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 forty projects and dozens of mixed finance or tax credit only projects.

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 was a real estate and facilities manager prior to joining TAG Associates. 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 information 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.

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.

Mark R. Sheppard

Mark Sheppard has over twenty-five years’ experience as a finance and accounting professional in both non-profit and for-profit high-technology, engineering projects and government contracting settings.  With broad-based expertise in GAAP compliant record-to-report, procure-to-pay and order-to-cash transactions, he has served as Director of Finance for the Devereux Foundation, Finance Leader and Acting Business Leader for a government-funded division of General Electric Company, Senior Finance and Controllership positions with public companies including Compaq Computer, Digital Equipment Corporation and Sanders Associates, Inc. (aka, BAE Systems).  He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Boston University’s School of Management and an Executive MBA from the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

Mark is well versed in project-based accounting and reporting systems.  He has consulted and trained project management teams worldwide on project accounting, bid analysis and contract structuring.  He has extensive experience in the development of strategic and operational plans, and in establishing the infrastructure needed track, monitor and control their implementation and performance.  He is practiced in techniques for continuous process improvement, including Six-Sigma and LEAN.

He is assisting TAG’s Principal and Vice President in the financial support of Public Housing Authorities, including fund accounting, asset management, operating budget and financial metric formulation, cash flow and financial analysis consulting and training.