Founder / CEO, Haltere Group (Title Sponsor)
Dennis Earls declared a career in real estate brokerage at 25 years of age in 2001. He joined RE/MAX Commercial, one of California’s largest and most successful commercial real estate brokerage firms and quickly earned a place among their list of young and most successful agents. While specializing in the sale and acquisition of apartment buildings (10-200 units), he became a player in the office and retail markets based on the progression of his clientele. He prides himself in the ability to guide and consult novice investors to make them savvy investors and property owners. He possesses a high regard for quality customer service and his knowledge, integrity and professionalism have made him a well respected member of the financial teams of some popular professional athletes and entertainers. To that end, he has broadened his scope of services to cater to his busy and elite clientele, which involves the leasing, management and construction of real estate assets. To date he has brokered nearly 300 transactions, totaling in excess of $2 Billion dollars in real estate. He serves as Senior Vice President at Secured Properties Inc., a boutique Los Angeles based firm specializing in brokerage, leasing, and developer marketing of commercial real estate. The firm services clients all over Southern California, but boasts expertise in Los Angeles, Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire and San Fernando Valley. Dennis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their two children. He is an avid sports fan and former athlete.
President, Haltere Group (Title Sponsor)
Originally from sunny Southern California, Mikáel is an esteemed graduate of Clark Atlanta University where he studied International Business and Supply Chain Management. A Dean’s Scholar, member of the Honors Program, and President of Toastmasters International during his undergraduate years, Mikáel was honored by his alma mater as an inaugural recipient of the 40 Under 40 Achievement Award. Mikáel began his corporate career as a Business Analyst / Assistant Buyer for Target Corporation, where he managed a $400 million portfolio in the Household Commodities division and won various merchandising awards for performance and execution. Leveraging his decorated experience with Target, Mikáel decided to relocate to New York City, becoming a top-producing sales trainer for The Container Store; notably, he was invited to represent the company at the New York Stock Exchange bell-ringing ceremony for its IPO in the fall of 2013. Compelled to further embrace his desire to help and work with people, Mikáel transitioned from the corporate world in 2015 to establish himself as a realtor for Cooper & Cooper – the most prodigious, ethically upright real estate firm in New York City. Mikáel quickly became a top-producer at the firm, being promoted to Senior Associate and brokering many multi-million dollar transactions. In 2018, while still working in real estate, Mikáel co-founded QuikLiq—a bourgeoning tech startup for which he is appointed as the President and Chief Strategy Officer. To date, QuikLiq has been featured in Black Enterprise, Essence, the Miami New Times and the South Florida Business Journal. When he is not helping people find homes and cultivating startups, Mikáel enjoys giving back to his community, mentoring the next generation, traveling the world, and cooking for his wife and friends. A proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Mikáel lives each day by the fraternity motto – to encourage honorable achievement in every field of human endeavor.
Dir of Strategic Partnerships, Haltere Group (Title Sponsor)
Damon is an eminent leader with over two decades of experience excelling in business development, strategic planning, and community empowerment. With over 20 years of successful real estate investment, he brings a wealth of expertise to his endeavors. Armed with an MBA degree, Damon began his journey as a top-tier Franchise Consultant for industry giants such as 7-Eleven, swiftly garnering acclaim for his expertise. Transitioning seamlessly to FedEx, Damon spearheaded the development of Worldwide Accounts, contributing to an extraordinary revenue stream of $40 million in supply chain management. Renowned for his transformative impact, Damon has a track record of turning million-dollar companies into billion-dollar enterprises during his tenure at FedEx. His strategic initiatives and innovative solutions have solidified his status as a trailblazer in the corporate arena and beyond. Beyond his corporate achievements, Damon’s dedication to community empowerment is evident through his advocacy for financial literacy, spearheading impactful programs for organizations and colleges. He champions financial education as a catalyst for personal and professional growth, embodying a commitment to excellence in all endeavors.
