Fireside Chat: What’s At Stake?

Courtney Battle
Courtney Battle is the Executive Director for the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND). HAND’s growing network of members includes a wide variety of real estate and community development professionals in the Capital Region (Baltimore, Washington and Richmond) who share the mission of creating more equitable outcomes through the vehicle of affordable housing. Courtney believes that relationships are one of life’s cornerstones, and cultivating a strong network of changemakers who are transforming communities is vital to addressing the inequities that create barriers to opportunity.

Courtney joined the organization in October 2016 as Membership Manager, and was promoted to Membership Director in July 2019. In these capacities, she was responsible for: the recruitment, management and engagement of members; launching and administering the association management system for 1,000+ members and 400+ prospective members; implementing the organization’s marketing & communications initiatives (including the website, social media, e-blasts sent to 10,000+ inboxes, annual marketing materials, blog posts and the annual fundraiser digital program book distributed to 1,000+ attendees); the planning and execution of 40+ training and capacity building events each year; overseeing activities of the committee supporting the emerging leader member segment; and supporting the Executive Director in special projects.

In July 2021, Courtney was promoted to Director of Strategic Partnerships & Membership. In this role she led a wide range of projects designed to scale HAND’s reach across the region and increase the organization’s ability to build its members’ capacity. These included, but are not limited to: relationship building and strengthening; fundraising activities; assessing member needs that can be translated to programming and/or advocacy initiatives; serving as an ambassador for the organization in external events and media interviews; overseeing membership functions; and leading the marketing and communications strategy.

Courtney brings a wealth of experience in journalism and communications to her work. Prior to joining HAND, she served as an Account Manager for a local public affairs firm, and spent several years at CNN’s Washington, DC bureau as a News Assistant and Media Coordinator. 

Service is also deeply embedded in her DNA, and Courtney has engaged with several community organizations which include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Reading Partners, and Community ONE. She has the pleasure of serving as a Board member for Women of Color in Community Development, and was President of the Board from 2020-2021. She also successfully completed the Illuminate Your Leadership Nonprofit Coaching Program and Prosperity Now’s Building High Impact Nonprofits of Color initiative. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Howard University, where she majored in Journalism and minored in Afro-American Studies. She is originally from Southfield, Michigan, and has found a second home in Washington, DC.

Kathryn Howell
Kathryn Howell is the Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education and an Associate Professor, Urban Studies & Planning Program. Prior to coming to NCSG,  she was the co-founder and co-director of the RVA Eviction Lab and an associate professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Howell’s research unpacks concepts of physical and cultural displacement and power in changing communities and investigates ways that policy and planning can be used to address these issues. Specifically, she interrogates the polices, governance structures and roles of tenants and advocacy in the preservation of affordable housing. Further, she investigates ways that redevelopment, implementation and maintenance of cultural landscapes can facilitate or abridge the right to the city for communities of color. Her book, Affordable Housing Preservation in Washington, DC: A Framework for Local Funding, Collaborative Governance and Community Organizing for Change focuses on the ways tenants can be centered in policies and practices that keep housing affordable as cities change. As the co-founder of the RVA Eviction Lab, a community-responsive data initiative at VCU, she engaged with a range of community partners to ensure data supported housing justice efforts of organizers, service providers and policy advocates.

Before pursuing a Ph.D., Dr. Howell worked for Maryland and Washington, DC housing and community development agencies focusing on affordable housing preservation, state program monitoring and inclusionary zoning.

Sheila Somashekhar
Sheila Somashekhar is the Director of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, an initiative of the National Center for Smart Growth. With 15 years of experience in community and economic development, Sheila leads strategic relationship building for coalition-led activity. She most recently served as Director of Community Impact and Engagement for United Way of the National Capital Area. At United Way she oversaw multiple stakeholder collaboratives and established a new set of community-centered programs, including the launch of one-stop financial service centers across the Washington, D.C. area. Prior to that she spent six years in New York City, working on neighborhood planning and economic opportunity initiatives in nonprofit and public sector roles. She holds a Master of Urban Planning and Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Maryland, College Park.

Laura Searfoss
Laura Searfoss is passionate about helping communities use their voices and assets to become more inviting, inclusive places to live. As a senior program director at Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., she currently leads the Enterprise’s equitable transit-oriented development program in the Mid-Atlantic and its participation in the Purple Line Corridor Coalition’s efforts to ensure new transit creates a more equitable corridor for existing and new residents in suburban Maryland.

