People on the Move 9.10.25

Pennrose Announces Moves

Pennrose, a leading developer and manager of mixed-income and mixed-use housing, has announced several leadership moves.

Adriana Guzzo has been appointed vice president of transition management. She will serve as the primary liaison between Pennrose’s development arm and Pennrose Management Co. (PMC), tasked with leading the integration of newly constructed and renovated properties into PMC’s operations.

Guzzo will manage the processes that are involved in taking a residential development from inception through construction completion to operational stabilization. Additional responsibilities include working alongside development and management teams to direct leasing operations and ensure compliance with all financial, operational, and supportive service requirements. She will oversee Pennrose’s team of regional transition managers. 

With nearly three decades of industry experience, Guzzo has led over 18 affordable housing lotteries and the lease-up of more than 35 assets, including low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), market-rate, and workforce housing communities. Most recently, she served as a regional manager with WinnCompanies.

Jeff Ehrlich has been named director of acquisitions at Contour Housing Partners, a mission-driven housing preservation firm that was launched in 2023 by executives from Pennrose.

Ehrlich will support Contour’s strategy to acquire, stabilize, and preserve high-quality affordable rental housing across the country.

In his role, he will oversee the identification, financial structuring, and underwriting of multifamily investment opportunities, collaborating closely with Contour’s executive leadership, analysts, and affiliates, including Pennrose and PMC. He will also help manage all aspects of the acquisition process, from initial identification and due diligence through closing and stabilization.

Prior to joining Contour, Ehrlich served as vice president, head of acquisitions and dispositions, at Olive Tree Holdings, where he led a team responsible for sourcing and closing more than 10,000 units, including over 3,000 affordable units, and led acquisition negotiations across diverse U.S. markets.

Pennrose has promoted Maggie Yeager and Christina Cherepko to vice presidents of operations. Both will be responsible for driving operational excellence by developing strategic initiatives and optimizing processes to deliver exceptional service to residents in the regions they oversee.

Yeager originally began with Pennrose in 2010 as a supportive services coordinator. Since then, she has steadily developed her experience through increasing levels of property management, including property manager, senior property manager, and regional property manager. Most recently she was transition manager, responsible for the on-site property lease-up of Pennrose developments, including compliance, leasing, and meeting associated financial goals.

Cherepko began her career in customer service and transitioned to property management in 2008, where she found her passion for affordable housing. She joined Pennrose in 2016 as a property manager and was promoted to regional property manager overseeing a region in New Jersey in 2019.

Maria Rodriguez has been named vice president and legal counsel. She will serve as the organization’s in-house corporate counsel, supporting the legal needs of Pennrose and its affiliates during a time of continued expansion and innovation.

In this role, Rodriguez will be responsible for advising executive leadership on legal issues related to real estate development, finance, and operations. Additional responsibilities include managing outside counsel, guiding internal legal processes, and supporting the organization’s strategic objectives through legal insight.

Rodriguez joins Pennrose from Blank Rome, where she served in the law firm’s real estate group representing a variety of clients in multifaceted real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, joint ventures, and commercial leasing. 

SAHF Names Fitzgerald Interim CEO, Boosts Leadership Team

Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) has announced several leadership moves.

Eileen Fitzgerald has been appointed interim president and CEO, making a return to the organization she led from 2014 to 2019. She steps into the interim role after Andrea Ponsor recently joined the National Housing Trust as chief operating officer.

“We are thrilled for Andrea as she takes on this new opportunity and deeply grateful for her leadership over the past nine years,” said Ismael Guerrero, chair of the SAHF board and president and CEO of Mercy Housing. “At the same time, we are fortunate to welcome back Eileen Fitzgerald, whose deep knowledge of SAHF and the affordable housing landscape will provide steady leadership during this transition.”

SAHF is a national collaborative of 13 nonprofit affordable housing providers that collectively own and operate more than 160,000 rental homes. SAHF members are known for advancing policy, resident voices, and practice-based solutions that link affordable housing to opportunity.

Morgan Kirk has joined the organization as director of health and housing partnerships, bringing more than 15 years of experience building scalable systems that expand access and opportunity across community health and workforce development.

