2026 Winter Alumni Profiles

Ismael “Ish” Arias is an urban revitalization professional and Executive Director dedicated to strengthening commercial districts through strategic management, stakeholder engagement, and clean and safe program oversight. Arias currently leads the Downtown Ontario Improvement Association, where he works diligently as one of the agencies working on the revitalization of Downtown Ontario and is responsible for ensuring the district remains clean, vibrant, and welcoming for merchants, visitors, and community stakeholders, he also continues bridging the gap between the public agencies and the private sector. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Ontario Business Council.

Ish began his career in place-based economic development in 2015, gaining foundational experience with the Downtown Pomona Owners Association (DPOA). In his role as DPOA Board Member, and later as an Assistant to the Director, he developed a comprehensive understanding of the partnerships between municipal agencies, property owners, merchants, and local organizations that are essential to the success of any Downtown. During this period, he attended seminars across the country to study best practices in responsible hospitality, public-space maintenance, nightlife safety, events programming, and urban infrastructure planning.

Ish’s background also includes public service with the City of Pomona, where he served as a Planning Commissioner and later as Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. In this capacity, he collaborated with developers, community members, and other key city officials to help shape significant development projects, strengthening his expertise in land use, zoning, and entitlement processes.

He attended Fullerton College and has since continued expanding his professional knowledge through work with business improvement districts, and civic leadership roles. Notable achievements include guiding the renewal of the Property-Based Improvement District in Pomona and being the founding Executive Director for the Downtown Ontario Improvement Association and spearheading the initial roll out of services in Downtown Ontario as well as securing the districts renewal for additional ten years—milestone efforts that secured long-term stability for each district’s revitalization initiatives.

Ish is currently engaged in ongoing district improvement, economic development, and Downtown activation projects, with future goals aimed at expanding his impact in real estate and urban development following completion of the USC Ross Real Estate Program. Ismael “Ish” Arias lives in Pomona, California.

Email: isharias@icloud.com

Jason Bergman is a licensed real estate advisor at The Agency, working across luxury residential and multifamily properties, evolving districts, and the thoughtful repositioning of assets across Los Angeles and Orange County. His work centers on disciplined decision making and outcomes that endure beyond the transaction.

Jason began his career at Marcus & Millichap, where he built a strong foundation in valuation, underwriting, and market structure. Since joining The Agency, he has established a respected practice defined by discretion and consistency, earning recognition from LA Style Magazine as one of the city’s top real estate agents.
Through the Ross Program, Jason refined how he evaluates real estate opportunities with a deeper emphasis on feasibility, financial modeling, and risk assessment. The program’s capstone work reinforced an analytical approach he now applies when advising clients on value creation, redevelopment potential, and long term positioning.

His practice is advisory led and strategic in nature, informed by financial analysis, redevelopment experience, and an understanding of how neighborhoods and capital markets evolve.

Jason remains actively engaged in professional and civic organizations, including Alliances LA, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the Asian Real Estate Association of America, Toastmasters International, and The Breakfast Club at the Jonathan Club. He is also a member of Kiwanis International, contributing to youth focused service initiatives.

Jason resides in South Pasadena, CA.

Email: j.bergman@theagencyre.com

Judson Brown currently serves as the Housing Manager for the City of Santa Ana and has over 15 years of experience in affordable housing. The City of Santa Ana was recognized by the California Department of Housing and Community Development as a Prohousing city, one of only two cities with this distinction in Orange County. 

From 2019 to 2024, while homelessness increased by 7% in Orange County, 29% in surrounding counties and 20% in the State of California, Santa Ana reduced homelessness by 19%, more than every other city in Orange County combined. For the 5th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation, Santa Ana was one of only 18 jurisdictions in the entire State of California to provide housing for all income levels, and the City is over 80% of the way there for this current cycle. As recognized by Western City Magazine, Santa Ana’s development renaissance has captured national attention and “is on track to exceed its state-mandated housing goals for the second cycle in a row.”

Judson served as the previous Chair of the Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC) and currently serves as the Chair of the CoC Housing Opportunities Committee. Judson is also on various county-wide committees and commissions including the United to End Homelessness Leadership Council, 211OC Leadership Council, and the Campaign Finance and Ethics Commission.

Judson is an AICP-certified planner with a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master’s in Public Administration from Texas A&M University.

