People on the Move 3.1.23

Fisher to Lead Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Britta Fisher has been named president and CEO of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. She succeeds John Parvensky, the Coalition’s founder and leader for 38 years, who is retiring.

The formal transition will take place in March.

Fisher has been serving as executive director of the city of Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST), which under her tenure has grown to a staff of 120 employees and a budget of $270 million. With appointments by both Republican and Democratic governors, Fisher has served on the Blue Ribbon Panel on Housing, the state Housing Board, and the Affordable Housing Strategy Group convened by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. She was named the city and county of Denver’s Most Supportive Leader 2022 and honored as a 40 Under 40 in 2017 by the Denver Business Journal. Nationally, Fisher serves as the chair of the High-Cost Cities Housing Forum, a group of nine cities with the highest housing costs in the United States.

Prior to her tenure at HOST, Fisher served as the executive director of three organizations, mpowered, Localworks, and Housing Justice, and previously worked for the Coalition in two roles in the mid-2000s, including in rural and women’s health.

The Coalition operates 22 residential properties and provides rental assistance for another 2,000 tenants in apartments owned by other landlords. The organization also serves more than 15,000 individuals yearly at the Stout Street Health Center.

April Housing Welcomes Operations and Finance Executives

April Housing, a Blackstone Real Estate portfolio company committed to the creation and preservation of affordable housing, has appointed Nina-Lee Jewell Alhambra as chief operating officer and Brian Lee as chief financial officer.

Jewell Alhambra brings more than 20 years of leadership in organization structure and planning, operations across property management, low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) development and asset services to April. In her new role, she will assist in setting the company’s strategic direction and translating corporate strategy into actionable operating plans with a focus on driving operational excellence across asset management, portfolio operations, and April’s property management partners. She will partner with the firm’s technology team to build best-in-class technology and data infrastructure to drive operational performance

Jewell Alhambra joins April from Lincoln Avenue Capital, where she served as vice president and was responsible for day-to-day oversight of the asset management division, compliance, and resident services, including a LIHTC portfolio with over 27,000 units and 20 property management relationships. She continues to be active in the community and works with a number of local and international nonprofits.

Lee will oversee all financial aspects of the company, including treasury, reporting, financial planning and analysis, accounting, and tax. He will also be a leader in shaping corporate strategy, drawing from his in-depth experience and expertise in capital markets, corporate finance, and real estate.

He has over 20 years of corporate finance and accounting experience having joined April from Caruso, where he most recently served as executive vice president of finance. Prior to that, he worked at DigitalBridge, where he served as treasurer and head of corporate finance.

TCB Names Batus to Lead New York and New Jersey Portfolio

Jesse Batus has been appointed regional vice president for real estate development in New York and New Jersey for The Community Builders (TCB).

A 16-year veteran of the nonprofit housing organization, he will direct all real estate development activities in a diverse region that spans the boroughs of New York City, the surrounding counties in New York and New Jersey, as well as the cities and towns of the New York state capitol region.

Batus will serve as relationship executive for the territory and lead a project management team in identifying and executing residential and mixed-use developments from conception to completion. The TCB New York/New Jersey portfolio includes more than 1,300 homes and total investments of over $656 million.

Since joining TCB in 2007, Batus has led neighborhood-scale revitalization initiatives and complementary real estate transactions in New York’s Westchester County, Capital District, and the New York City metro area. His notable projects included The Ridgeway development in Yonkers and Beach 21st Street in Far Rockaway.

The Delores Project Announces CEO

Emily Wheeland has been appointed CEO of The Delores Project, a Denver-based nonprofit that provides shelter and personalized services for unaccompanied women and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness.

Wheeland is a trauma-informed advocate for the unhoused with more than two decades of professional experience advancing solutions in Colorado and Oregon that meet the immediate and long-term needs of people experiencing homelessness. She joined The Delores Project in 2015 and has served in five different roles, including, most recently, interim CEO.

In 2019, The Delores Project became the first Colorado organization in more than 30 years to open a newly built, trauma-informed emergency shelter coupled with permanent supportive housing on the same campus.

Wheeland will replace Stephanie Miller, who announced last September her relocation to California.