EVP & Co-Founder, Greenline Community Ventures LLC (Black Sponsor)
Kermit Billups is an Executive President of Greenline, and is involved in activities including transaction structuring, tax credit syndication, debt financing, origination, underwriting, and NMTC compliance. Kermit began his career at Capmark in 1999 and has been a member of the NMTC platform since 2004. He has been in investment banking since 1992, with an emphasis on developing solutions for deficiencies in low-income communities nationwide, including complex and innovative financings to benefit low-income housing tax credit and New Markets Tax Credit transactions. He has participated in over $3.5 billion of project finance and affordable housing capital. He has successfully completed over 50 taxable and tax-exempt revenue bond programs to serve low and moderate-income individuals. Prior to joining Capmark, Kermit worked for Honeywell, IBM, Legg Mason, and Stephens Inc. Kermit has a B.A. in Economics from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
EVP & Co-Founder, Greenline Community Ventures LLC (Black Sponsor)
Randy Kahn is an Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Greenline Ventures. He is responsible for helping determine the strategic direction of the company and assisting with oversight of operational and fund management activities of Greenline. Randy has over 20 years of experience delivering capital to areas of need throughout the US and its territories. Industries include low-income housing finance, project finance and private equity. Financing activities include transaction structuring, tax credit syndication, debt financing, equity financing, origination, underwriting, asset management and program compliance (CDFI and NMTC). Randy has raised and deployed over $1 billion of debt and equity funds from/for not-for-profit entities, government instrumentalities and private clients (real estate and operating businesses). Prior to co-founding Greenline, Randy worked for Denver Public Schools (school evaluation), Aetna (insurance), Birch and Davis Consulting (healthcare consulting), Seslia Securities/VI Capital Resources, Inc. (broker dealer / CDFI venture fund) and GMAC Commercial (low-income housing banker/NMTC practitioner). Randy has a B.A. in Computer Science from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Graduate School of Business.
Exec Managing Dir of Training, Grow America (Black Sponsor)
Jackie Gorman is Managing Director of Training. She combines her skills as a community and economic development professional with extensive experience in training and curriculum development. Jackie joined Grow America as a Senior Director for the SEED Academy. The SEED Academy is a national program that helps BIPOC real estate developers. Gorman is a recognized expert in community development. She spent over 8 years as CEO of San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Inc. (SAGE) a non-profit charged with revitalization and economic development on San Antonio’s Eastside. During her tenure at SAGE, she grew the annual budget of that organization from $200,000 to $1.6 million and the staff from 2 to 14. Gorman has had a very diverse career that includes executive leadership positions with the Texas Engineering Extension Service, building subdivisions and tract homes for a national production home builder and selling Tide for Procter and Gamble. A service-disabled veteran, she served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army. Gorman is a recognized community leader and has served in many volunteer leadership positions. She is an expert in board governance and parliamentary procedure and is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians.
Sr Dir of SEED Pgm, Grow America (Black Sponsor)
Courtney D. Pogue, CCIM, CEcD, CRE, is a distinguished economic and community development leader, currently serving as the Senior Director of the Equitable Developer Academy for Grow America. He has a proven track record of fostering economic growth and development across various regions. Notably, as the Director of Economic and Community Development for Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, and the Director of Economic Development for the City of Dallas, Texas, Pogue facilitated over $2.8 billion in private investment and secured commitments for more than 15,000 jobs. His work in Dallas included oversight of key programs such as tax increment financing, new markets tax credits, and small business development.
Exec Managing Dir for Housing, Grow America (Black Sponsor)
Michael Griffin is the Executive Managing Director of Affordable Housing at Grow America. Mike Griffin is the Fund Manager and Director of Investor Relations for Grow America’s Corporate Equity Fund. He joined the organization in April of 2014. In this role he is responsible for all aspects of the Fund, including for maintaining and establishing relationships with corporate investors with the objective of raising capital that the fund invests in affordable housing projects across the country. In addition he oversees the acquisitions and asset management functions. Prior to Grow America Mike was the Senior Vice President and Director of KeyBank’s Community Development Banking group, with responsibility for Corporate CRA Compliance and Community Development Asset Management. Mike joined Key in April 1998 as Asset Manager for the bank’s portfolio of community development investments. The portfolio is currently $1.6 billion of investments targeted to Key’s fourteen footprint states. In addition to Asset Management responsibilities he was appointed National CRA Compliance Manager in 2003. The directed the bank’s last three CRA exams, the most recent resulting in the bank’s 8th consecutive Outstanding rating. In the CRA role, Mike focused on building partnerships, both at the corporate level and in the 22 KeyBank districts. Mike also had a lead role in responding to community groups and shaping KeyBank positions in response to community concerns.
Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, State of Ohio Collective (Black Sponsor)
Tiffany Edwards, CFRE is a distinguished business leader, published author, and internationally renowned social innovator and strategist, with expertise in cultural diplomacy and strategic innovation. Her work has positioned her as a pivotal figure in shaping global thought and practice. Drawing from extensive experience in the corporate, nonprofit, and civic sectors, Edwards demonstrates strategic leadership by advancing systemic change by creating and fostering transformative initiatives that address structural inequities, promote inclusive practices, and reimagine organizational frameworks. Her approach focuses on reshaping policies, systems, and institutions to create sustainable, long-term impacts across diverse communities and industries.She is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer of The State of Ohio Collective, CEO of Global Collective Enterprises, Gramish Consulting, and Gramish Tech where she applies her expertise to foster innovation, inventions, and creating consulting solutions to complex problems.
Edwards' career spans a wide array of specialized domains, including strategic and enterprise resource planning, IT and project management, banking, philanthropic and fund development, human resources, and outplacement strategy. She has led large-scale, transformative initiatives across diverse sectors in C-suite and leadership roles at prestigious institutions such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, JPMorgan Chase, Karen Hoyos International, and Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.
Edwards has BA degrees in Business Management and Corporate Communication from Walsh University and is pursuing a doctorate in counseling with a focus on sexology. A lifelong learner, Edwards has accumulated numerous certifications in technology, business, ethics, education, human resources, nonprofit governance, social work, and counseling, underscoring her commitment to continuous professional development. As part of the 2% of Certified Fund Raising Executives (CFREs) globally who are African American or Latinx, she represents a select group of experts in philanthropic development.
Managing Member, Windsor Stevens (Silver Sponsor)
Rod Mullice is the Managing Member for Windsor Stevens Holdings LLC, a partnership he founded to focus his expertise in real estate development on transit-oriented development (TOD). He has worked in project planning, design, development, real estate brokerage, and financing for the last 20 years.
COO and EVP, DreamKey Partners (Silver Sponsor)
Fred Dodson has devoted his professional career to providing affordable housing. He is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of DreamKey Partners, Inc., where he manages the organization's real estate development and construction activities. Before joining DreamKey in 1997, he gained experience directing the Hospitality House of Boone, a North Carolina homeless shelter, the New River Valley Habitat for Humanity Affiliate, and the Montgomery County Community Shelter in Virginia.
Fred earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Appalachian State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law. During his 27 years with DreamKey, he helped the organization grow its real estate portfolio from 400 to nearly 3,000 units. He has also led the organization in its geographic footprint to South Carolina and Georgia.
VP, Community Mortgage Officer for North Carolina, Regions Bank (Silver Sponsor)
Dwight Crawford is the Vice President, Community Mortgage Officer for North Carolina for Regions Bank.
President, Community Reinvestment Advisors, LLC (Silver Sponsor)
With an illustrious career spanning three decades, Norman A. Bliss has been at the forefront of transformative changes in community reinvestment. His expertise in the complexities of community reinvestment strategy has established him as a leading authority in the field,
Norman’s career journey is a testament to consistent excellence, with his mastery over community reinvestment initiatives positioning him as a trailblazer among industry innovators.
