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Published by Women’s Affordable Housing Network
The Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN) has launched a podcast series dedicated to amplifying the voices of people within the affordable housing industry. With a focus on shedding light on this critical issue, each episode of the podcast features discussions led by experts, activists, and policymakers. Through dynamic conversations, the WAHNcast aims to showcase the leadership at the forefront of the affordable housing movement. It offers valuable insights into groundbreaking practices, policy advancements, and community engagement strategies aimed at tackling housing insecurity. More than just informative, the podcast serves as a source of inspiration, providing a platform for sharing success stories, advocating for policy reforms, and nurturing a supportive community among professionals and advocates in the affordable housing sector. Join us as we elevate the voices driving change and championing progress in affordable housing.
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What if we stopped waiting for people to reach a breaking point before we helped? In the Multifamily Impact Council’s Women of Impact series, host Angie Truitt welcomes two women turning that question into action: Laurie Schoeman, Executive Director, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, and Rachel Munsie, CEO and Co-Founder of Ounce of Care. Laurie brings decades of experience advancing sustainable, resilient housing that protects communities against natural disasters and changing environmental conditions. Rachel is connecting healthcare, housing and resident services to address the financial and health challenges that can put a family’s stability at risk. Together, they explore what it takes to help people stay safe, healthy and housed, why investing in their well-being strengthens property performance, and how listening to residents and the teams working alongside them leads to better decisions. From homes built to withstand a disaster to support that keeps an unexpected expense from becoming a crisis, this conversation brings lasting impact into focus through the lives and futures that housing makes possible.
Lisa Davis and Tia Boatman Patterson know how profoundly housing can change lives. They’ve built their careers around making that promise real. In this final conversation of the Multifamily Impact Council’s Women of Impact series on WAHNcast, Lisa, Partner and Head of Sustainability and Impact at The Vistria Group, and Tia, CEO of CCRC, join hosts Rachel Mavrothalasitis, Jenn Wilkinson and Angie Truitt to explore how to keep people at the center of housing policy, investment and everyday decisions. They share candid lessons about listening to communities, challenging disconnected systems, and choosing partners who turn commitments into action. Along the way, they celebrate the mentors, friendships and villages that sustain them as they create greater opportunity for others.
WAHNcast launches its new Women of Impact series, sponsored by the Multifamily Impact Council, with Chrystal Kornegay, CEO of MassHousing, Rachel Mavrothalasitis, COO of the Multifamily Impact Council, and host Beth Baar. Together, they explore what meaningful impact really looks like in affordable housing, from connecting capital with purpose and preserving housing for generations to come, to keeping people at the center of every data point and decision. Chrystal also shares candid lessons about leadership, owning her power and influence, and remembering that leadership only matters when others are willing to follow. Rachel challenges leaders at every level to recognize the power of their voices and intentionally create opportunities for the next generation. It’s a conversation about people, power, relationships, opportunity and the responsibility that comes with making an impact.
A new tool can change how housing operates. But does it make someone’s life better? In this Women of Impact episode sponsored by the Multifamily Impact Council, Janine Steiner Jovanovic, CEO of LeaseLock, and Angela Bruno, CFO of Mercy Housing, join Angie Truitt and Rachel Mavrothalasitis for a thoughtful conversation about turning new ideas into meaningful outcomes. Janine explores the financial pressures renters face and why rethinking security deposits can help protect both household finances and property health. Angela shares how she approaches financial sustainability as part of Mercy Housing’s promise to the people it serves, with every budget decision carrying a human consequence. Together, they discuss preserving existing housing, questioning what technology actually delivers, and making sure the pursuit of efficiency improves the experience of residents and staff. Their people-first approach extends to leadership, too. They share stories of encouragement that changed their careers, friendships that became family, and the responsibility to create opportunities for others. An honest, engaging conversation about the work it takes to turn innovation into impact, and the people who make that work matter.
There are things no one tells you about breast cancer until suddenly, you need to know them. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Brooke Etie returns to WAHNcast one year after sharing her diagnosis and treatment journey. This time, she is joined by Mary-Margaret Lemons, President of Fort Worth Housing Solutions, who received her own breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year. Their experiences have been very different, but their conversation is remarkably honest about what comes after the diagnosis: advocating for yourself, navigating treatment and reconstruction, adjusting to a changed body, accepting help, finding the right questions to ask and discovering that “cancer-free” does not necessarily mean the journey is over. They also share what helped, what didn’t, why screening and knowing your own body matter, and how an unexpected shared experience deepened a friendship. Most importantly, they leave listeners with a reminder for all of us: don’t wait for a diagnosis to spend time with the people who matter, take the trip and create the memories.
