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Introducing the Future of Housing in Los Angeles, the HDTI Class of 2020-2021!

When addressing the emerging housing crisis in Los Angeles one thing is clear, we need to work together. Local governments, affordable housing developers, and CDFIs all must play a part in addressing what is quickly becoming the greatest challenge facing our Los Angeles community. But those most important to the fight are devoted advocates and community development leaders preparing to bridge these institutions and lead the fight against homelessness.

Since 1988, LISC LA has been key to developing this talent as the sponsor of the Housing Development Training Institute, a comprehensive program creating a pipeline of skilled housing development leaders. To date, this program has seen through over 460 participants representing community development organizations from throughout the state and has been key to supporting local housing leadership.

Here are seventeen participants and emerging leaders preparing to take on the housing crisis here in Los Angeles.

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Alayna Santos

PROJECT MANAGER, A COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS

Alayna Xochitl Santos has dedicated her life to uplifting and supporting others. She has a Masters in Environmental Management and Sustainability from the University of St. Edwards in Austin, Texas and a BA from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. She currently is a Project Manager at A Community of Friends (ACOF) in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to working with ACOF she also served as Project Manager as East LA Community Corporation and Sustainability Manager at Environmental Charter Schools. She has a passion for service and terrible TV.

LinkedIn Profile
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Alma Perez

MULTI-FAMILY PROJECT MANAGER, COACHELLA VALLEY HOUSING COALITION

Alma Perez was born and raised in the Eastern Coachella Valley. In August 2006, Alma was hired by the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) as its receptionist. From the onset of her employment with the organization, Alma recognized the importance of CVHC’s mission and what they contributed to the community and its residents. In 2016, Alma qualified for CVHC’s Mutual Self-Help Program and built her own home in the City of Coachella. Having had the opportunity to build her home and be hands-on in the construction field was a huge learning experience.

Alma has now been with CVHC for 14 years and has worked her way up from receptionist and is now a Project Manager for its Multi-Family Department. Alma has assisted other Project Managers with financing applications, construction closings, draw meetings and permanent closings. Currently, she has her first rehab development in the early stages of predevelopment. In her spare time, Alma enjoys spending time with her two little girls, family, and friends. She also enjoys watching sports games such as baseball, football, and basketball.

COACHELLA VALLEY HOUSING COAL…
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Anna Kobara

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, A COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS

Anna Kobara is a California native whose experience and education is in urban planning and affordable housing development. She completed her Master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs in 2019 and entered the Affordable Housing Development field as an Assistant Project Manager for A Community of Friends. In her free time, she works with the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project on various data visualization and mapping projects that support state-wide and local tenant campaigns in their fight for tenants’ rights, rent control, and anti-displacement policies.

LinkedIn Profile
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Aracely Soto

PROJECT MANAGER, COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Aracely is a Project Manager at CRCD. Prior to joining CRCD, Aracely worked for Homeboy Industries where she was responsible for the customer service team, delivery drivers, and wholesale accounts. Aracely also worked as an Employment Counselor at Homeboy. Aracely has also worked in multiple roles in the private mortgage sector.

COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE COM…
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Caroline Calderon

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, LTSC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Caroline Calderon (she/her) is the Assistant Project Manager of the Little Tokyo Service Center’s Real Estate Development Department. Before working in affordable housing development, she worked as an Outreach Coordinator with the Bill Sorro Housing Program and teacher with Pin@y Educational Partnerships. During her graduate studies, she was a Graduate Intern for the Little Tokyo Community Impact Fund and helped conduct research and data collection on small businesses in Little Tokyo. Caroline holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Francisco and a M.A. in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.

