New Leader Takes the Helm at LISC Indianapolis
The Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) has named Brandon Taylor executive director of LISC Indianapolis, a nearly four decade-long community investment program that has driven $344 million into neighborhoods across the city.
Taylor had been serving as interim executive director of LISC Indianapolis since January. Previously, he worked as the program’s deputy director, overseeing neighborhood revitalization plans, housing investments, nonprofit capacity building, and comprehensive community development strategies, as well as financial management and reporting functions.
He joined the LISC Indianapolis team in 2022 to lead its local workforce development programs. He previously worked at LISC Philadelphia, where he supported capacity-building and community safety programs. He was also a project manager for LISC New York’s Build It Back program, fueling innovative disaster recovery strategies following Hurricane Sandy.
In addition to his work at LISC, Taylor serves on the boards of Habitat Homeownership Finance Solutions and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center. He is also on the steering committee of the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network, where he helps shape statewide strategies for wealth building and financial security.
Standard Communities Announces Managing Director Appointment
Christiana Hollis has been named managing director, strategy and operations, at Standard Communities, a leading national multifamily housing developer and owner.
Standard Communities
Christiana Hollis
She recently served as chief of staff at the company before transitioning into her new role. She is based in Los Angeles.
Hollis will focus on strategy development, enterprise execution, and will lead cross-functional efforts to build scalable processes, strengthen the company’s structural foundation, and align teams and systems to support Standard’s next phase of growth.
Prior to joining Standard, Hollis worked at McKinsey & Co., where she specialized in developing strategies to support hyper-scaling growth and enhance operational efficiency. Earlier, she spent seven years as a diplomat with the State Department, which saw her dispatched to over a dozen countries including Canada, Mexico, and Turkey.
Berkadia Adds to Affordable Housing Platform
Berkadia
Steven Giovangelo
Steven Giovangelo has been named a senior director at Berkadia, where he specializes in originating equity solutions for affordable housing clients across the Northeast. He is based in Boston.
Prior to joining Berkadia, Giovangelo was a director of originations at Walker & Dunlop, where he was responsible for driving growth across the Northeast. Earlier, he was vice president of originations at PNC Bank.
Berkadia Affordable Housing is a fully integrated financial services platform comprised of mortgage banking, investment sales, and tax credit syndication.
Merritt Community Capital Announces Key Appointment
Pavlin Buchukov has been named director of Merritt Community Capital Corp.’s newly formed Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI).
Pavlin Buchukov
He will be responsible for expanding Merritt’s service offering by building a new CDFI business from the ground up. This will include spearheading the effort to build, operationalize, and scale Merritt’s newest impact arm. He will lead the capitalization, certification, business development, packaging, and servicing of affordable housing finance projects related to this growth initiative.
Buchukov brings nearly two decades of experience in community development, lending, and relationship and asset management, with a special focus on economic and social empowerment. In his most recent role at Genesis LA, where he spent over 10 years, he led the organization’s lending activities, deploying over $100 million in direct CDFI loans and over $300 million in New Market Tax Credits.
Merritt is a mission-oriented affordable housing funder and low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) syndicator that serves California.
KeyBank Adds to CDLI Team
Jon Burckin
Jon Burckin has been appointed senior business development banker on the equity distribution team at KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI). He is based in the firm’s New York City office.
Burckin is responsible for raising capital and bringing in new investors for CDLI’s affordable housing equity syndication platform across the United States.
He brings more than 25 years of experience in capital markets, focusing primarily on real estate, structured finance, and impact investing to KeyBank. With extensive experience in capital deployment across all sides of the capital structure, he has specialized in federal and state tax credit programs. Most recently, Burckin served as a managing director of real estate capital markets at Regions Bank, where he led the LIHTC equity distribution team toward consistent and profitable growth while establishing long-term client relationships.
The Michaels Organization Welcomes SVP
Rob Smith/The Michaels Organization.
Michael Manfred
Michael Manfred has been named its senior vice president of marketing and innovation at The Michaels Organization, a leading real estate developer and owner.
Manfred will have lead responsibility for marketing, revenue management, and the customer experience for Michaels’ national portfolio of affordable, market-rate, student, and military housing.
His experience includes management positions in both marketing and information technology with some of the industry’s largest companies, including AvalonBay Communities and Brookfield Properties. Most recently, Manfred served as vice president of marketing for The NRP Group.
