Affordable Housing Finance has selected six individuals 40 and younger who are playing vital roles in the creation and preservation of affordable housing.
This year’s group of Young Leaders includes four developers, an attorney, and an urban development expert. Since 2008, AHF has been honoring young men and women who are helping to build organizations and finding innovative ways to deliver affordable housing. The Young Leader award was created as a way to celebrate and support the development of a new generation of leaders.
This year’s Young Leaders are:
Polina Bakhteiarov: Transforming urban corridors and revitalizing public housing have been priorities for Bakhteiarov throughout her career. As director of real estate development with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), she led the preservation team in repositioning distressed public housing units via subsidy conversion to Sec. 8, closing on the Rental Assistance Demonstration conversion of over 5,000 units. In July, she left NYCHA and is now senior vice president of business development for the Newark Community Economic Development Corp., the primary economic development catalyst for New Jersey's largest city.
Jesse Elton: As director of finance for The Community Builders, Elton leads a team dedicated to structuring deals for the Boston-based nonprofit developer and owner and manages national relationships with lenders and investors. She has been an innovator in complex deals with low-income housing tax credits, New Markets Tax Credits, Choice Neighborhoods, and other financing. Her career has followed the nonprofit tract, having previously worked at both BRIDGE Housing and the Local Initiatives Support Corp. Outside of work, Elton is on the board of the Boston-based Urban Farming Institute Community Land Trust.
Matt Gillam: Gillam has spent his career at Overland Property Group, a growing development firm based in Leawood, Kansas. He began as an intern in 2009 and has moved up the ranks to executive vice president and senior partner. He has been involved in all aspects of the business, including construction, development, property management, and finance, and most recently has been focused on building the firm’s pipeline of developments. He is an advocate for affordable housing on the state and federal levels, becoming president of the Kansas Housing Association in June.
Allison King: As an affordable housing bond attorney, King has participated in hundreds of taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances valued at more than $4 billion and located in rural and urban markets in more than 20 states. A partner at Tiber Hudson, she has helped create or preserve more than 16,500 affordable housing units, using innovative financing structures. Before becoming a lawyer, King worked as a developer. In addition to her volunteer work with Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding, she g recently served on Charleston, S.C.’s Short-Term Rental Housing Task Force and is on the board of a Charleston nonprofit that provides affordable single-family housing for first-time buyers.
June Park: Park is a partner at SDG Housing Partners, an emerging Southern California-based firm that has acquired and renovated five affordable housing developments with 800 units and more deals in the pipeline. She is involved in all aspects of acquisition, development, asset management, and compliance of the company’s properties. Beyond her job, she serves on the board of directors of SRO Housing, a nonprofit dedicated to providing housing and supportive services for homeless individuals in Los Angeles.
Nick Tufano: Tufano has been involved in the preservation and rehabilitation of approximately 5,100 affordable housing units as vice president of construction at Preservation Partners Development for the past five years. He’s turning around aging properties to improve the lives of their residents and creating new playgrounds for children in the communities. Earlier in his career, he worked at ICON Builders and Restore Neighborhoods LA, a nonprofit using Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants to develop and rehabilitate properties in Los Angeles.
The Young Leaders will be honored at AHF Live: The Affordable Housing Developers Summit, which will be held Nov. 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. You can read more about them in the October issue of the magazine and online at www.housingfinance.com.