About

Nathalia is a Senior Vice President and Director of Community Development and Reinvestment with Atlantic Union Bank. Her focus at work is promoting community economic development through financial assistance – including within the nonprofit and governmental sectors. She is active in the support of Richmond’s nonprofit community and currently also serves on the Boards of Family Lifeline and Virginia Supportive Housing. A native Brazilian, Nathalia has lived and worked in Richmond for the past seven years.

Michelle Krocker is a community development and public policy consultant, assisting private sector organizations and local governments in creating diverse, sustainable communities through housing and land use policies. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, a regional advocacy coalition engaged in public outreach, education, and housing research that addresses the unmet housing needs of Northern Virginia’s low and moderate income households.

Read More

Vaughn has been a resident of James City since 1991. He worked in the James City County Office of Housing and Community Development as the Community Development Planner for ten years and was a founding member of the County’s Neighborhood Connections Office. From 2005-2011 he was the Housing Division Manager for York County. Vaughn has affiliations with neighborhood organizations, non-profits and regional coalitions, including the Hampton Roads Housing Consortium. He has also served on the Trustee Board of St. John Baptist Church in upper York County, as an Assistant Scout Master with Boy Scout Troop 195, and is Chairman of the Board of Directors for Child Development Resources.

Shernita L. Bethea is the Housing Administrator for the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. In her capacity as a planner, she works with a variety of organizations and agencies in the effort to promote regional approaches to issues pertaining to the elderly population, services for persons with disabilities as well as various housing issues.

Read More

Lisa R. Porter is the Executive Director & CEO at the Bristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority and a member of the Virginia Housing (formerly VHDA) Board of Commissioners. She has spent her career in affordable housing for the past twenty-nine years serving in positions at Cumberland Plateau Regional Housing Authority, Marion Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and the Housing Authority of the City of Yuma, AZ. She is a past President of both the Virginia Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (VAHCDO) and the Little Ten Housing Authorities of Southwest Virginia. She currently serves on the NAHRO Small Agency Advisory Committee, HousingForward Virginia Board, Abuse Alternatives Board, and is Chair of the SERC-NAHRO Small Agency Task Force (SATF).

Orlando C. Artze is the President and CEO of Orlando Artze Consulting LLC, a consulting group providing services to nonprofit and faith-based organizations, government agencies and for-profit companies in the fields of affordable housing and community development.

Read More

Andrew serves as HBAV Vice President of Government Relations. Andrew manages the HBAV government affairs and regulatory programs as well as the HBAV Build-PAC. As HBAV Chief Lobbyist, Andrew works with members of the Virginia General Assembly and Virginia’s regulatory agencies to ensure housing affordability is taken into consideration when policymakers craft laws and regulations for Virginia’s citizens. Andrew is a graduate of Gettysburg College. Prior to joining HBAV in July of 2017, Andrew served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Home Builders Association of Richmond and at the Virginia General Assembly as a legislative aid to a Virginia delegate.

Susan has served as the Executive Director of Virginia Housing (formerly VHDA) since 1999. Prior to this, she served for three years as Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was an ex-officio Virginia Housing Commissioner. Susan directs all operations of Virginia Housing, a $9 billion independent, self-supporting authority that is responsible for addressing the statewide housing affordability needs of low and moderate-income Virginians. Virginia Housing provides a variety of rental and homeownership lending programs, and free homeownership education. Virginia Housing also administers the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and a statewide Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Before becoming Senior Vice President of Community and Industry Relations for Virginia REALTORS®, Leslie worked for two Virginia governors, applying her skills and passion to an array of policy initiatives, from veteran and military issues to foster care. It was her early endeavors on political campaigns where she garnered a foundation in community organizing, helping her to build relationships and foster strong connections to assist her with reaching her goals. This background makes her a perfect fit for her role with Virginia REALTORS®.

Read More

Yolunda Harrell originally hails from Alabama (Roll Tide) but grew up predominantly in South Carolina. She has worked, served, and lived in the Charlottesville area for the last 13 years. Yolunda is a Christian, wife, business partner, executive manager, entrepreneur and CEO and Founder of New Hill Development Corporation. As a professional business leader, Yolunda is able to leverage 24 plus years of profit management, staff development, external and internal customer experiences, community engagement, and self-development.

Read More

Bryan Horn serves as the director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). He brings years of experience to the administration. He is a skilled attorney whose primary areas of practice were construction law, eminent domain law and general commercial and real estate litigation. While at his firm, Horn led its Construction Law and Eminent Domain Law Practices, and he also was the managing director from 2016-2019.