Email:  juddbrown@gmail.com

Esteban Castorena is an Assistant Property Manager at Century Villages at Cabrillo, an affordable housing community in Long Beach, California, where he overseesleasing, compliance, and community coordination for over 200 units. In this role, Esteban leads compliance for HUD, Section 8, and tax credit programs while supporting asset management through detailed reporting on occupancy, turnover, and resident engagement. His work has given him firsthand insight into the complexities of urban housing management and the human stories behind the numbers. Prior to joining Century Villages, Esteban completed an internship with Uncommon Developers, where he assisted in project management for residential and mixed-use projects, including a 150-unit affordable housing community. This experience introduced him to the development process—working directly with architects, contractors, and consultants—and sparked his curiosity about how real estate can be used to empower communities rather than displace them.

Esteban earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate and a minor in Chicano/a Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, where he graduated on the Dean’s List every semester. During his time at Cal State LA, he served as President of the Real Estate Club and was an active member of the Hispanic Business Society, organizing networking events and discussions centered on representation, equity, and urban revitalization.

He is certified by the Corporate Finance Institute in Financial Analysis and Scenario & Sensitivity Analysis, and he is currently pursuing certification in Financial Modeling & Valuation Analysis. His technical proficiency in Excel includes experience with financial tracking, vacancy reporting, and compliance auditing, complemented by a working knowledge of formulas such as VLOOKUP, SUMIF, and pivot tables.

Esteban’s professional goal is to transition into development and acquisitions, focusing on commercial, mixed-use, and affordable housing projects that promote social equity and cultural preservation. He is deeply motivated by the belief that real estate is a form of activism capable of shaping identity and opportunity.

Esteban resides in Montebello, California.

Email: CastorenaEsteban7@gmail.com

Priscilla Chavez is a business development executive and civic leader specializing in public-sector real estate, major capital projects, and community-centered development throughout Southern California. She serves as a Business Development Manager for PCL Construction Services, Inc., where she leads strategy and market positioning across civic, cultural, sports, higher education, transportation, and mixed-use sectors. Chavez has worked in the built environment since 2007, developing expertise in public-private partnerships, stakeholder engagement, entitlement support, procurement strategy, and inclusive economic development.

Prior to joining PCL Construction, Chavez spent nearly a decade with DCS & Associates, where she led outreach, certification support, and public engagement initiatives for public
agencies, elected offices, and community partners across Los Angeles. Her career has been defined by outcome-oriented leadership and the ability to build trust among developers, institutions, government agencies, and community stakeholders.

Chavez has supported several notable projects and pursuits, including the Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion, Crypto.com Arena renovations, BMO Stadium, UCLA Student Housing, the Pasadena Central Library Seismic Retrofit, and multiple public-sector capital improvement programs. She is recognized for aligning project vision with community needs, advancing equitable access, and ensuring that complex, high-visibility developments reflect long-term value for the region.

Chavez holds an Executive Master Compliance Administrator certification from Morgan State University and completed studies at California State University, Los Angeles. She currently serves as a Commissioner on the City of Los Angeles Citywide Planning Commission, appointed by Mayor Karen Bass, and previously served on the City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Board. She also serves on the boards of the Valley Economic Alliance and the Los Angeles Trade Technical College Foundation and is Secretary of the Apprenticeship Readiness Fund.

Her work has earned recognition including the ENR National 20 Under 40 Award, Construction Dive’s Construction Champion designation, and multiple industry and civic leadership honors acknowledging her advocacy for inclusive development and economic opportunity. Chavez is currently engaged in several civic planning and real estate initiatives and looks forward to expanding her impact through the Ross Program in Real Estate. Priscilla Chavez resides in Los Angeles.

Email: priscillagchavez@gmail.com

Jessica Monge Coria is Senior Outreach Manager for Southern California in Community Engagement and Analysis at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In this role, she is responsible for engaging communities and connecting with a broad range of community development stakeholders to understand the economic experiences of lower-income households and communities. She works to elevate emerging issues and innovative approaches that promote economic opportunity through shared learning, community conversations, and cross-sector partnerships. 

Before joining the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in 2020, Jessica worked to expand affordable housing and supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness throughout the western states. She worked with Los Angeles philanthropic funders and early care and education organizations for eight years to develop programs and coalitions to help young children and their families thrive. Jessica also has prior experience in research and program evaluation, working on large scale data development projects including efforts around the 2010 U.S. Census. 

