NALHFA Affordable Housing Podcast

In this episode of NALHFA’s Leadership Excellence Institute (LEI) Podcast Series, Christopher Mora shares his experience as a member of the inaugural LEI class, including key takeaways from the program, the relationships he built along the way, and how the experience has influenced his approach to leadership. Tune in for a firsthand look at what prospective LEI participants can expect from the program.

NALHFA’s Allison Ward sits down with David Iloanya, Director of Real Estate Development at the Tampa Housing Authority, to discuss the West River Redevelopment project, recipient of a 2026 NALHFA Award of Redevelopment Excellence.

David takes listeners behind the scenes of the project, sharing the inspiration that helped bring it to life, the partnerships that supported its success, challenges and lessons learned along the way, and the impact West River is having on the Tampa community. He also looks ahead to the future of the redevelopment and offers insights for housing professionals working to advance similar projects in their own communities.

Tune in to hear the story behind West River and the people and partnerships making transformative affordable housing development possible.

This episode features a conversation with Mark Kudlowitz, Senior Director of Federal Policy for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national nonprofit affordable housing and community development organization. Mark discusses the latest federal housing policy updates from DC and how national nonprofit housing intermediaries are working with local housing finance agencies to increase affordable housing options nationally.

In this episode of the NALHFA Affordable Housing Podcast, host Allison Ward, NALHFA’s Membership and Operations Coordinator, is joined by Executive Director Jonathan Paine and Director of Government Affairs Josh Brandwein for a timely conversation reflecting on the year behind us and looking ahead to what’s next.

Together, the NALHFA team recaps key highlights and milestones from 2025, shares insights on policy and programmatic developments, and offers a preview of priorities, challenges, and opportunities shaping 2026.From organizational growth to federal advocacy and the evolving affordable housing landscape, this episode sets the stage for the year ahead.

Welcome back to the NALHFA Affordable Housing Podcast. This episode features a conversation with Lauren Connors, Senior Vice President for Development at the New York City Housing Development Corporation, to talk about The Eliza project that took home a NALHFA Award of Excellence earlier this year. She shares the story behind the project, its unique tie to American history, and the incredible impact the project has had on its community.

In this episode, we sit down with leadership expert Tina Woodard to explore the value of NALHFA’s newest member service—the Leadership Excellence Institute.

Designed exclusively for members, this initiative equips housing finance professionals with the tools, insights, and strategies they need to strengthen their leadership skills and drive meaningful impact within their organizations and communities. Tina shares her perspective on why intentional leadership development is critical in today’s housing landscape, what participants can expect to gain from the program, and how NALHFA is investing in its members’ long-term success through this unique offering.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation with Katie Coleman, Communications Director for Nevada Rural Housing, to talk about the Launchpad Homeownership Program that took home a NALHFA award of Single Family Excellence earlier this year. She shares key insights into the creation of the project and a glimpse into what the future holds for this program.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation with part of the Nevada Rural Housing team - Kevin Hickey, Homeownership Programs Manager, and Christopher Mora, Digital Communications Manager. They dive into the story behind the award-winning project, Buy in Nye, that won a NALHFA Award of Excellence in 2024.

They share key details on the many partnerships that brought this project to life. “Partnerships and innovation are key to making homeownership as affordable as possible in a challenging market" said Kevin Hickey. "The Buy in Nye program would not have been possible without our partners at Stifel, who are visionary in their approach, the support of the Nye County Commissioners, and our dedicated lender partners.”

You don't want to miss this episode!

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation with Terri Lee, President and CEO of Atlanta Housing to discuss James Allen Place, the affordable housing project that won an award of redevelopment excellence earlier this year. She shares the story behind the project and the long-term impact this project has on its community. You don't want to miss this episode.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation with Kathryn Driver, Executive Director of the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County, and Nick Fokianos, Director of Communications for the St. Petersberg Housing Authority, to discuss Jordan Park, the affordable housing project that won an Award of Redevelopment Excellence earlier this year. They share the story behind the project and highlights their partnership that help them to achieve the final product. Click on the button below to listen to this episode.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation with Vickie Roberts, Director of Multifamily Housing Bonds at Invest Atlanta. She shares the story behind the award-winning project Intrada Westside that won a NALHFA Award of Excellence earlier this year. She shares the inspiration for the project and gives an update on how it is making a difference in its Atlanta community.

NALHFA Director of Government Affairs Josh Brandwein was recently joined on the association’s Affordable Housing Podcast by Jessica Facciponti, Vice President of Government Affairs with the New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), who serves as Chair of NALHFA’s Legislative Committee and Brian Daaleman, Director of External Affairs for NYCHDC.