At the helm of the Community Reinvestment Group at Bank of the West (BOTW), Norman's insights and strategic acumen played a pivotal role in securing the bank's inaugural "Outstanding" CRA rating from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in November 2020. This milestone accomplishment merely echoes his consistent track record of achievement. Throughout his career, Norman has been instrumental in obtaining four "Outstanding" CRA ratings, showcasing consistency and an ability to reproduce success across diverse market segments.Dir of Asset Mgmt, Community Reinvestment Advisors, LLC (Silver Sponsor)
Sabrina Waytes is an Asset Management Professional with over 20 years of experience in Affordable Housing and Community Development. She has worked for both non-profit and for-profit Developers as well as non-profit and for-profit Low Income Housing Tax Credit Syndicators. This has given her a well-rounded perspective of the industry. Sabrina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Howard University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Cleveland State University. She also earned a certification from the Consortium for Housing and Asset Management (CHAM) as well as the Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) designation from the National Association of Home Builders.
Founder/CEO, Phoenix Enterprise Consulting Group (Silver Sponsor)
Ferdinand L. Risco Jr., MBA, is a successful business coach, company founder, CEO, and entrepreneur. Ferdinand has taken decades of secrets from the inside as a federal programs’ compliance officer, DBE Liaison Officer, and government agency CEO and developed the GovCon Roadmap a unique coaching program that helps Minority, Women, and Veteran Business Owners win government contracts without confusion, frustration, or wasted time so they can grow their business to 7 or 8 figures. From strategy to operations, he is committed to helping clients build their functional skills and boost performance for the long term. With over 25 years of leadership experience in many industries, he has worked in operations, maintenance, employee and labor relations, human resources, supplier diversity, equity, and inclusion. A former Army officer, Ferdinand has helped quasi-governmental municipal agencies, state and federal government agencies, and later fortune 500 companies earn awards and distinctions for their best-in-class results. As a former C-suite executive, with several roles including government agency CEO, the once-college professor, is highly sought after as a lecturer on many topics including leadership, equity and inclusion, equal employment practices, supplier diversity, contract assistance program certifications, and workforce development.
Vice President, Grandbridge, a subsidiary of Truist (Silver Sponsor)
Kevin Wiedelman is a Vice President at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, a subsidiary of Truist.
Owner & CEO, Dominion Due Diligence Group (Bronze Sponsor)
Rob Hazelton founded D3G in 1994 as an environmental consulting firm. Early on he encountered an environmental process so difficult and convoluted, that few wanted to understand it. This was HUD! Rob dove headfirst into learning HUD, housing, tax credits, and leveraged finance. D3G steadily grew after expanding its services to include a myriad of housing preservation consulting. As population and social-economic issues expand, housing becomes more imperative than ever. Rob became a self-proclaimed Housing Geek, immersing himself and the entire company into affordable housing, public housing, senior housing, homelessness prevention, housing for the disabled, and most recently foster-care housing initiatives. Personal challenges and opportunities along the way, including being the parent of a special needs child, has enforced his feelings of empathy for others, which continues to translate daily in the work D3G does and the people the company serves. Rob gives a special thank you to all the housing advocates, housing geeks, and D3G clients out there, as we are all making a difference one unit at a time in this country.
President, Columbia Residential, LLC (Bronze Sponsor)
Carmen Chubb is the President of Columbia Residential, LLC, managing corporate operations for the company. Carmen possesses a strong track record of leadership and an exemplary career in public service as well as a passion for quality affordable housing. In her previous role as the Chief of Staff to former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, she served as one of the highest-ranking advisors to the mayor, overseeing key city functions, top personnel, policy, and legislative matters. Prior to her appointment by Mayor Bottoms, Carmen served as Deputy Commissioner for Housing at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. During her 23-year tenure there, Carmen oversaw all statewide policy, programs, and financing resources for affordable housing, including HUD and Treasury funding, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and Mortgage Revenue Bonds. Carmen also served as the Deputy Executive Director for the Georgia Housing & Finance Authority, the State of Georgia’s Housing Finance Agency (HFA), where she led over 250 professional staff members, oversaw more than $275 million in program resources and managed a $30 million operating budget.
President of Property Mgmt, Columbia Residential LLC (Bronze Sponsor)
Aaron Swain is the President of Property Management at Columbia Residential LLC.