Jessica is a Southern California native and received a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Occidental College.

Email: jessica.monge@gmail.com

Francisco Covarrubias is a Senior Management Analyst for Wildfire Recovery at the Los Angeles County Development Authority, where he leads the County’s assessment of unmet housing needs in wildfire-impacted communities. His work supports the development of a federally compliant Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery Action Plan that will guide long-term rebuilding in a more resilient and equitable manner. A native Angeleno with deep roots in Los Angeles County, Francisco brings more than fifteen years of experience advancing housing justice, community development, and systems-level solutions.

Before joining Los Angeles County, Francisco spent a decade at the California Community Foundation (CCF), where he rose to Senior Program Officer for Housing and Program Related Investments (PRI’s). During his tenure, he designed and managed strategies that expanded affordable housing production, strengthened nonprofit capacity, and aligned cross-sector partners around shared goals. He led grantmaking and impact-lending initiatives, managed multimillion-dollar pooled funds, and developed collaborative efforts focused on entitlement reform, modular housing innovation, and equitable land use. His work combined policy advocacy, community partnerships, and impact finance to help address the region’s housing shortage and homelessness crisis. He also supported housing justice and community organizing initiatives that uplifted tenant rights, strengthened grassroots leadership, and invested in organizations advocating for more equitable land use and housing policies across Los Angeles County. These efforts connected structural policy solutions with the lived experiences of residents most affected by the housing crisis.

Prior to CCF, Francisco led the tenant-organizing team at Inner City Law Center, where he worked to empower tenants to challenge unsafe conditions and displacement, and to develop community leaders who could demonstrate the power of collective action. He also served as a field representative in the California State Assembly and worked with labor and community coalitions on worker-led campaigns, grounding his career in frontline engagement and coalition-building.
Francisco’s commitment to strengthening communities extends beyond his professional roles and into his board service. He serves as Board Chair of the Wage Justice Center and Secretary of the Board of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), two social-justice organizations that advance worker rights, economic mobility, and grassroots leadership in Los Angeles.

Francisco earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Pomona College in Claremont, California, and he is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Email: francisco.covarrubias.jr@gmail.com

Gerald Garth is a respected community leader, strategist, and executive whose work sits at the intersection of housing, public health, social impact, and economic development.
He brings more than a decade of experience advancing equitable development, strengthening organizational systems, and building cross-sector partnerships across Los Angeles. Garth currently serves as Executive Director with the AMAAD Institute, where he has helped guide community-based housing initiatives, behavioral health programming, and innovative reentry and workforce-development efforts. His areas of expertise include community development, program design, strategic communications, governance, public policy alignment, and coalition building. He has led or supported several notable projects, including the launch of the AMAAD Behavioral Health Peer Support Center and community-centered housing and resiliency initiatives. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Business Administration from California Intercontinental University, and has completed numerous professional development training in leadership, nonprofit management, behavioral health, diversity and inclusion, and public policy—including the USC Nonprofit Resilient Leaders Program. Garth is a member of multiple professional and civic organizations, including networks focused on community development, faith leadership, and social-impact innovation. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for leadership, service, and advocacy, earning acknowledgments from civic partners, statewide and national leaders, community organizations, and faith based networks. His writing has been featured in print, scientific journals, community and faith-based publications, where he has contributed articles on leadership, equity, and empowerment. Garth remains committed to expanding access to stable, community-rooted housing and enhancing economic pathways for historically underserved
populations. Current and upcoming projects include expanding AMAAD’s housing portfolio, developing strategic partnerships to support equitable development, and advancing narrative and policy initiatives that center justice, wellness, and opportunity. Following completion of the Ross Program, he aims to expand his leadership and service and deepen his work in community-informed real estate development and pursue larger-scale projects that bridge social impact and economic mobility. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Email: geraldgarth.com

Sara Harris is a Community Development Officer at Genesis LA, a community development financial institution that finances affordable housing and economic development projects across Los Angeles County. Sara designs and manages Genesis LA’s innovative programs and provides technical assistance to partners and prospective borrowers. She also serves as a bridge between Genesis LA’s Program and Lending teams, supporting the analysis and underwriting of key loans that align with Genesis LA’s broader community development objectives.