Laura brings nearly 15 years of cross-sector experience helping communities create more equitable housing policies and programs; allocate more resources to support development; and make critical connections between housing and broader community goals, such as transportation and education. She has led or supported the development of more than two dozen plans focused on increasing housing affordability across the United States. This includes Tacoma’s Affordable Housing Action Strategy, which won then-Governor Jay Inslee’s inaugural Smart Housing Award and become a model for housing planning in Washington State.

She holds a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. 

Housing Indicator Tool Overview

Steven Palmer
Steven A. Palmer is the Director of Public Policy at the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND). He is an attorney and public policy professional with a background in government service. As Director of Public Policy, Steven is responsible for leading the design and implementation of HAND’s policy advocacy agenda and serves as lead spokesperson for HAND’s Housing Indicator Tool. 

Prior to joining HAND, Steven served in various legislative roles at the Council of the District of Columbia, where he drafted legislation, conducted agency oversight, and advised Councilmembers regarding a wide range of issues. In his time at the Council, he drafted and helped Councilmembers shepherd to passage legislation that removed racist covenants from deeds, protected the urban tree canopy, removed barriers to access for medical cannabis patients, increased transparency of staff salaries at charter schools, and strengthened the District’s ability to solve violent crimes. 

After working on such a wide variety of issues at the Council, Steven saw that a lack of affordable housing is at the heart of most problems facing the District and surrounding region. He joined HAND to serve its members in their mission to create equitable communities anchored by affordable housing and to reverse the legacy of racial segregation and exclusion that still plagues the region’s residents to this day. 

Originally from Olney, Maryland, Steven is a proud alumnus of the University of Maryland, College Park. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Steven immediately returned to the region to briefly practice law as an associate at Covington & Burling LLP before entering government service. He lives in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of the District with his wife, Katherine, and their very large corgi, Puff.

Panel 1: Preventing Residential Displacement in the Purple Line Corridor

Vonnette Harris
Vonnette Harris is the Founder and President of Kairos Development, LLC, a certified 100% woman owned Maryland based real estate development and consulting firm, focused on expanding opportunities of community economic development and investment in underserved areas throughout the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.  Mrs. Harris has a long-standing commitment to providing sustainable and high-quality housing solutions for low to moderate income families, as evidenced by her participation in the affordable housing industry for more than two decades.

Mrs. Harris is a credentialed real estate professional with over twenty years of experience in the construction, development and finance of multifamily, mixed income housing.  She is well versed in the development process including site selection and acquisition, project feasibility and market demand, community engagement and entitlements, project financing, project management, construction management, lease up, continued occupancy and compliance.  Throughout her career, Mrs. Harris has completed over $230 million dollars of mixed financed transactions throughout the Mid-Atlantic.  She has worked in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina. Product types have included the substantial renovation and new construction of a large scattered site development, the new construction of multiple mid-rise developments for seniors and families and the adaptive reuse of several historic structures into multifamily housing.  Mrs. Harris has significant experience in executing complex real estate transactions; maintaining a working knowledge of the various funding tools and resources available for the creation or preservation of affordable and mixed income housing.  Mrs. Harris has the right combination of passion, experience, drive, vision, and integrity to ensure any development initiative she undertakes is a success.

Mrs. Harris started Kairos Development because of her desire to assist historically disadvantaged and underinvested communities of color.  Addressing housing inequities is one of Mrs. Harris’ passions.  Quality housing should be a fundamental right in this country, not a privilege.  A person’s zip code should not dictate a person’s potential or future.   As such, Mrs. Harris has taken all that she has learned in her professional career to become a resource to overlooked communities needing the technical support and help to change the trajectory of their neighborhoods – creating communities of choice.  

Sarah Reddinger
Sarah Reddinger, Vice President of Community Development, oversees advocacy, family services and lending, community development, and strategic partnerships, while also playing a critical role in real estate acquisition and project management. Sarah began her career at an AIDS clinic before becoming a banking analyst, positions that highlighted her analytical gifts and her compassion, two qualities that have made her so successful since joining the team.

Inspired by a belief in the transformative power of affordable housing, Sarah works tirelessly to expand the breadth of the organization’s work. Under her leadership, the new and rehab project pipeline has grown from a few dozen projects to over 120 new units with projected budgets of over $35 million. She’s also grown the Repair And Weatherization Program from about 30 projects a year to over 100, with budgets near $1,000,000 annually. She launched an Aging in Place Program and a Veteran Repair Program to assist residents in their abilities to remain in their homes long term so their wealth can be transferred to the next generation and break the cycle of poverty.