For Ivory Mathews, affordable housing has always been personal. Growing up housing insecure in rural South Carolina shaped not only her career, but the kind of leader she chose to become. In this episode, Beth Baar talks with Ivory about lessons collected through more than three decades in affordable housing and leading housing authorities across the country: choosing courage over comfort, listening deeply before acting, telling the truth to build trust, turning losses into learning opportunities and remembering that leadership is never about being the smartest person in the room. Ivory also shares why the little girl she once was still walks into every boardroom with her, and why women should stop waiting until they feel perfectly ready to take their seat at the table. Since this conversation was recorded, it was announced that Ivory has been named the next Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, beginning October 1. Congratulations to Ivory on this exciting next chapter!
What happens when you see a problem and decide to start solving it? For Ben Sigel, it started during COVID with a rented U-Haul and a mission to get fresh food to people who needed it. Today, he is the founder and president of Full Belly Foods, a national nonprofit bringing fresh, nutritious food directly to affordable housing communities across the country. Ben joins WAHNcast to talk about food insecurity, dignity and the entrepreneurial journey that has taken Full Belly Foods from a volunteer project to more than a million meals. He also shares the people and partners who helped along the way, including Zac Silber at Related Affordable, Enterprise Community Development and Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH). It’s a conversation that gets to the heart of what makes the affordable housing community special: seeing a need, bringing people and resources together, removing barriers and finding a way to make life better for residents. If Full Belly Foods could make a difference in one of your communities, visit fullbellyfoods.com to connect with Ben and learn more. And if this episode makes you think of someone, please share it with them. Ben told us that one of his biggest challenges is simply making sure people know this resource exists. WAHN would love to help change that. Share this episode with your colleagues, resident services teams, owners, developers and anyone else who might be able to help Full Belly Foods reach one more community and one more family.
We’re closing out the 50/50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing Summer Takeover with Joy Horak-Brown, President and CEO of New Hope Housing, in conversation with her longtime friend and fellow 50/50 honoree Diana McIver. As New Hope Housing’s first employee, Joy helped grow an organization that began with just 40 apartment homes into one of Houston’s leading providers of permanent supportive housing, with more than 2,000 homes today. Along the way, she championed a belief that housing should offer more than shelter. It should provide dignity, beauty, quality and hope. As Joy prepares for retirement, she reflects on the people who shaped her, the mission that became her life’s work and the lessons she hopes others will carry forward: ask for help because people truly want to give it, don’t wait until you have all the answers, start walking, and always care deeply about the quality of what you build. It’s a fitting finale to an unforgettable summer celebrating women whose influence will be felt for generations to come.
Rebecca Louie, President and CEO of Wakeland Housing, joins Beth Baar and Ann Cone for a 50 Over 50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing conversation about more than two decades of learning, leading and figuring things out in affordable housing. Rebecca shares why careers don’t have to follow a straight line, why the best experience often comes from saying yes before you feel completely ready, and why genuine relationships matter in an industry this small. She also talks about giving people room to make mistakes, finding the work that truly energizes you, and choosing solution mode over blame. Her approach to leadership might be summed up in four words: “There is no bus.” No throwing people under it. Just learn, fix it and move forward together.
Terri Lee spent years trying to run from housing. Today, the President and CEO of Atlanta Housing calls it her ministry, her calling and her life's work. In this special 50 Over 50 Women of Influence episode, Ashley Northcutt and Ann Cone talk with Terri about the journey from Grambling, Louisiana, to leading one of the country's largest housing authorities, the mentors and family members who shaped her, and the faith that helped her step into opportunities even when she was afraid. Terri also shares how Atlanta Housing is approaching housing as a pathway to economic mobility, why families can never become transactions or numbers, and the responsibility established leaders have to reach back and develop the next generation. Her message is powerful and simple: the work is bigger than any one of us. Link arms, lift others and keep moving forward.
Careers rarely follow a straight line, and Desiree Francis wouldn't have it any other way. In this special 50 Over 50 Women of Influence episode, guest host Diana McIver sits down with Desiree, who leads Capital One's Community Finance team, to talk about finding affordable housing at the intersection of finance and social impact, building a career through unexpected opportunities, and learning to network as an introvert. Desiree shares why she encourages emerging leaders to look up, build relationships, raise their hands and take measured risks, plus why affordable housing continues to offer something few careers can: the opportunity to see the tangible impact of your work in people's lives and communities.
Eleanor White stumbled into affordable housing more than five decades ago and went on to help pave the way for countless others. In this special 50 Over 50 Women of Influence episode, guest host Ann Cone talks with the Housing Partners, Inc. co-founder about her years at FHA/HUD and MassHousing, building her own firm, running that Boston-based company remotely from Oslo long before remote work became commonplace, and a lifetime commitment to giving back. From serving on as many as 10 nonprofit boards at once to becoming a passionate champion of WAHN New England and WAHN nationally, Eleanor believes deeply in sharing what you’ve learned and bringing others along. As she puts it, “This is not an industry for queen bees.” It’s a conversation filled with history, humor and wisdom about speaking up, trying new things, giving back and making room for a full life along the way.