Prior to joining Genesis LA, Sara worked as the Economic & Community Development Policy Deputy for LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. She advised on housing policy and economic development programs for the Second District. Sara previously worked as a strategy consultant for the Bridgespan Group, collaborating with nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and foundation leaders across issues of community development, education, and public health.

Sara earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Dartmouth College, with summa cum laude honors. She is a graduate of UCLA’s Levine Affordable Housing Development Program.

She is on the Board of Directors of Office of People, a minority and women-led architecture, urban planning, and policy non-profit organization. She is also on the Governing Board of the Community Ownership for Community Power Fund, a new community-governed integrated capital fund to support the acquisition of land and housing by community ownership organizations across California.

Through the Ross Program, Sara looks forward to deepening her real estate development expertise and building her network of real estate professionals across LA County. She plans to continue in her role at Genesis LA tackling emerging challenges in the LA County community development ecosystem.

She currently lives in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Email: sdharris118@gmail.com

Nikesha Hazel is a Housing Authority Analyst with the City of Santa Ana, where she works to strengthen the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program through technical analysis, policy updates, and oversight of budgets, contracts, and HUD compliance. She began her career at the County of San Diego Housing Authority, managing over 300 HCV contracts, and later led the CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program for the City of Fountain Valley, overseeing rehabilitation projects, contractor procurement, and on-site inspections. These experiences gave her hands-on exposure to the challenges and opportunities of affordable housing and inform her focus on programs that are both effective and equitable.

Nikesha holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Urban Studies and Planning and Sociology from the University of California, San Diego, where she studied how housing, policy, and place shape opportunity and equity. She further developed her technical skills through the UCLA Howard and Irene Levine Affordable Housing Development Program (LAHDP) and Housing Development Finance Professional (HDFP) coursework with Grow America, gaining practical experience in project feasibility analysis, capital stack structuring, and Excel-based financial and performance modeling.

Throughout her career, Nikesha has led competitive RFP processes, secured $2.7 million in HAP set-aside funding, and helped modernize electronic tenant record systems. Her work centers on creating data-driven, efficient programs that expand access to safe and affordable housing. Motivated by early experiences with housing inequality, she is passionate about advancing policies and projects that expand opportunity and build stronger communities. Through the USC Ross Program in Real Estate, Nikesha looks forward to deepening her expertise in development and finance to bring thoughtfully designed, mixed-income housing to neighborhoods that need it most.

Nikesha is a proud resident of Long Beach, California.

Email: Nikesha.Hazel@gmail.com

Karen Khukoyan is a Project Manager with the City of Ontario’s Economic Development Agency, where he oversees and supports major mixed-use, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment projects that advance the City’s long-term economic and community development goals. He specializes in guiding complex development efforts through the entitlement and permitting processes, coordinating across City departments, and fostering strong public-private collaboration.

Karen began his career in development in 2019, working as a Development Officer with the City of Glendale, where he gained foundational experience in permit coordination, development agreements, and navigating municipal processes. This background equipped him with a strong understanding of both developer needs and local government requirements, enabling him to serve as an effective liaison between public agencies and private development teams.

His portfolio includes several of Ontario’s most significant projects. Karen supported the Bank of Italy Rehabilitation, an adaptive reuse initiative converting a historic landmark into multiple retail spaces. He also plays a key role in A-Block, a four-phase mixed-use development featuring residential units, ground-floor retail, and historic restoration in downtown Ontario. Additionally, he manages aspects of the Adept Capitol Cities project, a transformative multi-phase development delivering 700 residential units, 70,000 square feet of retail, and an entertainment plaza anticipated to become a major regional destination.

Karen is an active member of NAIOP, CALED, and IAMC, and he frequently attends industry conferences such as ICSC to stay current with trends in commercial real estate, retail development, and economic strategy. His professional interests include urban redevelopment, adaptive reuse, and innovative public-private partnership models.

He holds a degree in Business Administration from California State University, Los Angeles. Following completion of the USC Ross Real Estate Program, Karen aims to expand his expertise in real estate finance and development strategy to further support impactful, community-focused development initiatives. He resides in Los Angeles, California. 