Sarah’s work to break down barriers to homeownership extends beyond the organization as well. She sits on the Executive Committee of the Montgomery Housing Alliance, serves on the Housing Equity Advisory Team with the Montgomery County Planning Department, and coordinates an Aging in Place Learning Exchange attended by 19 affiliates and executives from organizations like AARP and the White House Council on Aging. She also founded the Life Long Homes Coalition and helped launch the CAPABLE Program out of Johns Hopkins, an evidence based program that pairs an older adult with an OT, RN, and Home Repair Specialist to allow older adults to age safely in their homes.

Sarah is a member of HFHI’s Policy and Advocacy Professionals Group and recently joined the Community Development Network of Maryland’s Public Policy Committee. As a Global Village Team Leader, she has led ten volunteer build trips to four continents.

Sarah received her Bachelor’s Degree in Russian and French and her Masters in both Marketing and Business Administration at the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business.

Phuc Tran
As the Vice President of Asset Management, Mr. Tran is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of over 6,500 units, as well as financial structuring, fund-raising and business planning on projects. Projects may be for Jair Lynch sponsored investments or as part of a fee service for third-party clients. Mr. Tran’s responsibilities include property oversight, evaluating investment opportunities, structuring transactions, negotiating equity and debt term sheets and project documents, and managing due diligence, closing and ongoing compliance on assigned projects. 

Mr. Tran serves on the company’s internal investment committee and senior leadership team.

Mr. Tran has over 19 years of real estate experience as a financier, investor, and developer. While at Jair Lynch, Mr. Tran has closed on over $1 billion of debt and equity financings. The sources of financing have included bank debt, HUD 221(d)(4), tax-exempt bonds, institutional equity, LIHTC equity, and social impact investments. Prior to Jair Lynch, Mr. Tran served as Vice President in RBC Capital Markets’ Tax Credit Equity Group. While at RBC Capital Markets, Mr. Tran closed $190 million in low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), state LIHTC, renewable energy tax credit, and historic tax credit equity financing, helping to create 1,622 units and involving $422 million in total development costs.

Melissa Bondi
Melissa Bondi serves as the Mid-Atlantic senior director for Enterprise Community Partners, analyzing federal, state, local, and regional housing policies through laws, initiatives, and emerging best practices. She directs partnerships, coalitions, and campaigns in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.  

Melissa has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit public policy, advocacy, and program implementation. She specializes in community development and the needs of low-income and other vulnerable populations. She also pursues long-term, strategic improvements to achieve greater racial equity and economic sustainability for households and communities.  

An emeritus housing commission chairperson and continuum of care co-chair, currently Melissa serves on the board of directors of Virginia Housing Alliance.

Panel 2: Supporting Immigrant Communities in the Purple Line Corridor

Vanesa Pinto
Vanesa Pinto is the Empowerment and Leadership Development Program Director for CHEER (Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research), a community-based local nonprofit that serves Long Branch and Takoma Park areas in Silver Spring. 

For the last decade, Vanesa has been the organizer of all CHEER programming involving community building and networks of support.. Before finding her passion in community organizing, Vanesa was an accountant in Bolivia. Very grateful for the skills she already acquired and eager to continue learning, she volunteered in different community organizations and elementary schools in Silver Spring advocating for the school community. She also had the opportunity to teach Literacy in Spanish to adults for 5 years at the YMCA Linkages to Learning Program in New Hampshire Estates Elementary School. 

In 2018, Vanesa was awarded by the Takoma Foundation with the Azalea Awards for her contributions to school community advocacy.

Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does, both professionally and personally. She proudly can say that her mission in life is to instill hope and desire for a better quality of life in a conscious and participative community that strives for the common good.

Walkiria Pool
Walkiria Pool’s professional career includes over 15 years in community development and the housing service industry with a focus on affordable housing and asset development. She earned her MA Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University and a graduate certificate in Women and Politics and Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts in Boston. As an undergraduate Ms. Pool earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Boston, majoring in Psychology and Sociology. Ms. Pool was responsible for developing and implementing the Project “Más a ti” for the National Council of La Raza, the first community-based financial institution for low-income families in the nation. Ms. Pool also served as Youth Program Director in the family Asset Building division of Lawrence Community Works and as an AmeriCorps Vista member at the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation. She has served on several boards of directors and advisory committees of community-based organizations 