She will work closely with SAHF leadership and members to develop and implement a multiyear strategy to expand service-enriched affordable rental housing through strategic partnerships. Kirk will lead efforts to foster collaboration among SAHF members, the health care sector, and other key stakeholders to support innovative models that integrate housing and health. Her work will include identifying opportunities to leverage Medicaid and Medicare funding, supporting member-led partnerships and shaping policy to strengthen the health and housing ecosystem.

Althea Arnold has been promoted to senior vice president for policy and chief operating officer. In this role, she leads SAHF’s federal policy work while helping guide the organization’s strategic direction as part of its leadership team.

Arnold joined SAHF in 2020 after serving as a senior legislative and policy associate at the National Council of State Housing Agencies, where she focused on federal appropriations, Department of Housing and Urban Development multifamily programs, and supportive housing. She began her housing career at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, conducting research on affordable housing needs to inform federal policy. 

Ghena Becomes Interim President of Cinnaire Equity Partners

Josh Ghena has been named interim president of Cinnaire Equity Partners. He takes over for Ryan Robinson, who retired at the end of August.

Ghena has been a leader at the organization, most recently serving as senior vice president, equity management. Over the past three-and-a-half years managing Cinnaire’s equity business, Ghena and Robinson closed more than $1.6 billion in LIHTC multi-investor funds.

Robinson retired after 14 years of leadership at Cinnaire. As president, he guided business development team, advanced affordable housing finance through LIHTC syndication, and strengthened operational excellence across our organization. 

Century Housing Appoints CFO, Announces Promotions

William Wong has joined affordable housing nonprofit Century Housing Corp. as chief financial officer.

Wong brings nearly 40 years of international experience in corporate finance, accounting, tax, investments, financial planning, and risk management. He has helped raise nearly $1 billion in equity and debt capital over the course of his career, including through initial public offerings, a convertible debt offering, an emerging market privatization, and Reg D capital.

Wong previously served as group chief financial officer and operating partner at Taussig Capital Holdings.

Century Housing, a Community Development Financial Institution that provides end-to-end financing for affordable housing throughout California, also announced several promotions.

Alexandra Dawson has been promoted to vice president of credit risk management. She leads Century’s underwriting team and oversees underwriting activities across all loan products. Dawson joined Century in 2024 as director of lending and underwriting and brings 14 years of experience in affordable housing.

Serybrem “CB” Bass has been promoted to director of loan administration. A founding team member, Bass has been with the organization since its inception 30 years ago and brings more than two decades of experience in loan administration. She previously served as senior loan administration officer. In her new role, Bass oversees the closing, disbursement, and servicing of a wide range of affordable housing loans and remains a key point of contact for borrowers, escrow agents, lenders, and investors.

Paige O’Donnell has been promoted to vice president at Century Affordable Development (CADI), the development affiliate of Century Housing. She leads a team advancing supportive and affordable housing throughout Southern California, including both infill and master-planned developments. O’Donnell joined CADI in 2019 as senior development manager and was later promoted to associate director. With over a decade of experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, she has managed projects representing more than 2,500 units and $1 billion in affordable housing financing across California and Texas.

WHEDA Announces Promotion

Erin Libecki has been named the new leader of the commercial lending team at the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA).

As director of commercial lending, Libecki and her team will focus on deploying capital and resources to finance multifamily affordable housing and business development projects throughout Wisconsin. The commercial lending team is responsible for reviewing and allocating housing tax credits and administering the financing cycle for multifamily developments.  

Libecki joined WHEDA in 2021, initially serving as a commercial lending officer followed by manager of commercial lending. Before joining WHEDA, she served as vice president of capital markets for Hammes Partners, a private equity platform focused on health care real estate. 

Bright Power Names VP of Construction

Adin Meir has been appointed vice president of new construction at Bright Power, a New York-based firm that provides owners, operators, and developers with sustainable energy solutions and services.

Meir is responsible for the new construction divisions, focusing on building performance and decarbonization strategies in ground-up new construction and rehabilitation projects. He will work with developers and architects to create high-performance buildings that are both comfortable and energy efficient. 

Within his divisions, Meir will manage several professional services teams, including commissioning, on-site generation (solar) consulting, and sustainability services. 

Previously, Meir served as vice president of energy and sustainability of the Moinian Group.

Carmel Pratt, who previously led the new construction teams, has shifted to senior technical adviser to provide hands-on technical expertise for both new construction and rehabilitation projects.