality movements. In 2021, he led the on-the-ground media and advocacy response to anti-trans bills introduced in the Louisiana Legislature, and his work ultimately helped defeat each bill.
Waguespack, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary and uses he/him and they/them pronouns, grew up in Louisiana and brings his lived experience of homelessness as a young person to the position. He will become the only transgender leader of a national homelessness and housing justice organization.
Prior to joining True Colors United, Waguespack was a political communications and advocacy consultant working in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C. As part of his work, he coordinated the lobbying strategy on the first ever transgender-specific legislation to pass the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019.
At the beginning of this year, Gregory Lewis, who served as True Colors United’s executive director and CEO since co-founding the organization, announced he would step down after 15 years upon the appointment of his successor.
Nixon Peabody Announces Moves
Deborah VanAmerongen has been named deputy leader of Nixon Peabody’s national affordable housing and real estate practice.
VanAmerongen is a strategic policy adviser who works with the firm’s attorneys and clients, including developers, owners, managers, and funders to craft creative solutions for issues related to affordable housing development and preservation. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody in 2010, she served as the commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
Based in the firm’s New York City office, VanAmerongen will provide leadership over the affordable housing practice and will work closely with Christopher Froeb, who was recently named to lead the firm’s real estate practice, which includes affordable housing, condominiums and cooperatives, environmental, real estate finance, and other practice areas. He leads a group of more than 100 attorneys and professional colleagues.
Froeb has served in a variety of leadership roles at the firm, most recently as managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s Boston office.
Hudson Valley Property Group Bolsters Acquisitions Team and Promotes Chief of Staff
Gleb Lerman has been named acquisitions director and Alexandra Coleman has been promoted to chief of staff at Hudson Valley Property Group (HVPG), a leading affordable housing preservation company.
Lerman will help drive HVPG’s portfolio growth by securing strategic partnerships and portfoliowide investment opportunities and elevating the quality of affordable housing across the United States. Previously, he founded a real estate investment startup, focused on creating affordable home ownership opportunities, and was a vice president of acquisitions in the investment management group of L+M Development Partners. Additionally, Lerman has held roles at CBRE and Miller Cicero, focusing on affordable housing advisory.
For the past six years, Coleman has worked in various capacities across the firm to help scale the organization, most recently as director on the acquisitions team. She has played an integral role in originations, business development, investor relations, acquisitions project management, and marketing, amid the firm’s growth from 1,100 units to more than 8,300 units.
Before HVPG, Coleman worked at Auction.com within its dispositions and acquisitions groups.
WNC Appoints Assistant Vice President of Originations
WNC, a leading provider of investment, asset management, and development services in the affordable housing industry, has named Jacqueline Wiegleb as assistant vice president of originations, working with vice president of originations David Ciminelli on the company’s Southeast and Northeast portfolios.
Wiegleb brings more than 15 years of real estate experience to her new role. Prior to WNC, she worked for a national tax credit syndicator as assistant vice president, account manager. During her career, she has participated in the underwriting and review of more than $600 million in affordable housing equity investments, submitting applications for Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program funds, and submitting 4% and 9% LIHTC applications.
WNC, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Irvine, California, is a national LIHTC syndicator and investor in affordable housing and community development initiatives. The firm has acquired approximately $15.2 billion of assets totaling in excess of 1,700 properties in 48 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Denver Housing Authority Announces Promotion
Joshua Crawley has been promoted to chief operating officer and general counsel at the Denver Housing Authority (DHA).
He began working with DHA in 2004 and has served in various roles, including most recently as agency counsel, as well as associate attorney and interim executive director.
In this expanded role, Crawley will continue to lead day-to-day operations of the legal and human resources departments and will provide leadership and direction to the housing management department, Housing Choice Voucher program, and the new audit and compliance department. He is also responsible for leading and supporting DHA’s key strategic initiatives and priorities within the agency.
Crawley is a member of the Denver and Colorado Bar Associations. He also serves on the board of directors of the Housing and Development Law Institute.
Harkins Announces Promotion
Mark Kelehan has been promoted to vice president of affordable housing at Harkins.
He began his career at Harkins as an assistant site manager trainee in 1989, spent 10 years on-site managing the daily operations of construction, and then advanced to project manager, senior project manager, and project executive in the following years. During this time, Kelehan has led the successful completion of over 40 projects since 1999, including many major contracts.
Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Harkins is an employee-owned construction company serving clients engaged in the development of multifamily, commercial, and government projects.