Aeon Appoints VP

Laura Russ has been named vice president of asset management at Aeon. A Minneapolis-based nonprofit that develops and manages affordable homes that serve more than 17,000 people in the Twin Cities each year, the organization is setting a new strategic plan that will guide its work over the next 10 years.

She brings extensive experience in affordable housing operations. Over her career, Russ has been responsible for asset management, property management, and real estate development for private and nonprofit owners.
Most recently, she led the asset management and investor service functions at Thies & Talle Management, a Minneapolis-based multifamily owner and operator. Previously, she led the business process group at WinnResidential, one of the nation’s largest affordable housing managers.

Alliant Capital Adds to Team

Alliant Capital, a Walker & Dunlop company, has appointed Helen Oliver, senior director, investor relations; Donald Snyder, senior director, originations; and Aaron Krasnow, senior director, originations.

Oliver is responsible for managing investor relationships and assisting in developing equity placement strategies. She brings to Alliant more than 12 years of experience as an investor or investor’s representative in syndicated LIHTC equity funds.

Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Oliver recently worked as a vice president at State Street Bank, where she participated in the diligence and closing of more than $1 billion in federal multi-investor funds and state LIHTC equity, as well as managed the bank’s active portfolio of over $1.5 billion in LIHTC investments. Previously, she was a consultant for bank and insurance company clients investing in LIHTC funds.

Snyder is responsible for structuring, underwriting, and negotiating real estate transactions with individuals and financial institutions. He specializes in new construction and rehabilitation/adaptive-reuse projects as well as developments utilizing the HOPE VI, Section 236, historic credit, and state tax credit programs.

Based in Cleveland, he brings more than 18 years of experience in real estate investment and has participated in the acquisition and syndication of approximately $950 million in tax credit investments nationwide.

Previously, he worked as director of acquisitions for Hunt Capital Partners and director of acquisitions for Red Stone Equity Partners, where he was responsible for the origination, acquisition, financial underwriting, partnership structuring, and syndication of affordable housing and historic tax credit investments principally in the Midwest region.

Krasnow brings more than 25 years of experience working in the LIHTC and affordable housing industries, spending time in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. During his career, Krasnow has worked as a soft money lender, affordable housing developer, investment underwriter, and originator. Previously, he originated approximately $750 million in federal and state tax credit investments for RBC Community Investments in properties throughout the Mountain West, Midwest, and Southwest.

Based in San Diego, he has also worked at MMA Financial (presently Boston Financial), Mercy Housing, and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.

Cannava to Lead Multifamily Capital at Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Co. has appointed Peter Cannava to lead the multifamily capital (MFC) business within its commercial real estate group. MFC provides financing for multifamily housing projects through the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan programs.

In his role, Cannava will oversee all teams that execute on government-sponsored enterprise financing for market-rate, affordable, manufactured, student, and senior housing as well as health care properties.

Cannava moves over from Wells Fargo’s municipal products group (MPG). Over the course of his 14-year career at the bank, he has established himself as an accomplished investment banker in the municipal finance industry focused on multifamily housing, securitizations, real estate, and project finance. Most recently, he served as head of public finance, leading the bank’s origination businesses within the MPG.

Tidwell Welcomes New Partners

Greg Harris and Chadd C. Weisert have become the newest tax partners at the Tidwell Group, an accounting and advisory firm. Both are based in the firm’s Columbus, Ohio, office.
Harris has more than 14 years of public accounting experience. With a focus on the real estate and construction industries, his expertise is within the affordable housing industry. He is well-versed in LIHTCs, Opportunity Zones, and overall partnership transaction consulting.
With over 23 years of experience, Weisert has expertise providing tax services to real estate and construction companies. He manages all aspects of tax engagements for clients ranging from small, family-owned businesses to those with receipts over $500 million. His proficiency includes partnership tax compliance and LIHTC consulting.

Hudson Realty Names Managing Director of FHA Originations

Brandon Eustace has joined Hudson Realty Capital, an integrated commercial real estate investment management firm, as managing director of FHA originations.

He is responsible for overseeing the origination of multifamily FHA/Department of Housing and Urban Development and bridge loans. One of his primary responsibilities is developing and strengthening relationships with potential clients nationwide.

Eustace’s previous professional experiences include director of FHA production at NewPoint Real Estate Capital and Lument-ORIX Real Estate Capital.