Staff

As CEO and President, Andrea oversees our strategic direction and investment priorities, developing partnerships throughout Minnesota, and managing staff.

Originally from St. Cloud, she brings experience working on housing policy and development in the urban core, as well as suburban communities and rural townships. From 2015 to 2023, Andrea led housing development and policy initiatives for the City of Minneapolis, most recently overseeing its Community Planning and Economic Development department and the Minneapolis Community Development Agency. Previously, she led community development for the Dakota County Community Development Agency.

Andrea has served on several prominent housing finance, policy, and development boards including the Heading Home Hennepin Executive Committee, the Family Housing Fund, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, and the Minnesota Housing Partnership.

She is a graduate of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and the University of San Diego.

Rhiannon has over 20 years of experience in real estate and with the creation and preservation of affordable housing. At GMHF, she works closely with our Lending, Equity, and Finance teams to ensure all transactions are properly executed and funded.

Rhiannon has a degree as a paralegal and is a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

As the manager of our Capacity Building Program, Nate works with housing developers and communities to implement a wide variety of strategies to improve housing options in rural and Tribal communities.

He has a rich background in community development from his work in philanthropy, state and local agencies, and Tribal communities. Nate most recently served as Vice President for Advocacy at Northwest Minnesota Foundation, where he led public policy, equity, and inclusion efforts.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Master’s in Public Policy and Nonprofit Management from the University of Minnesota.

Nate is a Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe descendant who lives and works in Bemidji.

As Director of Policy and Program Development, Peter is leading the work to create and implement our new Green Lending Initiative and related policy and program activity. Additionally, he supports emerging policy and program development including stabilizing affordable housing properties that are experiencing distress.

He spent the past 13 years working for the City of Minneapolis in various capacities at the nexus of affordable housing, social inequality, and climate. He most recently served as Chief of Staff and, prior to that, was the Director of Policy and Government Affairs in the Mayor’s Office.

He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and Saint John’s University.

As the Managing Director of Equity Investing and NOAH Fund Manager, John is responsible for GMHF subsidiaries Minnesota Equity Fund and NOAH Impact Fund. He works with affordable housing developers and property owners to originate, structure, and close equity investments, including tax-credit syndication and the use of companion loan products.

John has over 30 years of experience in project management for multifamily project development, structuring complex financing, building partnerships, and conducting market feasibility analysis. Prior to joining GMHF, he was Director of Housing Development at Aeon, Project Manager at MetroPlains Development, and a Senior Market Analyst at Maxfield Research.

John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and is a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

Melinda supports the Operations Manager by overseeing day-to-day office routines, meeting preparation, and general administrative support.

She has a background in office management, retail management, and community relations.

Melinda has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Fashion Marketing Management from Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Moorhead.

Kayla assists the Finance and Asset Management teams with monitoring the loan portfolio and working with the borrowers and developers to ensure ongoing compliance. Kayla works directly with our CFO and other staff to create strong asset management, record retention, and data management routines.

She has over 10 years of administrative experience, as well as over 10 years of working with technology and IT solutions.

Matthew is a CPA who brings 20 years of experience in accounting and finance to the Controller role.

Prior to joining GMHF, he was an Accounting Supervisor at Supervalu and served in multiple roles at Regis Corporation, including Staff Accountant, Financial Planning Manager, Finance Manager, and Analytics Manager.

Matt has an undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead in hotel and restaurant management and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Metro State University.

Angie is our Director of Capital Development & Investor Relations, bringing nearly 20 years of fundraising experience, including 8 years in affordable housing to the role.

Most recently before joining our team, she was VP of Development Operations for CommonBond Communities. Angie has also worked in various roles with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and The College of St. Scholastica.

She holds a Bachelor’s in English and Communications and a Master’s in Management, both from The College of St. Scholastica.

Wes is the Director of Lending, working with developers to structure debt financing and provide technical assistance for affordable housing development. He is responsible for reviewing potential GMHF loans to evaluate their financial viability for projects and assisting other loan officers with financial structuring and issue resolution.

