Chelsea Andrews has served as President/Executive Director of HOC since July 2022. Before joining HOC, Ms. Andrews worked as a visionary thought leader and strategic executive for over 15 years in both large-scale operations and legal fields for mission-based organizations, leading agencies in both the homeless and affordable housing sectors, with the goal of being a bridge builder and community transformer. Most recently she served as the Executive Director of EveryOne Home, a ‘collective impact initiative’ and HUD designated Continuum of Care bringing together key stakeholders representing Alameda County and 14 cities in California (including Oakland and Berkeley) to prevent and end homelessness for nearly 10,000 individuals.

Previously, Ms. Andrews served as the Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the District of Columbia Housing Authority, with a portfolio of 8,500 public housing units, 13,000 vouchers and a budget of more than $400 million and approximately 900 staff and 40,000 clients. She is a tireless advocate for ending homelessness, preserving and creating affordable housing, social justice and strengthening communities. She attended Florida A & M University, earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration. She obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from The George Washington University Law School.

Ms. Andrews has worked for several Fortune 500 companies and served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland. She is admitted to practice in the Maryland State Bar, District of Columbia Bar, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Andrews was appointed to the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee in 2018 by the Montgomery County Executive and subsequently was reappointed to and elected Chair for the 2020-2021 term. Ms. Andrews curated a course on the Impact of Housing Segregation on the Black Community and was an Adjunct Lecturer for the University of Maryland College Park School of Policy. She is a member of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and served as an At-Large member on the Executive Board for the Mid-Atlantic Region Council and the Bylaws Committee.

She was the Co-Founder of a Housing Equity Task Force advocating for policy reform to address the impact of systemic and structural racial segregation in housing. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and enjoys spending time with her daughter, Zola, and volunteering in her hometown of Wheaton, Maryland.

Kayrine V. Brown, Deputy Executive Director, joined HOC in March 1998 and is responsible for all financial aspects of HOC’s multifamily and single-family bond programs. She also manages investment decisions related to the acquisition, rehabilitation and development activities for HOC. Ms. Brown has served in several roles at HOC, including immediate past Chief Investment and Real Estate Officer.

Prior to joining the Housing Opportunities Commission, she worked as a Financial Analyst in the Real Estate Asset Management Division of Archon Group, LP, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs, and as a Senior Financial Analyst in the Affordable Housing Finance Division of Ocwen Financial. Ms. Brown currently is an Adjunct Professor for the Calvin Institute of Real Estate Development at the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she co-teaches a graduate level class in Advanced Real Estate Finance with a focus on Affordable Housing Finance.

With more than 25 years of experience in real estate development and finance, Ms. Brown has a mastery of structuring complex transactions with multiple funding sources. Since 2006, she has managed the issuance of over $1.6 billion of tax-exempt bonds of varying structures for HOC, financing more than 8,500 active multifamily housing units and over 1,200 single-family mortgages in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Ms. Brown is a proud alumna of Baruch College, City University of New York, where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration, and of the University of Florida, where she completed her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.

Sean E. Asberry is the Director of Maintenance for the Housing Opportunities Commission. Mr. Asberry’s responsibilities include leading Maintenance employees and the daily operations of the Maintenance Division, encompassing the development and innovation of all maintenance policies and procedures, programs and initiatives to ensure cost effective management of HOC’s housing portfolio.

Mr. Asberry has more than 33 years of property maintenance experience. Prior to joining the Commission in May 2023 he was the Director of Maintenance for a property management and development company based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Asberry holds several technical accreditations in the maintenance industry. He has utilized his many years of maintenance experience to assist with contract negotiations, scopes of work for Capital Projects, five-year Capital Expenditure budgets, new property startups as well as due diligence and REAC Preparation inspections. Mr. Asberry assists with new personnel interviews, and property inspections and offers technical assistance when needed. His experience in all facets of property maintenance makes him an invaluable asset to the teams he supports.

Tia Blount, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, joined HOC in November 2022. She is responsible for developing, implementing and conducting a comprehensive program for internal and external communications for all aspects of HOC’s programs, plans, and initiatives. She ensures that the Commission’s communications are at the highest level of impact, creativity and professionalism to ensure that the HOC brand aligns with its mission and strategic objectives.

Ms. Blount has more than 20 years of experience in integrated marketing and communications, branding, social and traditional media, resource and project management and fundraising. She has led local, national and international campaigns and programs around HIV/AIDS, malaria, real estate and community development, occupational therapy and a range of other important issues.