Nicolle Katrivanos
Nicolle Katrivanos is a dedicated attorney and public servant currently serving as Manager of the Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs within Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs. A Montgomery County resident for over 30 years and a native of the DMV area, Nicolle’s deep understanding of the region’s housing challenges and community dynamics informs her approach to fostering equitable housing practices, mediating disputes, and ensuring compliance with local landlord-tenant regulations.  In her role, she works to strengthen landlord relationships by providing resources and guidance on legal obligations, while reinforcing tenant protections and housing stability. She has spearheaded initiatives to balance the needs of both parties, offering educational materials and streamlined processes to help landlords navigate compliance with landlord-tenant and fair housing laws. A seasoned legal professional, she brings a wealth of experience in advocacy and policy to her position, underpinned by a steadfast commitment to social justice and community empowerment. Her work is deeply informed by her multicultural heritage as a Spanish and Greek American, as well as her lifelong dedication to supporting vulnerable populations, particularly immigrants.   

Prior to her current role, Nicolle made significant contributions as a managing attorney with the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance (MCLA), where she spearheaded the establishment of the District Court Help Center at the Rockville District Court. This initiative expanded access to free legal services for County residents, offering guidance on eviction processes, housing disputes, and landlord/tenant rights and obligations. Before joining MCLA, Nicolle dedicated eight years to practicing immigration law, during which she advocated tirelessly for individuals and families navigating complex legal pathways. Her focus on serving immigrant communities, especially the Latino population, included representing clients in asylum cases, family reunification petitions, and deportation defense, cementing her reputation as a compassionate and effective advocate.   

Rooted in her multicultural background and fluency in Spanish, Nicolle has consistently centered her career on addressing systemic inequities faced by immigrants. Her personal connection to the Latino community, combined with her legal expertise, has enabled her to bridge cultural gaps and deliver culturally sensitive solutions. A lifelong advocate with deep roots in Montgomery County and the broader DMV region, Nicolle’s career reflects a profound alignment of her values with her work, driven by the belief that equitable access to justice and housing stability are foundational to building inclusive, thriving communities.

Ellie Owen
As Director of the Direct Community Investments Department, Ellie oversees both the disbursement of cash assistance through grant programs and financial education services to ensure clients have access to tools for financial assistance. She oversaw the merger of LEDC’s grant disbursement program with our Financial Empowerment Department to more closely pair grant and coaching independence. Joining LEDC at the beginning of the pandemic, Ellie helped process LEDC’s first COVID relief project on behalf of the DC government. Since then, the department has disbursed over $130 MM in funding to small businesses, homeowners, and tenants, and she has taken lessons from each LEDC program to create an increasingly efficient DCI department. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Richmond in Global Studies with a concentration in Development and Change and studied Spanish and French. Passionate about resource access, Ellie previously worked with Ayuda’s Language Access Program in Washington, DC and the Scholars’ Latino Initiative in Richmond, VA. 

Panel 3: Investing Boldly Near the Purple Line: Activating More Partners and Resources

Robert Goldman
Robert A. Goldman has been President of Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) since 2001. He has worked in housing policy at the federal and local levels. Mr. Goldman is a recognized expert in affordable housing, and in 2017, was selected as Practitioner of the Year by the National NeighborWorks Association. As MHP president, Mr. Goldman oversees planning and strategic decision-making related to development, acquisition, and rehab of multi-family housing, community life services, neighborhood revitalization, and housing policy.

Mr. Goldman received his Juris Doctorate from UCLA Law School, his master’s degree in real estate from Johns Hopkins University, and his bachelor’s degree in public policy from Duke University.

Prior to joining MHP, he worked as a Senior Development Officer at the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation (ESIC) where he was involved in syndicating low-income housing tax credit projects.

Mr. Goldman is a past president of the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND), and a former member of several initiatives, including the Community Development Network of Maryland, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Washington Housing Initiative Council, the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, the Wheaton Redevelopment Steering Committee, and the Long Branch Task Force. He also served as the Chair of the Housing Committee for former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ Transition Team. 

A native Washingtonian, Mr. Goldman lives in Montgomery County, MD., with his wife and daughter.

Philip Kash
Phillip Kash is a nationally recognized practitioner and thought leader on housing affordability, and resilience and recovery. A leading expert on urban policy, Phillip works across the country to address two of the most pressing challenges facing cities today: housing affordability and resilience and recovery. He works with local governments, community advocates and private stakeholders to develop strategic frameworks to establish priorities and approaches; designs programs and policies to achieve public policy goals; and advises on the implementation of projects.