Previously, he worked as our Loan Portfolio Manager for over 3 years. He draws on prior experience in healthcare information systems, bringing strong analysis, customer service, and project management skills.

Wes has a Bachelor’s in Economics and Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He is also a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

John works as a Senior Accountant on our team, supporting accounting and finance functions.

He has over 25 years of accounting experience. He was previously Senior Accountant at General Parts, LLC, with other accounting roles in property management at CommonBond Communities and home loan servicing at Ditech Financial.

John holds a Bachelor’s in Accounting from California State University, Fresno, and passed the CPA exam.

Crystal is responsible for developing and implementing communication and engagement strategies to promote our mission, goals, and programs.

Prior to joining GMHF, she was the Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the City of Saint Paul’s Department of Planning and Economic Development, where she supported all the communications needs for the housing, economic development, and planning/zoning divisions. She also served in communication roles for the City of Eagan and the University of Minnesota.

Crystal has a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, a Master of Arts in Communications and Public Relations from Johns Hopkins University, and a professional certificate in Public Engagement for Local Government from Pepperdine University.

Kate oversees all compliance reporting to our public and private funders. She also manages GMHF’s investment portfolio, working with external investment advisors to ensure growth in income and ample liquidity to fund our lending and programmatic activity.

She holds the CFA designation and has over 30 years of experience in commercial lending and institutional investment. Before joining the GMHF team, she most recently served as a Senior Investment Grade Research Analyst at Thrivent Asset Management.

Kate has an MBA in finance from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

As Closing Manager, Holly oversees the operations of the closing department, ensuring accuracy and compliance for all lending transactions.

She has over 20 years of experience in real estate lending and investments and is a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

Alexis supports our organization with operations, including HR, office administration and management, meeting preparation, general administrative support, and board governance and communication. Alexis works directly with the CEO and President and GMHF’s executive leadership to support their daily routines.

Starting with administrative assistant roles earlier in her career, Alexis moved into executive support at Episcopal Homes of Minnesota and Safe Reflections.

Alexis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

Paul is an Investment Officer for GMHF subsidiaries Minnesota Equity Fund and NOAH Impact Fund. In this role, he is responsible for working with developers, owner-operators, strategic partners, state and local agencies, and other organizations to assess project viability while working toward closing on approved, funded projects.

Paul has over 25 years of real estate experience with a focus on financing, development, and asset management of affordable multifamily developments. Previously, he was a Senior Multifamily Underwriter for Minnesota Housing, having also worked for Dougherty Mortgage, Stonebridge Companies, and Dominium.

Paul has a Master’s in real estate and finance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Asher works with developers and owner-operators to structure debt financing and provide technical assistance for affordable housing developers.

He has over seven years of experience in affordable housing. Prior to joining GMHF, Asher was a Project Manager with the Acquisitions & Development team at CommonBond Communities.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He is also a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

Nikki leads the Asset Management team and oversees our loan and equity investment portfolios focusing on financial performance, risk management, and social impact goals.

She has 15 years of affordable housing experience, including Housing Choice Voucher administration, property management and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) compliance from previous roles at the Dakota County Community Development Agency and Sherman Associates.

Nikki has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She is a certified Rental Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

As the director of our Housing and Health Initiative, Eric explores the multiple connections and benefits of housing as the most critical social determinant of health.

He has 25 years of experience in housing and community development as a developer, policy advocate, program creator, and funder. Eric served as a program officer at the McKnight Foundation in the Vibrant and Equitable Communities Program for 15 years before joining the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund in 2021. He believes that housing is the foundation for social and economic opportunity, especially when integrated with other connections to education, employment, health, and wealth building.

Eric graduated from Macalester College in Saint Paul and holds a Master’s in community planning from the University of Cincinnati.

Dusty is an Investment Officer for GMHF subsidiaries Minnesota Equity Fund & NOAH Impact Fund. He is responsible for working with developers, owner-operators, strategic partners, state and local agencies, and other organizations to assess project viability and work to close funded projects.

