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Overview of Key Personnel
Jeffrey K. Lines, President
The President of TAG Associates Inc., Jeffrey K. Lines, has over twenty-five
years experience in the field of public housing. He has worked in the
administration of public housing at both the state and local levels. He
served as the chief financial and administrative officer at the Boston
Housing Authority under the court appointed receiver in the 1980's. He
served as the lead technical consultant to the National Commission on
Severely Distressed Public Housing, coordinating research, preparing reports,
and developing findings and recommendations which were presented to the
U.S. Congress. The work and research of the National Commission on Severely
Distressed Public Housing was used as the basis for creating the HOPE
VI Program.
Mr. Lines has written numerous articles, reports and guidebooks and has
created related technical assistance materials on public housing published
by HUD and various housing journals. In addition to his extensive experience
in training and research, Mr. Lines has significant hands-on experience
in the administration of public housing programs. Mr. Lines served as
the Independent Management Team Coordinator for the recovery efforts of
the District of Columbia Housing Authority being operated under court
receivership. The firm has served as the Alternative Administrator for
the Ellen Wilson HOPE VI Program in Washington, D.C. and provides program
management assistance to many other public housing revitalization projects.
Mr. Lines has worked on numerous other capital financing initiatives including
commercial loan and bond financing programs. The firm has also been involved
in the Moving To Work Program demonstration since its inception, implementing
a public housing block grant approach for funding large urban Public Housing
Agencies. Mr. Lines served as a Senior Advisor to the Harvard Graduate
School of Design Public Housing Operating Cost Study.
Mr. Lines currently serves as the U.S. District Court Special Master
for the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri (HAKC). As the Special
Master, he is responsible for all aspects of the operations of that Authority,
which administers three HOPE VI grants, a major rehabilitation grant,
new public housing development programs and other special purpose grant
activities, such as welfare to work demonstrations, headquartered at a
comprehensive one stop shop facility known as the Family Development and
Learning Center. In addition to operating a HOPE VI demonstration program
that serves family households and also serves as a replacement for a former
distressed elderly development, the Authority operates a number of other
mixed finance development initiatives. The Housing Authority of Kansas
City is also engaged in extensive efforts to create new mixed-income communities
that incorporate public housing into non-traditional (i.e. non-racially
and economically-impacted) areas of the City of Kansas City. During Mr.
Lines' tenure as Receiver, HAKC has moved from a severely distressed Authority
to high performer status. By the end of this calendar year, all HAKC public
housing units will have been either replaced or reconstructed.
Mr. Lines holds a Master of Business Administration degree, a Master
of Urban Affairs degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree.
John Wilson, Vice President
Mr. John Wilson is a Principal and Vice President of TAG Associates.
Since joining TAG fifteen years ago, Mr. Wilson has provided technical
assistance in all areas of financial operations for dozens of PHAs. For
the District of Columbia Housing Authority, he hired and trained the Authority's
Chief Financial Officer and various senior financial staff. For several
years, he developed the Authority's operating and Section 8 budgets, coordinated
with agency independent auditors, and developed internal controls for
the safeguarding of assets.
Mr. Wilson has provided lead oversight and assistance to the operation
of the finance and budget offices for the Housing Authority of Kansas
City, Missouri, including hiring and training the Director of Finance
and developing the Authority's financial procedures.
Mr. Wilson is an expert in the New Operating Fund Rule, having worked
closely with industry groups in its development. He has successfully assisted
large PHAs in submitting their Stop Loss submissions to HUD in order to
protect them from losing operating subsidy.
An expert in Project-Based Budgeting, Accounting, and Management, he
has provided technical assistance to several large, complex PHAs in developing
and implementing project-based budgeting and accounting systems. His clients
include the Dade County Department of Housing and Urban Development, the
Detroit Housing Commission, the HA of the City of Pittsburgh, and the
HA of Baltimore City, among many others. In nearly all of these engagements
he has developed and provided financial operations training to key PHA
staff.