She previously served as both Chief of Strategy and Vice President of External Relations for the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC). Prior to joining CPDC in 2012, she spent nearly 10 years working for two large Non-Governmental Organizations committed to developing life-saving vaccines and drugs to fight malaria and HIV: the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative and the International Partnership for Microbicides. During her career in global health, Ms. Blount built communication capacity across dozens of clinical research centers throughout Africa and has worked to raise the profile of malaria vaccines and HIV microbicides across the United States, Europe and Africa.

Ms. Blount is a passionate and compelling speaker, trainer and no-nonsense budgeting coach with more than 14 years of experience developing and leading training programs, facilitating large group discussions and presenting at major meetings and conferences all across the United States, Europe and Africa. Ms. Blount holds a Master of Arts in Public Communication from American University and a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Florida A&M University.

Elaine Cole joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in June 2022. With over three decades of experience in Human Resources (HR) management — including expertise in employee relations, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, and organizational psychology — Ms. Cole has established herself as a seasoned pioneer in the field, with a proven track record of successfully developing and managing high-performing teams. Elaine is also skilled in the areas of organizational development and change management and has a deep understanding of how to create and sustain a positive and productive work environment. Throughout her career in Human Resources, Elaine has led, developed, executed and evaluated human capital programs for varying sized domestic and international companies. She has an impressive track record of successfully managing large-scale recruitment campaigns, developing and implementing employee-retention strategies, and improving overall HR processes and procedures.

Prior to joining HOCMC, Elaine served as the Director of HR at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. In her role, Elaine was responsible for conceptualizing and implementing a progressive HR strategy, while also harmonizing these initiatives with the organization’s overall mission and objectives.

Elaine speaks to varying degrees French, Italian and West African Pidgin English and has developed a true appreciation for global citizenship and brings this perspective to her work. As such, she has a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and has made it a priority of hers to create workplace cultures that not only foster engagement and productivity but promote an environment of respect and inclusivity.

Elaine holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Sierra Leone in English and French and a certificate in Juche philosophy. She also holds a master’s degree in human resource management from the University of Maryland University College. Outside of her professional life, Elaine enjoys spending time with her two daughters and has a passion for traveling and exploring new cultures.

Richard Congo joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in October 2022. Mr. Congo brings to HOC over 36 years of information technology experience, as well as more than 23 years of experience in the housing industry. Mr. Congo has worked at the Alexandria Housing Authority, Virgin Islands Housing Authority, Prince George’s Housing, Fort Worth Housing Solutions and District of Columbia Housing Authority.

Mr. Congo has managed IT budgets that included ERP implementations, Cyber Security protocols, and Cloud Services management. He has directed and managed IT departments of various sizes and has provided consultant advice to smaller public agencies. Mr. Congo’s wealth of experience enhances the services and products we provide to internal and external customers and ensures that our use of information technology is optimized and our data is secure. Mr. Congo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from Drexel University.

Darcel Cox, Chief Compliance Officer, joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in March 2013. Prior to joining HOC, Ms. Cox was the Senior Property Manager for the Shelter Group, where she specialized in rehabilitation and new construction lease up and compliance activities. Garnering significant acclaim, she grew adept at managing mixed-finance rehabilitation efforts, which required managing downleasing and moving residents multiple times during construction. During her 10 years in that position, Ms. Cox managed four properties and successfully implemented the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, layered with federal funding programs such as Project-Based Section 8 and HOME. One of her most successful projects was the redevelopment efforts at what was then known as Guilford Gardens (later became Monarch Mills). After a complete redevelopment effort, Monarch Mills became a mixed-income community, comprised of Market Rate, Project-Based Section 8 and HOME-assisted units. Monarch Mills grew from 100 units to more than 250, with separate family and senior buildings and enhanced amenities.

Since 2016, Ms. Cox has served as a member of the Inwood House board of directors. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Baltimore University and holds several certifications and housing accreditations, including the Housing Credit Certified Professional accreditation, and the Blended Housing Occupancy, Tax Credit Specialist, Occupancy Specialist, Mixed Finance, Housing Choice Voucher, Certified Housing Assistance Manager, RAD Project Based Voucher, Tax Credit Specialist-Advanced and HOME Compliance Specialist certifications.

Timothy J. Goetzinger joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in April 2021. As Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Goetzinger is responsible for the budget, procurement and finance offices. He also works closely with the Mortgage Finance, Real Estate and Finance Divisions to ensure the proper allocation of resources on each of the proposed and ongoing development projects. Mr. Goetzinger also provides oversight of the Housing Production Fund and the Agency’s revolving development funds related to usage for various Commission-approved real estate projects.

