Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Leader Takes Office
Juana Matias has become secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC).
She previously served as regional administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is a former state representative for the 16th Essex District. Appointed to serve as the HUD regional manager by President Joe Biden, Matias oversaw offices in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont and managed an annual budget of $8.47 billion in federal appropriations and administered HUD programs across the region.
Former secretary Ed Augustus stepped down to become CEO of UniBank earlier this year. Deputy secretary Jennifer Maddox had been serving as interim secretary.
HLC was established in 2023 to create more homes and lower housing costs for Massachusetts residents. It administers key housing programs, including the federal and state low-income housing tax credit program.
CHOC Announces Promotions
Community Housing Opportunities Corp. (CHOC) has promoted Syd Najeeb to chief financial officer (CFO) and Kiran Kaur to controller, reinforcing the affordable housing organization’s strong financial leadership as it continues to grow.
Part of a succession strategy under longtime CFO Peter Lundberg, who retired after 18 years of service, both executives joined CHOC last year in senior finance roles—Najeeb as deputy CFO and Kaur as deputy controller.
Najeeb has more than 20 years of leadership experience, having served as CFO, chief operating officer, and CEO within the nonprofit affordable housing and social services sector, as well as extensive expertise in affordable housing finance, real estate development, and property and asset management.
Kaur has more than a decade of experience in finance and accounting, with a background spanning consulting, manufacturing, hospitality, and nonprofit organizations. As controller, she plays a critical role in maintaining CHOC’s financial integrity and supporting the organization’s expanding portfolio.
Founded in 1984, CHOC is a nonprofit affordable housing developer based in Fairfield, Calif., with an office in Palm Springs.
Bank of America Taps Coleman to Lead Debt and Tax Credit Investments
Maurice L. Coleman has been named commercial real estate credit executive and managing director for debt and tax credit equity investments for Bank of America’s Community Development Banking division. He leads a national team responsible for lending, investing, and asset management.
Coleman brings more than 25 years of experience across private equity, commercial lending, and community development finance, with deep expertise in real estate equity investing, tax credit syndication, and affordable housing finance.
Most recently, he served as market executive for commercial real estate banking, where he led a national team focused on low-income housing, historic, and New Markets tax credit investments, as well as Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) partnerships. In this role, he provided strategic oversight for complex tax advantaged products and transactions while serving as a trusted adviser to developers, nonprofit partners, financial intermediaries, and public-sector stakeholders.
Housing Trust Silicon Valley Welcomes Director of Policy and Advocacy
Kristen Clements has joined the Housing Trust Silicon Valley as the inaugural director policy and advocacy.
She will shape and advance the organization’s policy, advocacy, and government affairs strategy, while also enhancing its ability to engage as a regional and statewide thought leader in affordable housing, climate-resilient development, and CDFI operations.
Clements has worked at the intersection of financing and policy for affordable housing and community development for over 30 years. She spent the last 21 years at the city of San Jose’s Housing Department, working on policy, land use, and production of affordable homes. She co-created the city’s first “3P’s Residential Anti-Displacement Strategy,” tenant preferences in affordable housing to fight displacement, and San Jose’s 2023-2031 Housing Element. She helped to create nearly 5,000 affordable homes in the city, overseeing loan originations, bond issuances, the inclusionary housing program, home buyer programs, and asset management of the city’s portfolio of approximately 19,000 affordable homes.
Before joining the city, Clements created and administered multifamily affordable housing debt products at Bank of America and made grant awards for affordable rental and for-sale housing at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.
The Housing Trust is a CDFI advancing affordable housing solutions through transformative finance and public-private partnerships in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
BKV Group Adds to Team
BKV Group, a holistic, multidisciplinary design firm, has announced the addition of two new hires to its Chicago office.
Charles Swanson has joined the firm as senior design leader and development managing partner, and Kelsey Fissinger will serve as director of business development and senior associate.
Over his career, Swanson has delivered more than 20,000 multifamily units across building typologies ranging from mixed-use high-rises to garden-style communities, including student housing, market-rate, HUD-financed, senior living, and tax credit projects. He recently served as practice leader and director of multifamily at Ware Malcomb, where he was responsible for establishing and growing the firm’s multifamily practice nationwide. At BKV Group, he will shape long-term strategy, mentor practice and project leaders, and represent the firm at the highest levels of client, industry, and community engagement.
Fissinger brings over six years of experience to BKV Group, most recently working as director of new business development at The Childs Dreyfus Group, where she led the firm’s expansion across the multifamily, mixed-use, student housing, and senior living sectors. In her new role, she will work closely with practice leaders to identify opportunities, guide pursuit strategy, and connect clients with BKV’s integrated architecture, interior design, engineering, and planning expertise.