People: Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., Chicago Department of Housing, VHA, Novogradac, Gallagher, Seedco, NHC

Harvey to Step Down

Bart Harvey will leave as chairman of the boards of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., and Enterprise Community Investment, Inc., in March.

Former Seattle Mayor Norman B. Rice was elected chairman of Enterprise Community Partners. He served as mayor from 1990 to 1997. He is a former president and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle.

Jaime E. Yordán, a former general partner and managing director of Goldman Sachs, where he started the firm’s Latin America practice in New York, was elected chairman of Enterprise Community Investment.

Harvey joined Enterprise in 1984 and took over leadership of the organization from founder James Rouse in 1993. The men were early leaders in helping create the low-income housing tax credit program.

Harvey, 59, said he expects to continue working but had no specific plans. He was inducted into AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE’s Affordable Housing Hall of Fame in 2006.

Chicago Names Housing Chief

Ellen K. Sahli has been named commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing. The City Council recently approved Mayor Richard Daley’s appointment of Sahli.

From 2004 until she became acting commissioner in June 2007, Sahli served as the city’s liaison on homelessness and supportive housing.

Before joining the city, she was a senior program officer with the Corporation for Supportive Housing and director of programs with the Mental Health Association of Illinois.

Vancouver Agency Picks Leader

The Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) in Washington has announced the hiring of Roy A. Johnsonas executive director. For the last five years, Johnson has led the Spartanburg Housing Authority in Spartanburg, S.C. VHA provides housing for more than 12,500 people.

FHLBank Atlanta Names Director

Arthur Fleming has joined the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta as first vice president and director of the Community Investment Services department. He will oversee the bank’s community investment and affordable housing programs.

Fleming was executive vice president and chief lending and investment officer for Opportunity Finance Network. He also worked at the Fannie Mae Foundation and at GMAC Residential.

Novogradac Hires New Partner

Annette Stevenson, CPA, has joined the Cleveland office of Novogradac & Co., LLP, an accounting and consulting firm, as a partner.

She previously worked at Ariel Ventures, LLC, and has provided deal structuring, financial and cash flow modeling, and tax advice for more than $400 million of New Markets Tax Credit transactions.

In addition, the San Francisco-based firm named David L. Conway, William A. Letsinger, and Charles A. Rhuda III as firm partners.

Gallagher Firm Announces Partners

Gallagher Evelius & Jones, LLP, has announced that Philip F. Diamond and Matthew L. Pirnot have become partners at the law firm. Both practice in the Baltimore firm’s Real Estate and Business Transactions Group.

Representing lenders, borrowers, and syndicators, Diamond works with clients nationally on real estate development transactions, including affordable housing.

Pirnot represents lenders, investors, developers, and equity syndicators in both affordable and market-rate developments.

Seedco Adds New Post

Robert Espaillat has joined Seedco Financial as its first executive vice president and chief operating officer.

He was previously CEO of Accion New York, a national leader in microfinance.

Seedco Financial is a national nonprofit community development financial institution. It provides financing and technical assistance to small businesses, nonprofits, and anchor commercial projects in low-income and economically distressed communities.

NHC Makes Two Appointments

The National Housing Conference (NHC) and its research affiliate, the Center for Housing Policy, have announced the appointments of Sharon Price and Lynn Ross.

Price has been named NHC’s director of policy and will be responsible for working with NHC member partners and staff to formulate and advocate on housing policy positions. She had previously served as program examiner for affordable housing and homeless programs for the housing branch of the Office of Management and Budget.

Ross has joined both NHC and the center in the new position of director of state and local initiatives. She will work to develop and execute the education, outreach, and technical assistance strategies of the two organizations. Ross worked at the American Planning Association as manager of the Planning Advisory Service.