Email: kkhukoyan@gmail.com

Hannah Levien is a housing program manager with a focus on public lending and affordable housing finance in the Housing Development Bureau of the Los Angeles Housing Department. Prior to working at The Los Angeles Housing Department, Hannah worked as a policy deputy for former Council member Paul Krekorian where she staffed him on the Housing and Economic Development Committee. Hannah has been working in affordable housing finance and policy since 2019.During her time staffing the Housing Committee for former Council member Paul Krekorian, she led the policy development and implementation for the source of income discrimination ordinance which expanded the housing options for section 8 voucher holders.

Later, She served in a public facing capacity as the district director for Councilmember Mike Bonin where she led the first Encampment to Home initiative for unhoused people in the City Of Los Angeles, which housed over 200 people over a 5-week period. Additionally, she negotiated with property owners and the Housing Authority of Los Angeles to assemble acquisition financing for the first round of Project Homekey projects in the City for Council District 11. Initially brought to the Housing Department to oversee the Los Angeles Homeless
Services Authority contracts on behalf of the City, leadership in the Department swiftly transitioned her to the Housing Development Bureau to serve in the capacity of Executive Officer to the Assistant General Manager. Here, she continues to oversee several policies and programs across all 4 divisions of the bureau.

Recently, Hannah crafted, launched and continues to oversee the Department’s largest competitive solicitation to date in the amount of $387 million. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Marist College with a dual major in political science and Spanish. She completed a semester of study in Havana, Cuba, a City Of Los Angeles-specific Leadership Program at Cal State LA, and the Levine Affordable Housing Development Program hosted by the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate. She is an Alumna of both the Coro Fellowship Program in Public Affairs (Los Angeles) and Americorps.

She is currently a board member for the Los Angeles Athletic Club Water Polo Association. Hannah was born in Davis, California and now lives in Venice with her husband, David. She loves to ocean swim early in the morning with her ‘pod.

Email: hanlev7@gmail.com

Eden McCallister is a team lead for Team Schuler SoCal at Compass specializing in residentaion real estate in the Los Angeles market. A 3rd generation Angeleno, Eden has an MBA, a Master’s degree in hotel administration, and over a decade of experience in luxury hotel management with brands such as the Fairmont, The Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Four Seasons.

With exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, she speaks the language of both the affluent and the everyday client, delivering a luxury experience from start to finish. In addition, her extensive background in entertainment makes her the ideal real estate agent for industry professionals. As a team lead for the Southern California expansion of Team Schuler (Top 50 Team and Top 3 Compass California Team), she has the backing and resources of the largest brokerage in the US and a team that has closed over $500 million in sales.

After completing the Ross Program at USC, Eden plans to partner with developers and commercial real estate owners in underserved communities to realize affordable housing solutions.

Eden McCallister lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Email: emccallister@gmail.com

Jeweliana Morales is an Acquisition Analyst at Synergy Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit specializing in the development and preservation of affordable and workforce housing nationwide. In this role, she conducts 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit underwriting, workforce housing financial modeling, and institutional investor outreach for multifamily projects throughout Los Angeles. She currently supports the underwriting of two major affordable housing conversion opportunities in Koreatown, totaling 484 units with a combined acquisition value exceeding $150 million.

Prior to joining Synergy, Jeweliana served as a Summer Analyst at Bellwether Asset Management, where she supported high-value transactions, including Oaktree Capital equity deals and an Invesco debt deal spanning office, hospitality, and multifamily assets. Her responsibilities included preparing investment memorandums, conducting financial analyses, and conducting market research. She demonstrated her analytical capabilities through Project Destined, where her team’s value-add strategy advanced to the national competition and secured second place against competitors from universities nationwide.

Jeweliana graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. During her undergraduate studies, she served as Vice President of Professional Development for the Real Estate Association, where she designed and implemented a mentorship program connecting underclassmen with industry professionals and taught skills through structured workshops on resume building, LinkedIn optimization, and networking strategies. She is an active board member of the Real Estate Association of Latinx Professionals, serving on both the Nueva Gen and Mujeres subgroups, and has completed multiple “Break into CRE” courses and specialized affordable housing certifications.

Upon completion of the Ross Program, Jeweliana intends to join a larger affordable housing platform where she can deepen her technical expertise in development, work on institutional-scale projects, and navigate complex capital stacks. As a new graduate, she brings exceptional drive and a commitment to advancing housing solutions in underserved markets.

Jeweliana resides in Los Angeles, California.