VP - Southeast Region, Low Income Investment Fund
LaToya Kyle currently serve as the Vice President for Low Income Investment Fund’s (LIIF) Southeast Region. Her role includes relationship management, regional strategy, fund development, and loan production. Since she launched LIIF’s Southeast office in 2017, LIIF has built a formidable team which has deployed over $350 million in financing for affordable housing, mixed use sites, charter schools, and other community facilities. Project capital sources include LIHTC, NMTC, FHA and agency debt, as well as local and federal subsidies. Using my "creative authority", she has developed loan products and programs in partnership with city development authorities, mission-aligned foundations, peer financial institutions, and other public/private organizations. LaToya is most proud of leading the creation of LIIF’s Black Developers Capital Initiative (BDCI), an innovative capital solution that discards traditional underwriting methodologies that have limited access to capital for Black-owned development companies. In one year, BDCI successfully deployed $20million in early-stage financing using an experienced-based underwriting approach. LIIF is one of the nation’s largest Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) with approximately $2 Billion in assets under management.
President and CEO, the Akron, OH, Urban League
John Williams is the President and CEO of the Akron, (OH) Urban League
Dir of Planning, W&A Engineering
Jason Gaines is the Director of Planning for W&A Engineering.
CEO, Sierra Kru
Dameon Proctor is the President and CEO of Sierra Kru and Managing Principal of PH Sphinx Lodging, LLC.
Principal, H5 Consulting Services, LLC & Cobb County Dist 4 Planning Commissioner
Michael Hughes, AICP, is the Principal of H5 Consulting Services, LLC and the Cobb County District 4 Planning Commissioner.
President, The KhafreWard Corporation
Andrá R. Ward, MSPOD, is the President & Chief Culture and Transformation Officer, The KhafreWard Corporation
Founder/Principal, The Real McCoy Companies
Tarvaris McCoy is the Founder/Principal of The Real McCoy Companies, LLC based in Henrico, VA.
Managing Partner/Founder of PLH Homes, Inc.
Patrick Henderson is the Managing Partner and Founder of PLH Homes, Inc.
Mayor, City of Miramar, FL
Wayne Messam is the Mayor of the City of Miramar, FL, and the Founder/Owner of Messam Construction.
Chief Housing & Real Estate Officer, Atlanta Housing
Alan Ferguson is the Chief Housing & Real Estate Officer of Atlanta Housing
Partner, Arnall, Golden, Gregory, LLP
Althea is a partner in the Real Estate practice at Arnall, Golden, Gregory, LLP. She has held several leadership roles at the firm, including as the former co-chair of the Real Estate practice, and the Affordable Housing industry team, as the former Hiring Partner, and as the former co-chair of the Diversity Committee. Althea is a leading practitioner in real estate law, representing developers, owners, and governmental agencies in structuring complex commercial real estate transactions. While her primary focus is affordable housing and community development, she has led transactions for many different types of projects, including projects that have involved joint ventures, mixed-income housing, mixed-use developments, public-private partnerships, private equity, conventional and government-based debt financing, and federal, state, and local subsidies, such low-income housing and other tax credits and TAD funding.
CEO, Durham Housing Authority
Anthony Scott, President and CEO of the Durham Housing Authority since June 16, 2016, earned a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Howard University and a Master's of Urban Planning from the University of California at Los Angeles. His most recent experience includes being the Deputy Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Baltimore which is the largest Public Housing Authority in Maryland. In this role, he was directly responsible for over 25,000 Baltimore households with an operating budget of $250 million and 750 employees. Prior to that, Mr. Scott was the Chief Executive Officer of Virginia’s largest Public Housing Authority with an annual budget of over $91 million, 350 employees and 7,500 households. He is known for being a “visionary change agent” motivated by the challenge of building successful communities.
Dir, Community Development City of Durham
Reginald Johnson is the Director of Community Development for the City of Durham, North Carolina.
Board Chairman, Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, Inc.
Sam DeShazior is the Board Chairman of Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, Inc. Sam served as Akron, Ohio’s 1 Ward Council representative and is former Deputy Mayor for Economic Development.
