Lancaster Pollard Adds to Team

Liz Diamond has joined Lancaster Pollard to expand the firm’s investment banking and mortgage banking finance activities in affordable housing.

She will be responsible for clients in the Northwestern states.

Diamond has 18 years of experience in housing finance. She previously worked at AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust as director of the Western region and as a senior investment officer. She was responsible for multifamily investment activities with a focus on Federal Housing Administration and government-sponsored enterprise executions for affordable and market-rate transactions.

Woda Group Names V.P.

Joe McCabe has joined The Woda Group as a vice president in the development group. He will be based in the firm’s Westerville, Ohio, office.

He has significant affordable housing experience in multiple states, including Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. McCabe was most recently with The NRP Group.

Raymond James Hires Acquisitions Director

Michelle A. Kraics has become director of acquisitions for the Northeast region, including New York City, at Raymond James Tax Credit Funds, a national syndicator of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs).

Kraics will focus on property acquisitions, managing existing business, and cultivating relationships with developers and investors.

Kraics has more than eight years of experience in the housing tax credit business, most recently as director of LIHTC originations at Citibank where she led the originations and sales efforts of its existing portfolio. Before Citibank, Kraics worked at Related Capital in New York for five years.

Freddie Mac Names Western Region Director

Freddie Mac Multifamily has named Scott Croul as managing regional director for the Western region.

He is in charge of production and sales for the region. Croul joined Freddie Mac in June 2010 and managed underwriting and credit. When he joined Freddie Mac Multifamily, he had built more than 26 years of experience working in the commercial mortgage banking industry, working both as a financial intermediary and lender. At John Hancock Real Estate Finance, Croul led their production and underwriting teams for 12 years. Prior to John Hancock, he also worked for Freddie Mac Sellers CB Commercial (now CBRE), Centerline, and Berkadia.

BRIDGE Housing Names CDFI President

Elizabeth Van Benschoten has been appointed president of BRIDGE Housing’s Community Development Financial Institution affiliate.

In this newly created position, she will lead the organization’s aggregation of capital to fuel affordable housing production and community development. Van Benschoten has spent the past 10 years working for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, most recently as senior vice president and senior client manager for the Healthcare, Education, and Institutions Group.

Headquartered in San Francisco, BRIDGE Housing is a leading nonprofit affordable housing d eveloper and owner.

ACD Announces Moves

Thomas R. Lacey, Jeffrey A. Supowit, John A. Williamson, and Carl E. Skrzynski have all been promoted to senior vice president at American Community Developers. The personnel moves are part of the Detroit-based organization’s national expansion strategy.

In addition, Michael D. Essian has been promoted to vice president after recently serving as a development analyst.

Derek M. Skrzynski has joined ACD as vice president of ACD’s West Coast operations. He has been involved in developing affordable housing for five years. He was recently project manager at Clifford Beers Housing in Los Angeles.