PD&R Quarterly Update: How Local Governments Innovate to Meet Community Housing Needs

Chelsea Andrews is the President/Executive Director of the Housing Opportunities Commission. Ms. Andrews joined the Commission in July 2022.

Chelsea Andrews has 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. Prior to having the privilege of serving as the President/Executive Director of Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) she led 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 (including Oakland and Berkeley) to prevent and end homelessness for the nearly 10,000 individuals experiencing homelessness.

Prior to that time, she 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, a budget of $400M+, and approximately 900 staff and 40,000 clients. She is an 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 and obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from The George Washington University Law School.

She has worked for several Fortune 500 companies and served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, MD. 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 by Montgomery County Executive in 2018 and subsequently reappointed and was 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.

Alex Lee (李天明) represents California’s 24th Assembly District which includes the Alameda County communities of Fremont, Newark, and Sunol, and the Santa Clara County communities of Milpitas and San Jose. Assemblymember Lee was elected in 2020, and became the youngest Asian American legislator ever elected and the first openly bisexual state legislator in California history. He currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Human Services, the Select Committee on Social Housing, and the Legislative Progressive Caucus.

In his first year in office, Assemblymember Lee was named “Legislator of the Year'' by the Golden State Manufactured Home Owners League as well as the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. He was also named the 2022 "Legislator of the Year" by the East Bay Young Democrats, and received the "Up & Comer" award from Building the California Dream Alliance. Assemblymember Lee was recognized as one of the nation's top "20 Under 40" officials by the Council of State Governments.

Previously, he worked on statewide policy regarding public safety, climate change, and education for California State Senator Henry Stern and Assemblymember Evan Low. Assemblymember Lee has been a Bay Area resident since birth, calling both San Jose and Milpitas his home for all his life. He is a graduate of Milpitas High School and the University of California, Davis, where he served as Student Body President.

Zachary Marks, Senior Vice President of Real Estate, joined HOC in 2013. In this role, he is responsible for HOC’s property-related activities, including: real estate acquisitions and development, property maintenance, property management, and asset management. Mr. Marks has more than fifteen 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 HOC's Public Housing portfolio via the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, comprising of eight in-place renovation conversions, as well as four off-site new-construction conversions, which 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 Master’s 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.

Hans Riemer served on the Montgomery County Council from 2010-2022, where he chaired the housing and land use committee. His campaign motto was, Say Yes to Progress! Under his leadership, the Council adopted landmark policies that he proposed including ADUs, tax abatements for transit-sited high rises, tax abatements for affordable housing development, smart growth zoning, and the novel Housing Production Fund. He is now a consultant on clean energy projects.

Paul Williams is the founder and executive director of the Center for Public Enterprise, a think tank focused on broadening the public sector's capacity to deliver economic development. He formerly worked for the Chicago Department of Housing, as well as other think tanks including the Economic Opportunity Institute and the Jain Family Institute. He holds a master’s degree in economics from John Jay College at The City University of New York, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from The Evergreen State College. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.