LinkedIn Profile
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Elizabeth Tooke Moore

PROJECT MANAGER, LA FAMILY HOUSING

As a Real Estate Project Manager, Elizabeth is responsible for a range of development activities including processing land use entitlements, preparing funding applications, supervising design of the project, and tracking the day to day aspects of projects. A former land use consultant in the Los Angeles area, Elizabeth brings to the team zoning expertise and understanding of the planning, permitting, and outreach process of development. Elizabeth holds a BA in French and History from Sewanee: The University of the South, a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University (Canada), and a Master in Planning from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

LA FAMILY HOUSING'S WEBSITE
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Erica Nicolay

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER WEINGART CENTER ASSOCIATION

Erica grew up in the South Bay community of San Pedro with her parents, twin sister, and older brother. She attended San Pedro High School before going on to UCLA for college, where she majored in Anthropology and received a minor in Italian. She entered cultural resource management after college and spent most of her time working on construction sites and preparing environmental documents. After several years in this field, she made a career change into affordable housing development. This move was spurred by her desire to do work that would benefit the public and address some of the major issues of our time, namely the lack of affordable housing and homelessness. That decision led her to the Weingart Center Association, where she is currently an Assistant Project Manager. Recently, she moved to Long Beach, where in her free time she enjoys watching the Dodgers, cooking, hiking, and going to the beach.

LinkedIn Profile
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Erin Foreman

PROJECT MANAGER, DECRO CORPORATION

Erin Foreman joined Decro as a Project Manager in 2019. Erin brings over 15 years of real estate experience across a range of disciplines within the industry. Most recently, she managed the personal real estate portfolios of high net worth individuals that included over $500 million in acquisitions and sales of single-family, multifamily and commercial investments, as well as construction project oversight and the management of multifamily apartments within Los Angeles County. Her background also includes experience in mixed-use development and mortgage finance.

Erin received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication at University of California, Santa Barbara and holds a California Real Estate Brokers License. After growing up along the Central Coast of California, she moved to Los Angeles about 13 years ago. The majority of her free time in post -Covid life has been spent doing NYT Crosswords, cycling, camping and trying to garden.

Erin is elated to join LISC’s HDTI program, to be able to take these skills and implement them to support our affordable housing community’s mission of finding innovative permanent supportive and affordable housing solutions for the homeless as well as low-income families, and promoting capital investment and job opportunities in disadvantaged communities.

LinkedIn Profile
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Jarrett Moore

PROJECT MANAGER, COALTION FOR RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Jarrett Moore is a real estate project manager at the South LA based Coalition of Responsible Community Development. He brings to the job 7 years of experience in real estate as an escrow assistant, real estate agent, mortgage broker, and assistant project management.

In addition, he earned his Economic Development Finance Professional Certification from the National Development Council while working as a credit analyst, financial coach, and business owner.

A lifelong Southern California resident, Jarrett also brings his passion for business development, crime reduction, neighborhood beautification and housing affordability together in a concerted effort to fend off gentrification in traditionally African‐American neighborhoods.

COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE COM…
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Joanna Esquivel

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, EAST LA COMMUNITY CORPORATION

Joanna is an Assistant Project Manager with East LA Community Corporation (ELACC). Prior to working in affordable housing development, she dedicated her ten years to social services and community mental health. The switch to affordable housing development occurred when the overwhelming need for most families receiving services was affordable housing. Joanna spends her spare time with her 4 year old son and husband exploring Southern California.

ELACC'S WEBSITE
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Jonathan Lee

PROJECT MANAGER, JAMBOREE HOUSING CORPORATION

Jonathan Lee is a Project Manager at Jamboree Housing Corporation and has been with the organization for 3 years. As a Project Manager Jonathan manages all aspects of development, entitlement, design, and construction. In the past he has worked on Marriott and Hilton developments throughout California and has worked in various industries with a focus in development. His goal is to create as much affordable housing for the people that need it and hopefully minimize the long waitlist that follow affordable housing projects.

JAMBOREE HOUSING CORPORATION'S WEBSITE
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Lisa Haddon

PROJECT MANAGER, EAH HOUSING

Lisa Haddon joined EAH Housing in September 2018 as Project Manager. Ms. Haddon has worked in the fields of accounting, real estate development, and construction for 20+ years. Ms. Haddon, who is fairly new to Southern California, spent most of her development years working for an investor out of Ohio. Her background in asset management and project management includes both adaptive reuse and new construction of affordable multifamily developments throughout Ohio, Indiana, New York, Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Colorado, Texas and California.

