June 2018

The California Housing Partnership has hired five new staff and promoted three team members to help advance our mission to assist nonprofit and local government housing agencies to create and preserve affordable housing for California's low-income households, while providing leadership and technical assistance on housing policy.
 
Claire Parisa
In response to the growing demand for the California Housing Partnership's financial consulting services, we have hired Claire Parisa as Housing Finance Consultant. Prior to joining the Partnership, Claire worked as a project manager with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC). At TNDC, Claire contributed to the development of more than 500 affordable rental homes using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bond financing, State (MHP and AHSC), HUD (project-based Section 8, Shelter Plus Care, and Section 811), and local San Francisco financing sources. Claire earned a Master's in City Planning (MCP) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a B.A. in Urban Studies as well as a B.S. in Society & Environment from the University of California, Berkeley. She can be reached at   cparisa@chpc.net .
 
Meg McGraw-Scherer
The Partnership has promoted Senior Housing Finance Consultant Meg McGraw-Scherer to be our new Peninsula Region Director in recognition of the work she is doing assisting the  Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County , chairing the  City of Menlo Park's Housing Commission and the expanded presence she plans to have working with allies SV@home and the  Silicon Valley Housing Trust . Meg will continue providing financial consulting services and advancing the interests of nonprofit affordable housing organizations in Northern California. Meg can be reached at  mmcgraw-scherer@chpc.net if you would like to congratulate her.
 
Lindsay Rosenfeld
Danielle Mazzella
In recognition of the great work she has done producing housing need reports across the state,  Danielle Mazzella has been promoted to Preservation and Data Housing Manager. To assist Danielle to expand the scope of our research reports, we have hired  Lindsay Rosenfeld as a new Data and Policy Analyst. Lindsay will support the Partnership's affordable housing preservation and policy advocacy efforts through data analysis, program evaluation and GIS mapping. Prior to joining the Partnership, Lindsay conducted a program evaluation of the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing & Community Development (MOHCD) rental and ownership programs. Lindsay earned a Master's in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in Anthropology and Global Studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She can be reached at   lrosenfeld@chpc.net .
 
Collin Tateishi
The Partnership has promoted  Collin Tateishi  to Policy Manager in recognition of his great efforts to increase access to clean energy and water efficiency and conservation programs for nonprofit affordable housing owners. In this position, Collin will increase his profile in representing the California Housing Partnership and our allies in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, among others.

As the California Housing Partnership moves forward in helping administer the California Public Utilities Commission's new $1 billion Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing ( SOMAH ) program, we have added two terrific staff to provide SOMAH outreach and services to our partners:
 
Srinidhi Sampath Kumar
Srinidhi Sampath Kumar starts work July 2 as the Partnership's new Sustainable Housing Program Manager. In this capacity, Srinidhi will provide information to our partners about the new $1 billion SOMAH program as well as new funding available through the Low-Income Weatherization Program and other financing options. Srinidhi brings a wealth of experience in energy efficiency program management from her previous role as customer programs specialist for Marin Clean Energy's Low-Income Families and Tenants (LIFT) project, which provides incentives to make energy improvements to low-income multifamily properties. Srinidhi earned a Master's of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in Economics from Stella Maris College.  Srinidhi can be reached at  skumar@chpc.net .
 
Devin Oliver
New Sustainable Housing Program Fellow Devin Oliver will play a lead role working with Srinidhi under the supervision of Program Director Blanca de la Cruz to inform our partners about SOMAH program and LIWP opportunities and financing options. Before joining the Partnership, Devin worked as a community planner in Houston, Texas where he provided technical support and conducted outreach for  Texas Housers , a community lawyering project around fair housing and environmental justice issues. Devin earned a Master's in Community and Regional Planning as well as a Master's in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He received a B.A. in Geography from The Ohio State University. He can be reached at doliver@chpc.net.
 
Ashley Chambers
L ast but not least, the Partnership has hired Ashley Chambers as Communications Manager to expand our ability to support our partners in affordable housing advocacy and leadership. Ashley is a former journalist with eight years of experience in social media marketing, media relations and communications. Prior to joining the Partnership, Ashley managed marketing communications and daily operations for the Oakland Private Industry Council, and was a senior editor, reporter and photographer for the Oakland Post for six years where she helped produce nine weekly newspapers in the Bay Area. Ashley earned a B.A. in Sociology and Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. She can be reached at   achambers@chpc.net .