Prior to joining HOC, Mr. Goetzinger was the Chief of Finance and Administration for the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs. He was involved with various aspects of the Department’s operations and managed multiple business units including budget and finance, human resources, grant and asset management, information technology, licensing and registration and the common ownership communities (COC) program. During his time with the Department, Mr. Goetzinger managed over $1 billion in local, state and federal resources and oversaw a loan portfolio in excess of $500 million leveraging $2.5 billion in real estate.

Mr. Goetzinger holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics from Loyola University, Maryland.

Lynn Hayes first joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in 1998. During her tenure with the agency, Ms. Hayes served the Housing Resources Division in many capacities and completed important projects including implementation of computer and software conversions, a major leasing initiative and merging the administration of the Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. In January 2006, Ms. Hayes was promoted to the role of Assistant Director of Housing Resources. She has been Director of the Division since 2014.

Prior to joining HOC, Ms. Hayes worked for five years at the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Ms. Hayes graduated from the University of Virginia, majoring in both Sociology and Spanish and studied one semester abroad at the University of Valencia. She also has completed the Housing and Community Development Executive Program at the University of Maryland, School of Public Affairs.

Bonnie Hodge began her career with the Housing Opportunities Commission in February 1998. She has more than 25 years of experience in affordable housing. When HOC launched the Office of the Ombudsman and Customer Affairs in 2021, Ms. Hodge’s past experiences as the Commission’s Assistant Director of Housing Resources, Customer Service Center Director and Customer Service Center Manager uniquely equipped her to take on this new role.

The Office of the Ombudsman is committed to actively engaging with our stakeholders to resolve multilayered customer issues and ensure customer service accountability. Ms. Hodge specializes in collaborating with internal and external sources to connect customers with the appropriate resources in support of HOC’s mission.

Ms. Hodge holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is certified in Housing Choice Voucher Proficiency, Housing Quality Standards, Public Housing Occupancy, C3P Tax Credit, Section Eight Housing Manager, Family Self Sufficiency and as a Hearing Officer.

Matt Husman is the Housing Opportunities Commission’s Chief Logistics and Facilities Officer. Mr. Husman joined the Commission in June of 2002. He is responsible for overseeing the inventory management process that provides supplies for the maintenance of customer homes. While overseeing these units he helps to maintain a positive customer service experience and provides well maintained facilities. He also helps oversee the HOC warehouse through inventory control and fleet management, all while managing the budgets and ensuring cost effectiveness.

Prior to taking on his role, Mr. Husman served for 17 years as Scattered Sites Operations Manager and Facility Manager.

Mr. Husman holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Frostburg State University. He is a member of the National Property Management Association (NPMA).

Zachary Marks joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in 2013. He is responsible for HOC’s real estate acquisitions and development, property maintenance, property management and asset management. Mr. Marks has more than 15 years of experience in real estate and previously worked at both private for-profit and non-profit firms, covering more than a dozen major markets throughout the United States.

While at HOC, he led the conversion of the Public Housing portfolio via the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, comprising eight in-place renovation conversions, as well as four off-site, new construction conversions. Those efforts culminated in more than $340 million in HOC-led transactions and $60 million in partner-led RAD transactions.

During his tenure at HOC, Mr. Marks has led the entitlement, design and financing of more than $860 million in transactions, including $320 million in renovation projects, comprising 1,882 units; $308 million in new construction projects underway, comprising 741 units; $203 million in acquisitions consummated, comprising 1,362 units; and $28 million in LIHTC (Low-Income Housing Tax Credit) limited partner interests acquired, comprising 583 units.

Mr. Marks is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, holds a Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate from the University of North Carolina Kenan Flagler Business School. Prior to his MBA, he taught English for three years at Wootton High School in Rockville, Md.

Aisha Memon serves as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel for the Housing Opportunities Commission. Ms. Memon is responsible for the overall administration of the Commission’s legal, risk management, and ADA/504 divisions. This includes facilitating real estate transactions; managing litigation; negotiating contractual obligations; ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws; responsibility for Commission governance; and working across agency divisions to mitigate risk; and handling all employee and customer ADA/504 requests. Prior to joining HOC, Ms. Memon worked at a large national law firm focusing primarily on commercial real estate and financing. Ms. Memon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law.

Ali Ozair, CFA, TCS, COS joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in July 2023 and serves as Vice President, Property Management. In that position, Mr. Ozair manages the agency’s assets by providing operational and financial oversight and management of the operating budgets and capital budgets for HOC’s portfolio.

Mr. Ozair’s Property Management team oversees the performance of the properties by monitoring compliance; coordinating maintenance; conducting regular property inspections; coordinating communication from the properties to the HOC corporate office; and, preparing reports or analysis to evaluate and improve property performance.