Mr. Wilson has also assisted with a variety of HOPE VI financing issues,
including development and/or review of project operating statements, development
of financial pro forma presentations, development and negotiation of project
AELs, and development and negotiation of HOPE VI project budgets for projects
in cities that include Kansas City, Seattle, New Haven, Springfield, and
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Wilson is an expert in the Moving to Work program, having assisted
in the development and negotiation of key components of the agreements
and annual plans of several MTW participants, including Cambridge, Baltimore,
Pittsburgh, the District of Columbia, and others.
Prior to joining TAG Associates, Mr. Wilson was a budget specialist
at the Boston Housing Authority. In this position, he was responsible
for coordinating operational activities that included budget preparation,
monitoring and analysis for approximately 5,000 public housing units with
budgets totaling $15 million. Mr. Wilson prepared periodic summary financial
and operational reports with recommendations to senior management. Prior
to joining the BHA, Mr. Wilson worked as assistant to the Executive Director
for the Los Angeles Housing Authority (HACLA), where he specialized in
development initiatives and liaisons with resident groups and private
management groups.
Mr. Wilson holds a Masters Degree in Urban Planning and a Bachelors Degree
in Finance.
William F. Grindl
William F. Grindl is a Senior Associate at TAG and
has over 25 years management experience in the public and private sectors.
Mr. Grindl has conducted HA management assessments in Kansas City, San
Francisco, Indianapolis, Washington, DC, Detroit, Trenton, NJ, Muncie,
IN, and Quincy, MA. As a part of HOPE VI planning and revitalization plans
at various authorities, Mr. Grindl has provided HOPE VI related services
on more than two dozen projects. Mr. Grindl was also part of the team
that developed Section 202 (OCRA 1996) assessment criteria for HUD and
performed Section 202 assessments for Housing Authorities in Detroit,
Chicago, Kansas City, KS, and Camden, NJ.
Mr. Grindl has provided on-going technical assistance
to HOPE VI projects and has overseen the development of long-term capital
plans for Philadelphia, Chicago, and Kansas City Housing Authorities.
His expertise encompasses all aspects of the program, including the mixed
finance provisions as outlined in 24 CFR Part 941 F.
Mr. Grindl has developed an approach to asset management
involving formal asset management protocols and procedures and has established
asset management programs for many PHAs, large and small. He is experienced
in all aspects of facilities management and has worked on more than twenty-nine
HOPE VI projects. Mr. Grindl has worked as a Senior Planner for a large
PHA and has work experience as a property manager for private management
firms in the Boston area.
Mr. Grindl has also performed or overseen development
of numerous long term physical and capital needs plans for private sector
developments and for PHAs such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Rockford, IL,
and Kansas City.
In 2001, Mr. Grindl, through TAG Associates, assumed
direct oversight of Housing Operations for the Housing Authority of New
Haven. In this capacity, he guided the Housing Operations Department,
assisted in the job search for a new Director and participated in numerous
operational activities. These activities included development of and training
on asset management and procurement manuals, and development of a wide
variety of policies and procedures related to housing operations.
Mr. Grindl has also managed a long term HUD contract,
which involved the development of a complete approach to site-based housing
management as well as procedures to assist in their implementation. In
addition to site based housing and maintenance management, Mr. Grindl
has developed procedures related to procurement and shared energy savings
contractors.
Jacqueline Richie
Jackie Richie currently serves as the on-site Project Manager for the
HOPE VI revitalization project in Decatur, IL and serves as the Project
Manager for the Aurora (IL) Housing Authority’s exploration of mixed finance
development opportunities. Previously she served as Project Manager for
HOPE VI revitalization in Springfield, IL, which was recently completed.
In this role, she has responsibility for the implementation of the grant
and management of project budgets, the provision of monthly, quarterly
and yearly project reports, the management of the entire team of consultants
engaged in project activities such as legal, finance, architectural/engineering
and community and supportive services, and coordinating all communication
between housing authority staff, governmental entities, development partners,
residents and community-based organizations.
Ms. Richie also has local government experience in the area of housing
development through past positions in the areas of housing and community
development through past positions in the City of Springfield’s Office
of Economic Development and Planning, the Springfield Urban League and
its non-profit community development corporation (CDC) and the Springfield
Housing Authority. Ms. Richie brings a wealth of experience in the area
of mixed finance development, both rental and homeownership units, and
possesses the knowledge and track record of successfully managing a large
scale redevelopment project to completion.