The group discussed outcomes of the 2024 U.S. elections and how the results will steer decisions regarding funding levels for federal housing programs, influence tax policies like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and impact the leadership and priorities of agencies like HUD. Josh, Jessica and Brian also elaborated on how these shifts directly affect NALHFA members and how they can adapt to regulatory and legislative changes.

Check out our latest episode, NALHFA’s 2024 Election Preview, where NALHFA Executive Director Jonathan Paine is joined by NALHFA Director of Government Affairs Josh Brandwein in breaking down the most critical races in for the 2024 election year. Listen now for an insightful discussion on possible policy changes, candidate polling, and the potential impacts on affordable housing programs nationwide. Election day is less than a month away, click below to get up to date on the latest from NALHFA thought leaders.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation with Nicole Johnson, Business Development & Affordable Housing Program Manager at the Tucson Industrial Development Authority. She shares the story behind the award-winning project PimaTucson Lighthouse that won a NALHFA Award of Excellence earlier this year. She shares the inspiration for the project and gives an update on how the project is thriving and providing Arizona residents a pleasant and affordable place to live.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation between NALHFA Director of Government Affairs Josh Brandwein and Trenton Allen, CEO of Sustainable Capital Advisors. Trenton founded Sustainable Capital Advisors with the belief that we must not only accelerate the pace of sustainable infrastructure deployment but also expand who participates and benefits from the energy transition if we are to sustainably address the climate challenge. To help create this vision, Trenton has partnered with an incredibly talented team of hard-working and passionate subject matter experts, embracing creative ways to solve sustainable infrastructure challenges and turning them into profitable opportunities.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. This episode features a conversation between NALHFA Director of Government Affairs Josh Brandwein and Madeleine Marr, Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). Josh and Madeline discuss Senator Fetterman’s Whole-Home Repairs Act which was introduced this year during the 118th Congress. The Whole-Home Repairs Act would create a national five-year pilot program to expand on a successful and popular Pennsylvania program designed to help homeowners with critical home repairs. Listen now to hear more on how Senator Fetterman’s bill would help affordable housing in critical need of repair and increase infrastructure health in communities.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks to Tom Loftus, Studio Director for Aufgang architectural firm to dive into their innovative setup for affordable housing in New York City.

Aufgang's innovation centers on adaptive reuse and cohabitating affordable housing and worship spaces. Victory Baptist is a pair of six-story mixed-use buildings at 1007 Union Avenue in Morrisania, The Bronx. Designed by Aufgang Architects and developed by Michael Callaghan of Exact Capital, the structure yields 95 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 79 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $17,452 to $132,400.

In addition to the 101,226 sq. ft. of apartment space, there is 22,760 sq. ft. of commercial space. Community facility space is included, to be used by the church. The site also includes parking and space for the sanctuary and church offices.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward speaks to the New York City Housing Development Corporation to talk about their award-winning project, 425 Grand Concourse. Joining Allison is Eric Enderlin, President of NYCHDC.

The development of 425 Grand Concourse is a success story that exemplifies what can be accomplished when innovative and committed partners, elected officials and local leaders work in concert to create community focused solutions that not only repurpose under-utilized and/or vacant sites, but more importantly, create a development that addresses critical issues such as affordability, sustainability and addressing the diverse needs of a community.

Located in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the south Bronx, this newly constructed, cutting edge, mixed-use, mixed-income, 26-story, 277-unit tower has emerged on the Grand Concourse on a 29,000-square foot site that was formerly home to the renowned, but structurally unsound, Public School 31. A site that provided education for a generation, is now repurposed to serve the community by providing, housing, open space, and community services including education, health care, a supermarket and a cultural center.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, Membership and Operations Senior Associate Allison Ward, Speaks to guests in NALHFA’s own backyard, the DC Housing Finance Agency. They talk about their award-winning project, The Douglass: A Todd A. Lee Townhome Community. Joining Allison from DCHFA is Christopher Donald, Executive Director & CEO along with Kori Heyward, current resident of The Douglass.

The newest episode of the Affordable Housing Podcast is now available. In this episode, NALHFA Government Affairs Director Josh Brandwein and Ethan Handelman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) discussed HUD initiatives relevant to NALHFA members including the newly announced Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO), Green and Resilient Retrofit and Multifamily Risk-Sharing programs. Click below and join the conversation to hear more about current HUD activities in the affordable housing space and opportunities for NALHFA member engagement.