Prior to joining HOC, Mr. Ozar served as Vice President of Operations for Fairstead and held multiple positions with Related Companies. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance from Loyola University New Orleans.

DaVida Rowley is an impact-driven, equity-focused, and people-centered servant leader with more than two decades of experience in the public service sector. Prior to joining the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), she served as the Senior Director of Resident Participation and Civic Engagement at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) — the largest public housing organization in North America.

As Senior Director at NYCHA, Ms. Rowley led a team dedicated to providing critical services to over 500,000 public housing residents. Under her leadership, the department underwent a major transformation which included the implementation of a new resident engagement model focused on ensuring equity across all 30 NYCHA neighborhoods, improved overall service delivery to residents, and strengthened relationships with key resident leadership groups and external partners.

Ms. Rowley previously served as a Senior Advisor and Director of Public-Private Partnerships at NYCHA. In this dual role, she coordinated post-pandemic support for thousands of vulnerable residents, oversaw federal, state, and private grants, collaborated with external partners to secure critical resources for residents, led the relaunch of the Fund for Public Housing, and managed the overall performance of six resident-facing departments.

Ms. Rowley has an immense passion for serving others and has worked with a diverse array of high-need populations including in-school-youth, out-of-school youth, adults receiving public assistance, and multi-generational families residing in public housing. She has received several accolades for her commitment to service including the NYC Mayor’s Excellence in Service Award and the NYC Human Resources Administration’s Most Inspiring Leader Award.

Ms. Rowley is an alumna of Hunter College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Baruch College where she studied Public Administration at the master’s level. She is also a published author. She enjoys motivational speaking, traveling throughout the Caribbean, spending time with her family, and supporting teen moms as a mentor with the Young Life program.

Nihar Shah has been involved in the Mid-Atlantic real estate industry for over 15 years, being responsible for the financial health and execution of development projects, sourcing new deals, and structuring capital.

Mr. Shah has sourced over $1 billion of product in the region in addition to leading the development, management of sales and leasing operations, and the dispositions of more than 3.8 million square feet of real estate across mixed-use, hospitality, multi-family, condominium, and townhome product types valued at over $1.7 billion across 16 different projects and delivering over 2,700+ units of housing in the region.

Mr. Shah started his foray into the industry working in project management for general contractors, where he managed the construction of data centers, government facilities, and mixed-use apartment communities.

Nihar is a Federal City Council Trustee, co-chair for Urban Land Institute (ULI) Washington’s Local Housing Product Council, a member of the Community Development Product Council within ULI Americas, and an active member of DCBIA’s Housing Committee. 

He is a United States Air Force veteran and separated as a Captain (O-3) after serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq.

Mr. Shah holds an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Boston University.

Ken Silverman, Vice President of Government Affairs, joined the Housing Opportunities Commission in November 2022. The Office of Legislative and Government Affairs (LGA) is responsible for maintaining and enhancing HOC’s relationship with its stakeholders by serving as a liaison with media, community groups, the general public and elected officials.

Mr. Silverman works with the Commission and county and State officials to implement policies, laws and regulations that promote the funding and creation of affordable housing. He also works with the Executive Director to expand HOC’s reach at the federal government level to provide input on legislation that focuses on issues affecting households across the housing affordability continuum, both existing and proposed.

Mr. Silverman has experience working in campaigns and public policy at the local, state and federal levels. For the past decade, Mr. Silverman has served in senior staff roles for Montgomery County Councilmembers Hans Riemer (At Large) and Nancy Navarro (District 4) with a focus on housing, land use and economic development.

A Montgomery County native, Mr. Silverman is a licensed Maryland attorney; he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government from Skidmore College and Juris Doctorate summa cum laude from William & Mary Law School.

Michael Somerville is the Vice President, Mortgage Finance of the Housing Opportunities Commission. He joined the Commission in April 2024.

Mr. Somerville has extensive experience in the areas of multifamily mortgage finance, credit and counterparty risk management. Most recently he served as Senior Vice President, FHA Product Manager for Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, a FHA approved MAP lender focused on origination of affordable and market rate housing with over $1 billion in executed transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Somerville helped establish the FHA MAP lender operations for EagleBank, N.A.

Mr. Somerville previously served as the Director, Multifamily Asset and Counterparty Oversight Division for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In that position he managed the Asset Management Oversight Team, which is responsible for monitoring the insured and uninsured portfolio consisting of over 30,000 properties, and served as the Multifamily Asset Management Division representative on the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Committee.

He also has held credit and counterparty risk management positions with Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation.
Mr. Somerville earned a Bachelor’s degree in finance from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a Master’s of Business Administration from George Washington University.