Paul Galvin
Attorney Paul Galvin, an associate at TAG, is currently serving in the
role of Project Manager for the Receivership of the Housing Authority
of Kansas City, Missouri, working directly for the Special Master in the
oversight of all areas of agency operations. He was a member of the Post-Receivership
Governance Working Group, participating in the process to establish a
new Board of Directors and provide training for them and in the drafting
of enabling legislation. Mr. Galvin was also actively involved in the
development of the annual Receivership Plan, which was submitted for Court
approval and defined the scope of activities and expected milestones for
the Authority.
Mr. Galvin has worked with the District of Columbia Housing Authority
on updating their policy and procedure manuals and providing technical
assistance to their HCVP program. He is involved in the creation of an
endowment fund in Kansas City to fund future resident service activities
through the use of an affiliated non-profit. Mr. Galvin is a member of
the Massachusetts Bar Association. His legal background and experience
enable him to assist PHAs in achieving compliance with HUD rules, regulations
and policies related to public housing. He has direct experience working
with PHAs in monitoring and improving Section 8 performance through his
work in both Kansas City and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Galvin has participated in recent management assessments in Houston,
San Francisco and Trenton, in the areas of legal, procurement and contracting,
public safety, and Section 8. He has performed management reviews for
resident management corporations and private management firms at HOPE
VI sites. His areas of expertise include asset management, housing operations,
public housing redevelopment and the development of homeownership plans.
John May
John May is an Associate with TAG Associates. With primary expertise
in the areas of asset management, public housing operations, budgeting
and mixed-finance housing development, Mr. May has worked with a number
of clients, including the Housing Authority of Kansas City, MO (HAKC)
the Philadelphia Housing Authority, District of Columbia Housing Authority,
the Housing Authority of the City of Houston and the Springfield, IL Housing
Authority (SHA). Mr. May assists with improving management of conventional
and alternatively managed developments through the use of advanced asset
management methods. He has also worked with HAKC, SHA and the Housing
Authority of the City of Pittsburgh to review and assist with structuring
evidentiary agreements for mixed-financed developments. In addition, he
has worked with the Housing Authority of New Orleans to create a 10-year
strategic capital plan. Currently, Mr. May is part of the program management
team developing the Millennium Place HOPE VI revitalization in Muncie,
IN.
Prior to working at TAG, Mr. May worked as Assistant Director of Property
Management for the Commonwealth Land Trust, a non-profit housing development
organization in Boston, MA. At Commonwealth Land Trust, Mr. May oversaw
the property management operations of 223 affordable family and single-room
occupancy units. His areas of oversight included tenant selection and
leasing and regulatory compliance. Mr. May also worked for five years
as a Hearing Examiner and Inspector for the Rent Control Board of the
City of Cambridge, MA, where he evaluated operating budgets and property
management and analyzed capital needs for rent-controlled residential
properties.
Ramses Baptiste
Ramses Baptiste is a network system administrator with eight years of
iformation technology experience, including multi-platform environments,
networking knowledge and computer lab design and set up. He is a Microsoft
certified Partner and is also experienced with Macintosh systems and MS
SQL Server 2000, Crystal Reports, FRX Reports, Retail Sale Management
(POS), and Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains. He assists his housing
authority clients in all areas of information technology and data reporting.
Prior to working with TAG, Mr. Baptiste worked as System Administrator
for CEGEC, an accounting firm providing financial services to non-profit
organizations and government and private institutions. He provided assistance
in the areas of software conversions and technical issues. Mr. Baptiste
interacted with partners overseas on a variety of technical issues.He
was responsible for all issues regarding internal networks, hardware and
software. He implemented Dynamics GP and RMS at client sites and was responsible
for the ongoing technical support of those programs.