Email: Jeweliana.morales@gmail.com 

His internship experience includes work with Tradewind Capital in Hawaiʻi, a real estate private equity firm, where he analyzed industrial and commercial acquisition opportunities. For the past two years, he has also served as a Development Assistant at Jamison Properties in Los Angeles, contributing to underwriting, research, and internal analysis for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development projects. After completing the Ross Program in Real Estate, Kenneth aims to build a career in the LIHTC syndication space or starting as an entry-level analyst for multifamily acquisitions, ideally remaining in the Los Angeles area. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Kenneth Nishikawa is a senior at the USC Marshall School of Business pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Real Estate Finance, graduating in Fall 2026.

Kenneth’s professional background includes internships with Tradewind Capital in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, a real estate private equity firm where he analyzed industrial and commercial acquisition opportunities, financial modeling, and market research. For the past two years, he has served as a Development Assistant at Jamison Properties in Los Angeles. In this role, he contributed to development underwriting, LIHTC research, and project feasibility.

At USC, Kenneth has focused his coursework and projects on real estate finance, capital markets, and property development. He is pursuing additional training through the Ross Program in Real Estate to deepen his understanding of community development, public-private partnerships, and affordable housing mechanisms.

Following completion of the Ross Program, Kenneth plans to pursue a career in LIHTC syndication or begin as an entry-level multifamily acquisitions analyst. Kenneth Nishikawa resides in Los Angeles.

Email: knishika@usc.edu

Tanya Ortiz is a seasoned affordable housing and homelessness policy professional with extensive experience advancing complex development initiatives across Los Angeles County. With a background spanning government, policy, and nonprofit development, she brings a comprehensive understanding of capital project management, stakeholder coordination, and housing finance.

Currently, she is a Senior Analyst with the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative, where she manages a pipeline of over 2,000 units across 32 projects funded through the State’s Homekey Program. Tanya has also played a supporting role in launching innovative County efforts, including the Centralized Master Leasing Pilot in partnership with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the County Land Bank Pilot, helping guide land acquisition for future development of affordable housing. As of January 2026, her work will continue at the newly formed County Department of Homeless Services and Housing.

Prior to joining the Homeless Initiative, Tanya served as an Associate Deputy on Housing & Homelessness for former County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, helping shape renter-friendly housing policies at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also spent a year at the Los Angeles County Development Authority as an Assistant Project Manager, closing construction financing for nine permanent supportive housing projects. Her responsibilities included underwriting NOFA loans, drafting loan documents, and ensuring compliance with design and service requirements.

Her career began in nonprofit development at 1010 Development Corporation, managing LIHTC and Proposition HHH–funded projects, including the ground-up construction of a permanent supportive housing project in Pico Union, which is now home to 25 formerly homeless seniors.

A graduate of UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Public Affairs, Tanya is also an alumna of Coro Southern California's Fellows Program in Public Affairs and the inaugural class of the Levine Affordable Housing Development Program hosted by the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate.

Tanya was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She is a renter in the Solano Canyon neighborhood Los Angeles, and lives with her small terrier mix, Frida.

Email: ortiz.tanyag@gmail.com

Melissa Priest is a transportation strategist and real estate investor with more than 25 years of experience in global transportation consulting and over two decades of experience investing in and developing real estate in California. She specializes in value-add residential redevelopment, urban infill projects, and ADU-driven housing expansion in Los Angeles County.

Melissa began her career in transportation in the late 1990s, developing deep expertise in carrier negotiation, transportation analytics, and contract optimization for enterprise shippers across the U.S. and internationally. Over the past two decades, she has also built a long-running entrepreneurial track record as an independent investor and developer, beginning with single-family and multifamily acquisitions in 2004 and expanding into mini-storage and ground-up development.

Since 2022, Melissa has led full-scale renovation and new-construction efforts, including a 1928 duplex with two newly built ADUs, as well as a current fourplex renovation with additional ADUs in planning. She manages all aspects of design, permitting, contractor oversight, city coordination, and value-add strategy.

Melissa earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business from California State University, Fullerton, and completed study-abroad coursework at the University of Paris–Créteil. She has also completed multiple real estate courses in finance, investments, and income-property acquisition.

She is currently expanding her development expertise with the goal of delivering community-focused redevelopment projects across Southern California, with a particular interest in Long Beach, California, and opportunities abroad. Melissa Priest resides in Seal Beach, California.

Email: melissa.priest@alexandrettaconsulting.com