Five new members will be inducted into Affordable Housing Finance’s Hall of Fame this year.
AHF is also recognizing eight men and women, all 40 and younger, as this year’s Young Leaders, and an industry veteran has been selected to receive the Nathan D. Taft Award for Leadership & Character in Affordable Housing.
The Hall of Fame inductees have developed tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country, championed critical best practices, and uplifted the industry through their dedicated leadership. The 2026 class is:
- John B. Cruz III, president and CEO of Boston-based Cruz Cos., one of country’s oldest and largest 100% Black-owned real estate organizations. He has developed more than 2,000 affordable housing units with more in the pipeline. Through Cruz C.A.R.E.S., he has further extended his commitment to community by supporting scholarships, youth programs, and neighborhood initiatives that strengthen the communities his company serves;
- Larry Curtis, chairman of WinnDevelopment, has been instrumental in helping the Boston-based company grow from 3,000 units in 1986 to more than 100,000 units, which the firm has under management across the country. His primary focus has been on the creation of affordable housing and historic rehabilitation developments. Curtis has been an influential leader on several boards, including serving as past president of the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association and a trustee emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Board of Trustees;
- Frances Ferguson, founding executive director of Foundation Communities and former vice president of NeighborWorks America, has been the visionary behind several of Texas’ most consequential affordable housing organizations, including founding Central Texas Mutual Housing Association—now known as Foundation Communities—a premier nonprofit developer, and the Texas Housing Conservancy, a first-of-its-kind fund that preserves workforce rental housing in the state. On the national front, she was the force behind Strength Matters, the nonprofit affordable housing industry’s network for financial learning;
- Joy Horak-Brown, founding president and CEO of New Hope Housing, has built New Hope into a nationally recognized leader in supportive housing solutions for Houston’s neediest residents since joining as the nonprofit’s first employee in 1993. Under Horak-Brown’s leadership, New Hope Housing has grown from operating just 40 studio-efficiency apartments to 2,115 high-quality apartment homes across the city, with more properties under development; and
- Stephen Whyte, founder and CEO of Vitus, which under his leadership has developed or redeveloped more than 25,000 units in 200 properties across 36 states and currently owns more than 20,000 affordable units. Whyte is a leader in the preservation and redevelopment of the nation’s affordable housing stock, taking on complex transactions that involve public-private partnerships, specialized funding sources, and multi-layered regulations. Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of developing new approaches to financing and operating affordable housing, including the use of alternative energy strategies. His many industry roles include being a former chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Affordable/Workforce Housing Council.
In addition to recognizing the Hall of Fame inductees for their lasting contributions to affordable housing, AHF will honor eight rising stars. This year’s Young Leaders are:
- Cricket Cleary, senior director, development, Lincoln Avenue Communities;
- Susie Criscimagna, vice president of real estate development, Eden Housing;
- Alexis Dunfee, senior vice president, development, Wallick Communities;
- Stephanie Flanders, director of tax credit programs, Virginia Housing;
- Evan Holladay, founder and CEO, Holladay Ventures;
- Alexander Marte, senior development director, Gilbane Development;
- Ashley Stockton-Massie, director of affordable acquisitions and development, The Clear Blue Co.; and
- Brandon Taylor, executive director, Local Initiatives Support Corp. Indianapolis.
Sean Spear, president and CEO of Community HousingWorks, has been named the recipient of the Nathan D. Taft Award. In its second year, the award is named after the longtime partner and chief investment officer at Jonathan Rose Cos. who died in 2025. In addition to being an accomplished developer, Taft was a mentor to countless young people entering the field and served on numerous industry boards.
The award was established by Jonathan Rose Cos. and Scott Alter, co-founder of Standard Communities, along with Affordable Housing Finance.