Dusty is experienced in affordable housing lending and investor relations. Prior to joining GMHF, Dusty held various positions with Enterprise Housing Credit Investments and Rocky Mountain Community Reinvestment Corporation.

Dusty has a Bachelor of Science in English from Utah Tech University.

As our Managing Director of Lending, John is responsible for CDFI lending production, borrower and developer relationships, and lending team leadership. He also leads technical assistance activities to support deal structuring.

John brings extensive underwriting, real estate finance, affordable housing finance, and development expertise. Previously, John worked with Minnesota Housing as a Multifamily Underwriter and as a Developer with Aeon, Fermstad Trust Properties, and Gandolf Group LLC.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Miami University.

As the Emerging Developers Program Manager, Irene is responsible for planning, implementing, and coordinating program activities, including technical assistance and access to grantmaking and financing.

She also serves as Vice Chair on the Minnesota Habitat for Humanity Board and as Treasurer on the Affordable Housing Connections Board.

Irene has a Bachelor of Arts in Planning and Community Development from St. Cloud State University and completed the Affordable Housing Leadership Graduate Certificate Program at Hamline University. She is also a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

As the Program Coordinator for the Emerging Developers Program, Marcela provides administrative support and helps with grants management and technical assistance to grantees.

She values working in community and with people from different backgrounds.

Marcela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Hamline University.

Megan works with developers and owner-operators to structure debt financing and provide technical assistance for affordable housing developers.

She has over 12 years of experience in real estate, with half of that time being dedicated to affordable housing. Prior to joining GMHF, Megan focused on preservation projects and loan servicing at Minnesota Housing.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and is a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

Jordan’s work with GMHF involves navigating spreadsheets and databases to ensure the organization stays on track with strategic and operational goals, as well as supporting regulatory and budgetary deliverables.

His background spans across the human services spectrum, supporting the work of nonprofit organizations across the United States and abroad that strengthen communities through crisis response services, disability justice, family services, healthy living, mental health services, queer affirming programs, and youth development. They most recently served as Director of Finance & Operations at EVOLVE Family Services, helping meet the needs of youth and families connected to the Minnesota Child Welfare System.

Barb manages our day-to-day operations and project priorities, facilitates internal coordination, maintains accountability, and aligns financial resources to achieve organizational goals.

She has extensive experience leading and managing complex, mission-driven organizations, having served in similar roles at the City of Saint Paul and Minnesota Housing, and as Planning Director for the City of Minneapolis.

Barb holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Master in Planning from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She has completed the Minnesota Tribal-State Relations Training through the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a certified Housing Development Finance Professional with Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).

Tyler works closely with the Asset Management team to track, analyze, and report upon the performance of our loans to affordable housing providers.

Prior to joining our team, he worked with community banks in Minnesota and Iowa, underwriting commercial and real estate transactions. Most recently, he was the Senior Credit Analyst with Alliance Bank.

Tyler holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Iowa State University and a Master in Accountancy from the University of Minnesota.

Becky works with our Lending, Finance, and Asset Management teams on construction draws, loan processing/administration, and general support.

Prior to joining GMHF, she worked in mortgage servicing and has experience handling default-related complaints, customer service, and consumer lending compliance for single family lending.

Becky holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Concordia College and a certificate in meeting and event management from Dakota County Technical College.

Evan works with developers and owner-operators to structure debt financing and provide technical assistance for affordable housing development.

Prior to joining GMHF, he worked as an entrepreneur and has run multiple businesses over the past decade. His most recent venture, 612-651 Properties, is an investment firm focused on naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and market rate rental and rehab projects in the Twin Cities.

Evan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish from St. Olaf College.

Mai Yia is a Senior Accountant on our team, supporting both accounting and finance functions.

She has more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance and has a strong work history in accounting for various organizations. Previously, she was a Property Accountant, Staff Accountant, and Senior Financial Reporting for Minco Products, as well as Senior Treasury Accountant with ECMC Group.

Mai Yia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.