Navigating Affordable Housing Finance in 2024

Kenneth T. Lombard, President & CEO, is responsible for the overall direction of BRIDGE Housing, a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing. He joined BRIDGE in November 2021. Over a career that spans three decades, Mr. Lombard has garnered extensive experience in business development, management, investment banking, economic development, corporate expansion and real estate investment. Mr. Lombard joins BRIDGE from Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), where he served most recently as Special Advisor; he was an original Board member when Seritage went public in 2015 and subsequently served as Seritage’s EVP and COO. Seritage is a self-administered and self-managed REIT with properties totaling approximately 39 million square feet of space across 49 states and Puerto Rico. Earlier, Mr. Lombard was President of MacFarlane Partners, an investment management firm that acquires, develops and manages real estate assets on behalf of pensions and institutional investors. Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, Mr. Lombard served as Vice Chairman, Partner and head of investments for Capri Capital Partners, and President of the Capri Urban Fund, which invested in more than $1 billion in commercial, residential and mixed-use development, redevelopment and repositioning projects in densely populated urban markets of the U.S. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Lombard was President of Starbucks Entertainment, where he managed the collaboration with Concord Music to form a new Starbucks music label. In 1992, Mr. Lombard co-founded Johnson Development Corporation and spent 12 years as the President and Partner of the firm, creating a legacy of economic improvement in underserved communities of color in 65 cities and 17 states. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington.

Since early 2018 Priya Jayachandran has led National Housing Trust (NHT). NHT is committed to the preservation of home, opportunity, and dignity through affordable housing. In her role as CEO, Priya leads NHT’s engagement in public policy, lending and energy sustainability. Priya previously led Housing Development at Volunteers of America (VOA). In her role, she managed the strategic direction, acquisition, and development of rental housing for VOA. Priya served in the Obama Administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 until 2017, as Senior Policy Advisor, Director of the front office of Multifamily Housing, and ultimately as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs. Before joining HUD, Priya spent more than 15 years in community development real estate banking in New York and Washington, DC. She led client teams delivering debt and tax credit equity for affordable housing and charter schools during that time. Under Priya's leadership, the Mid-Atlantic market at both Citi and Bank of America were the top production offices in the country. Priya is a recognized industry expert on affordable finance deal structuring. Priya has also worked as a consultant to women’s microcredit organizations in La Paz, Bolivia; at Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst; and at California State Treasurer Kathleen Brown as a Capital Fellow. Priya earned her B.A. from the University of California and her MPA from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Emily Cadik is the Chief Executive Officer of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC), where she leads advocacy to support affordable rental housing financed using the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit). Prior to joining the AHTCC, she was a Senior Director of Public Policy at Enterprise Community Partners, where she led policy and advocacy related to the Housing Credit and other affordable housing and community development issues. While at Enterprise she served on the board of the AHTCC, chairing the Legislative Committee, co-chairing the Marketing Committee, and serving on the Executive Committee since 2016. She also helped to lead the A Call To Invest in Our Neighborhoods (ACTION) Campaign, the nationwide coalition of more than 2,000 organizations and businesses advocating on behalf of the Housing Credit, and remains active in this nationwide advocacy effort. In 2017 she received the NHP Foundation’s inaugural Advocacy Award, and in 2016 was named one of Affordable Housing Finance’s Young Leaders. Before joining Enterprise she was a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where she served as a program coordinator for the Moving to Work demonstration and in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. She earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Laura Wilder, CPA, is a Partner in the Firm’s Sacramento office and a member of the Firm’s Tax Practice. With more than 19 years of experience, Laura has provided tax compliance services to clients in the retail, real estate, and not-for-profit industries. She concentrates on real estate clients, focusing on low-income housing, including both for-profit and not-for-profit entities. Laura provides her low-income housing clients with a variety of services which includes tax return preparation, AUP reports, tax credit consulting such as end of compliance period analysis, exit strategy analysis, and ensuring compliance with tax regulations. Laura’s responsibilities at CohnReznick include planning and performing tax engagement compliance in the areas of multifamily residential real estate, construction, and not-for-profit organizations. Laura has served such clients as BRIDGE Housing, Mercy Housing, Eden, Abode Communities, NeighborWorks Umpqua, SRO Housing, Cornerstone Housing, Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino, USA Properties, and Amcal Properites. Prior to joining the Firm, Laura spent four years with a Big Four accounting firm.