Rachel Carlson
Attorney Rachel Carlson is an Associate at TAG. Ms. Carlson has managed
projects in the areas of asset management and regulatory compliance. One
recent project has included analyzing financial and procurement operations
and providing oversight and recommendations to a housing authority developer
affiliate in light of recent federal guidance and regulations. In another
project Ms. Carlson evaluated the sufficiency of operating budgets provided
privately managed public housing sites. As part of this task, she compared
the privately managed site budgets to comparable conventionally managed
public housing operating budgets as well as year-to-date income and expense
reports for both sites.
Ms. Carlson has provided technical assistance to several housing authorities
to ensure compliance with HUD’s Operating Fund Rule (OFR), including the
project-based budgeting and project-based management requirements. She
has drafted procedures on budget development and management, subsidy payment,
and year-end settlements for privately-managed and privately-owned sites.
Also, in the area of development finance Ms. Carlson has taken part in
LIHTC applications, mixed finance closings, and has prepared development
proformas for a recent HOPE VI grant application.
Prior to joining TAG, Ms. Carlson was employed by the Massachusetts
Office of the Comptroller as the budgetary unit manager where she implemented
state-wide operating and capital budgets in the state accounting system,
produced monthly capital expenditure and quarterly budget to actual reports,
and tracked authorizations for sale of bonds. While in law school, Ms.
Carlson completed legal internships with boutique firms in Boston and
New York City that specialize in affordable housing and economic development.
Also, she was employed as a part-time research associate with the Lincoln
Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Carlson holds a Juris Doctorate
from Suffolk University Law School.
Lori Tavares
Lori Tavares joined the TAG team in 2007. She has over twenty years experience
in the accounting and operations field. Her areas of expertise include
financial management, monthly and year-end close, accounting and financial
analysis, federal and state regulatory reporting and compliance, procurement,
internal audit policies, and standard operating procedures. She provides
technical assistance to her clients in these areas as well as with the
implementation of HUD's Operating Fund Rule and asset management programs.
Ms. Tavares has performed organizational reviews for Durham Housing Authority,
the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, and the District of Columbia
Housing Authority. She has provided these HAs with recommendations for
improvement, increased efficiency, compliance with regulations, and training
of personnel. Ms. Tavares has authored and implemented process and control
protocols for various departments, including payroll, procurement, and
finance.
Prior to joining TAG, Lori worked as Controller and Director of Operations
for a Federal Savings Bank whose oversight authority was the Office of
Thrift Supervision. She was the Project Manager for this de novo institution,
responsible for the implementation of all bank systems, compliance policies,
and procedures. Ms. Tavares has also been employed in the manufacturing
sector with responsibilities in the areas of financial statement preparation,
budeting, planning and variance analysis.
Jane Dixon
Jane Dixon's professional focus is with Florida Development and Management.
Ms. Dixon has over 10 years of experience in affordable housing, in both
the public and private sector. As the Housing Credit Program Manager for
the State of Florida (Florida Housing Finance Corporation), Ms. Dixon
provided technical assistance to a wide variety of clients, including
attorneys, developers, and other state agencies. Ms. Dixon's areas of
expertise are the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (LIHTC), its processes
and applications, as well as affordable housing development and federal
and state grant management.
Sarah Bouchard
Sarah D. Bouchard, Professional Focus: Housing Development and Finance
Sarah Bouchard is a Research Associate at TAG. Since joining TAG in
March of 2009, she has conducted reviews of funding programs under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and determined relevance
and applicability to TAG's PHA clients. Ms. Bouchard has contributed to
the completion and submission of several stimulus funding applications
for TAG's PHA clients, resulting in the successful award of over $20 million
to the Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (CT). She has assisted
in the preparation of HOPE VI applications for the Housing Authorities
of New Haven, Baltimore and West Palm Beach. Ms. Bouchard has also provided
technical assistance for various Housing Choice Voucher Programs, including
Montgomery (AL) and Durham (NC) and contributed to the submission of an
MTW application for the Decatur (IL) Housing Authority. Other areas in
which Ms. Bouchard has assisted include resident service funding identification
and Section 3 Plan revision. Prior to working at TAG, Ms. Bouchard served
as a Hearing Officer and Appeals Clerk at the Boston Housing Authority's
Department of Grievances and Appeals. Ms. Bouchard holds a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Human Services from Northeastern University in Boston,
MA.
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