As a leader of HR&A’s affordable housing practice, Phillip focuses on improving housing affordability in American cities through comprehensive strategies that integrate land use policy, public funding, and tenants’ rights. He has worked with dozens of local governments in the past four years to develop and implement affordable housing plans. This includes the development of comprehensive affordable housing plans to guide local governments as they grapple with the growing challenge of affordability. Recently he has worked with Detroit, MI on a Multifamily Housing Strategy, with El Paso, TX on a Regional Housing Plan and with Wake County, NC on an Affordable Housing Plan that dedicates $75M in local funding to affordable housing over the next five years.

As part of his work, Phillip also advises on the development of specific affordable housing programs and policies. This includes an inclusionary zoning policy and short-term rental affordability policy in New Orleans, LA, as well as the design of single-family rehabilitation, multifamily gap financing and emergency rental assistance programs for the Housing Opportunity Fund on behalf of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. He lead the development of a housing affordability calculator that evaluates the impact of local policies on housing affordability and production for Seattle, Portland, and Charlotte. He advised on Norfolk, VA’s successful Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant application to redevelop Saint Paul’s Area and undertake a People First strategy that focused on the needs of public housing residents.

Phillip’s work on resilience and recovery began in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and has continued in other cities across the country. He advised the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority on the development of disaster recovery programs that successfully revitalized neighborhoods and commercial corridors throughout the city. Phillip joined HR&A in 2015 to help lead the delivery of technical assistance to states and local governments throughout the country as part of the National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC). From 2015-2016, he led a multidisciplinary team of engineers, climate scientists, and landscape architects to develop Climate Ready Boston, a comprehensive climate adaptation plan for the city and its regional systems that won the Gold National Planning Achievement Award from APA. He advised on financing, development, and governance strategies for the Ohio Creek Watershed Transformation project in Norfolk, VA, and the Gentilly Resilience District in New Orleans, and the Ilse de Jean Resettlement Project effort in Southern Louisiana. Following Hurricane Michael, he lead the development of an Economic Recovery Plan for Panama City, FL that lead to reinvestment in the city’s urban core, historic neighborhoods and commercial corridors.

Prior to joining HR&A, Phillip worked at Enterprise Community Partners where he advised on affordable housing, nonprofit business planning, neighborhood revitalization and resilient recovery programs. As a Director, he provided technical assistance to local governments and nonprofits nationwide; designed and implemented programs; and advised on affordable housing development projects. Several of his technical assistance engagements were part of HUD’s One Community Planning and Development program and the National Resource Network.

Phillip volunteers with All Souls Housing Corporation to support and preserve the affordability of Columbia Heights Village, a 400-unit development in the heart of DC. He holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

George L. Leventhal
George L. Leventhal, Ph.D. has worked since December, 2018 as Director of Community Health for Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic region. In this role, he develops policies for, and provides oversight and support to, a range of activities that address social determinants of health in the region, including: access to health care for the uninsured, affordable housing, homelessness, food security, and behavioral health in schools. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Leventhal served 16 years on the Montgomery County Council in Maryland. He was elected four times to the Council – in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 – and served as Council President twice, in 2006 and 2015. For 16 years, Dr. Leventhal chaired the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee. From 2010 to 2018, he also served on the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee. Dr. Leventhal earned his Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland. He also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been married to Soraia P. Leventhal since 1989, and they have two adult sons.

Danny Ross
Danny Ross is a seasoned Project Manager with over a decade of experience delivering impactful multifamily housing projects. At True Ground Housing Partners, he leads two significant initiatives—Falkland North in Silver Spring, MD, and Crystal Houses in Arlington, VA—focused on expanding affordable and sustainable housing in the region.

Throughout his career, Danny has played a key role in developing over $1 billion in real estate, totaling more than 4,600 residential units. He combines innovative solutions with strategic collaboration to address housing challenges effectively.

Danny holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado. Based in Arlington, VA, he also serves as a Housing Commissioner, advising the County Board on housing matters.

Shellon Fraser
Shellon oversees lending and investments at National Housing Trust (NHT), with responsibilities for capital deployment, investment management, strategic planning and business development. Prior to NHT, Shellon was Director of Redesigning Access by Centering Equity (RACE) Lending Initiative at CSH. In her role, she led the implementation of the initiative, oversaw its pipeline, budget, work plan, and development of lending, programmatic and policy goals. In her previous role at CSH, Shellon led lending in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast markets. Shellon has held other roles in the Community Development Industry including Portfolio Manager at the CDFI Fund and Senior Credit Associate at the Low Income Investment Fund. Shellon holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor’s in International Relations. She currently serves as ICH Full Council member, Chair of ICH Housing Solutions Committee and Interim Board President of Open Arms Housing.