Read More

Andy Kegley has served as Executive Director of Helping Overcome Poverty’s Existence, Inc. (HOPE) since its merger with Mountain Shelter, Inc. in 2007. Prior to that, he was the founding board chair in 1991, and became Executive Director of Mountain Shelter in 1995. He served as chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors in 1992, and was news editor of the Wytheville Enterprise from 1993-1994.

Read More

As President and CEO, Amir Kirkwood leads VCC Social Enterprises (VCCSE) in its mission to promote an enhanced quality of life for the communities the organization serves. Amir has more than 20 years of banking and economic development finance experience. Prior to joining VCCSE, he served Opportunity Finance Network as Chief Investment and Network Officer. Amir was also responsible for management of all membership related operations including investment portfolio management, membership services, peer learning and programs and research.

Read More

Jill Norcross became the Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance in January 2023. She has over 20 years of experience in fostering successful partnerships with diverse stakeholders around affordable housing planning and development.

Read More

Sherry Norquist, MSN, RN-ACM leads and provides strategic oversight for Sentara Healthcare’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), enhancing partnerships that build upon Sentara’s longstanding commitment to creating healthier communities. Sherry works to align and integrate CSR programs enterprise-wide by maintaining existing relationships and identifying external partners and opportunities that support a holistic and strategic prioritization model to address Social Determinants of Health. Sherry is also responsible for managing key elements and driving awareness and engagement for Sentara’s grant opportunities that align with Sentara’s Community Health Needs Assessments.

Read More

Bryan Phipps is the President and CEO of People Incorporated of Virginia. He has over 23 years of experience working in nonprofit development and management and is a Certified Community Action Professional.

As President and CEO, Phipps acts as a liaison between the agency and legislative partners, local government, funders, organizational partners, and the National Community Action Network. He oversees a staff of nearly 300 and budget of over $34 million while providing leadership and staff support to the agency’s Board of Directors.

Read More

Austin Pittman is the Senior Development Manager at The Lawson Companies, focusing on project feasibility and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). As a member of the development team he works directly with the state housing credit authority, while managing the LIHTC process from procurement to completion. In addition to maintaining project budgets, Austin conducts financial and market feasibility studies for potential development opportunities. Lastly, while working directly with HUD and municipal housing authorities, Austin oversees the procurement and approval process for project-based rental assistance.

Read More

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Mr. Reynolds graduated from Lucy Addison High School in 1969. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Fayetteville State University and two Masters Degrees from the State University of New York at Albany. Mr. Reynolds has taught in the North Carolina Public School system and as an Associate Professor at Ferrum College, Ferrum, Virginia. He began his full-time career in government in 1975 when he joined the staff of the West Piedmont Planning District Commission in Martinsville, Virginia.

Read More

Andrew is a co-founder and partner with Gray Ryan Companies, a public relations and communications firm that serves clients in the real estate, A/E/C, and senior living industries. He partners with clients on an array of strategic communications initiatives, including public relations, reputation management, content marketing, community relations, and crisis communications.

Read More

Sean G. Stevens is the Director of Electric Distribution Design and Project Management in Dominion Energy’s Grid and Technical Solutions Group. His areas of responsibility include design, customer contracts, joint use, right of way, and project management activities, as well as emergency response during restoration events. Stevens joined the company in 2005 after spending four years with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. He has held a variety of leadership roles within the Electric Distribution organization in both distribution design and construction. Stevens earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Greensboro College.

Carrie has served as the Richmond Field Office Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development since 2011. She is responsible for ensuring that all HUD programs are effectively delivered across the Commonwealth providing coordinated opportunities to communities that support community economic development, quality housing, access and affordability.

Read More

Jonathan directs HousingForward Virginia’s research and progam efforts across the commonwealth. This work includes regional and local housing needs assessments, policy generation and implementation, and communications strategies.

Read More

Eric is a Senior Associate at HDAdvisors, where he specializes in policy research and outreach to gain a comprehensive understanding of affordable housing needs and opportunities.

Read More

Erica Sims has worked in the non-profit management, affordable housing development and community organizing fields for over 17 years. Her focus has been on social and economic justice through housing and economic development.

Read More

As Junior Associate, Flora handles branded communications for HousingForward Virginia, including our website, social media, and email list, as well as organizing meetings, keeping records, and taking on special projects.

Read More

Karin has more than 20 years of fund development and administrative experience in the nonprofit sector.

Read More