Currently at EAH, Ms. Haddon manages several Southern California projects, which currently includes two projects in South Los Angeles using Proposition HHH funds. Both are affordable and permanent supportive housing units for those experiencing homelessness. One project iscurrently in construction with a completion date of February 2021. Two other projects, a 100% affordable project in Los Angeles and a senior project in Santa Monica, are expected to begin construction in early 2020 and mid-2021.

Immediately prior to joining EAH, Ms. Haddon was a Project Manager forthe Cesar Chavez Foundation. During her tenure, she closed fin ancing and/or constructed/rehabbed over 300 units of affordable housing,totaling over $70 million in public and private funding. Ms. Haddon was responsible for 6-7 projects simultaneously, which were completed using 9% and 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits and a combination of otherpublic and private funding. Ms. Haddon secured 4% tax credits, 9% tax credits, Home, AHP, HCID, HCD, IIG and VHHP funding in the City of Los Angeles for various projects.

Ms. Haddon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Science with a major in Accounting from Myers University of Cleveland, OH. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

EAH HOUSING'S WEBSITE
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Michael Busse

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, PATH VENTURES

Michael Busse is an affordable housing developer and urban planner currently working with PATH Ventures, the development affiliate of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), the largest social service agency serving California's homeless residents. Previously, he served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a development associate at the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago.He has a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning degree at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

LinkedIn Profile
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Rachel B. Peled

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, WEST HOLLYWOOD COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION

Rachel B. Peled is an Assistant Project Manager. She supports the Director of Real Estate Development with a range of tasks related to the management of WHCHC's projects in development. Rachel assists with construction administration and provides technical and organizational support to WHCHC’s Real Estate Development team.Prior to joining WHCHC, Ms. Peled worked for the Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department as Assistant Planner and served as Project Advocate Officer for the Redevelopment Agency of the City Of San Jose. At SJRDA, Ms. Peled supported several downtown commercial tenant developers through the entitlement and land use approval process. She is an advocate for small business entrepreneurs and owned and operated her own retail shop located in Los Angeles. Ms. Peled received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and an M.U.R.P in Urban and Regional Planning from San Jose State University.

WEST HOLLYWOOD COMMUNITY HOUS…
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Shalawn Garcia

VP OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, LINC HOUSING CORPORATION

Shalawn Garcia is the VP of Housing Development at Linc Housing Corporation where she oversees staff working on the acquisition, financing, and construction of affordable and supportive housing. Before joining Linc Housing, Shalawn served as program manager at California's Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) where she was responsible for the implementation of the No Place Like Home program. Her prior experience at HCD included serving as an underwriter for multiple affordable housing development programs. Shalawn attended USC for her undergraduate studies in Economics. She later obtained her Master’s in Business Administration.

LINC HOUSING CORPORATION'S WEBSITE
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Tony Fonseca

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER, COMMUNITY CORPORATION OF SANTA MONICA

An assistant project manager at Community Corp. Santa Monica, Tony has worked in the affordable housing industry for just over 2 years with a background is data analytics and marketing. Tony has received a B.S in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University as well as a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from University of California Los Angeles.

COMMUNITY CORPORATION OF SANT…
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Tony Kouot

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER, BRILLIANT CORNERS

A native Angeleno, Tony graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Management, and Planning in 2011. Tony has extensive experience in the Real Estate Industry, from Mortgage Origination to Property Management prior to working in Affordable Housing. As a beneficiary of Affordable Housing in Los Angeles growing up, the mission of creating Affordable Housing resonated with Tony. After a few years of working on Compliance/Leasing side, Tony transitioned into Housing Development. Currently, Tony is a Senior Project Manager at Brilliant Corners. During his time at Brilliant Corners, Tony has completed numerous projects across the State of California in support of Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities. Recently, Tony has been an active part in Brilliant Corners’ recent strides in developing Permanent Supportive Housing. Most prominently playing a major role in the organization’s City of Los Angeles HHH Innovation round award of $7,000,000.

LinkedIn Profile

The 2020-2021 HDTI program is made possible by support from MUFG Union Bank.