What does it mean to be a “hope carrier”? For Beth Southorn, Executive Director of LifeSTEPS, it means helping people recognize the strength, experience, and possibility they already carry within themselves. In this episode of the WAHNcast’s 50 Over 50 series, Beth sits down with Beth Baar to share the experiences that shaped her 25-year career at LifeSTEPS and her approach to serving residents in affordable housing communities. From her early work in homeless shelters and vocational services to developing eviction prevention, financial education, summer literacy, and community health programs, Beth has spent her career asking an essential question: Are we creating measurable change in people’s lives? Beth talks candidly about failure, the mentors and residents who changed her thinking, the importance of listening before assuming we know what people need, and why affordable housing can be a platform for far more than stability. She also shares what she hopes the next generation of women in the industry will carry forward and the lesson she learned later in her career about patience, restoration, and making room to breathe. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about humility, human connection, innovation, and what becomes possible when we stay at the table and choose to be the hope carrier.
What happens when the work you choose eventually connects back to an experience you spent years keeping private? In this special WAHNcast 50 Over 50 episode, host Babbie Jaco sits down with Katie Goar, President of Quadel, for a candid conversation about housing, leadership, resilience and the experiences that shape how we serve others. Katie shares how experiencing housing insecurity as a child influenced her passion for making housing systems more efficient and more human. She explains why she believes compliance and compassion can coexist, why leaders need the courage to move forward without having every answer, and how mentorship and community helped shape her career. Babbie and Katie also dig into what the next generation of women in affordable housing needs to succeed. Plus, Katie gives WAHNcast listeners a look at her book, Audacity, and the idea behind it: that many of us have already demonstrated extraordinary courage without ever thinking to call it that. It’s the kind of conversation WAHNcast’s 50 Over 50 series was created to capture: two accomplished women sharing the stories, lessons and hard-earned wisdom that can help the women coming behind them go farther, faster.
Some people build careers in an industry. Ronne Thielen helped build the industry itself. In this special 50 Over 50 Women of Influence episode of WAHNcast, guest hosts Angie Truitt and Ashley Northcutt sit down with Ronne Thielen, Executive Vice President and Director of Public Policy & Advocacy at R4 Capital and one of affordable housing’s true legends. With nearly five decades in the industry and a front-row seat to the earliest days of LIHTC, Ronne shares stories and wisdom from a remarkable career and an equally remarkable life. It’s a conversation about taking chances, trusting yourself, continuing to learn and having the courage to find your own way. Fearless, brilliant and refreshingly candid, Ronne is truly a force of nature, and this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
When Nan McKay entered affordable housing in 1963, women had few opportunities to lead. She was once told a position was a “man’s job” and years later, when she started her own business, she couldn’t even get a credit card in her own name without her husband’s signature. That business, Nan McKay & Associates, began in 1980 as a training company focused on the emerging housing certificate program and grew into a nationally recognized name in affordable housing training and services. In this 50/50 Women of Influence conversation, co-honoree Beth Baar sits down with Nan to reflect on more than six decades in affordable housing, the mentors and family who helped make her success possible, and the importance of staying curious, taking chances and continuing to learn. Most of all, Nan shares why women who find success should reach back, mentor others and help the next generation move forward. Her message to women wondering if they’re ready for the next opportunity? “Nan says I can, so I will.”
You don’t have to know where the journey leads. Trust your gifts. Raise your hand. That message captures Lori Little’s remarkable career and the wisdom she shares with hosts Jennifer Green and Diana McIver in this special WAHNcast 50 Over 50 episode. A Baylor Law graduate, Lori never planned on a career in affordable housing. A two-line newspaper job ad led her to research what LIHTC meant, take a chance and raise her hand. That opportunity launched decades of leadership and service, including 22 years with the National Affordable Housing Trust, where she ultimately served as CEO. Lori shares why curiosity, mentorship and a willingness to try something new have shaped her journey. She also reflects on resident services, women’s evolving role in affordable housing, work-life balance and the importance of lifting up the next generation. As WAHN’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Lori’s story is a reminder that a meaningful career doesn’t always follow the path you planned. Sometimes you trust the journey, use the gifts you’ve been given and raise your hand.
Some careers are carefully planned. Others begin with one unexpected opportunity. In this episode of WAHNcast's 50 Over 50 Women of Influence series, fellow honorees Babbie Jaco and Diana McIver sit down with Marietta Rodriguez, President and CEO of NeighborWorks America, to explore the journey that took her from first-time homebuyer to one of affordable housing's most respected leaders. Marietta shares how mentors, volunteer opportunities, and a willingness to say "yes" shaped a career she never expected, why affordable housing needs the next generation of passionate leaders, and why purpose often reveals itself when we stay open to unexpected paths. The conversation comes full circle with the advice her father gave her years ago, words that continue to guide her leadership today: "Remember who you are. Remember where you came from." It's a conversation about purpose, perspective, and paying it forward for the generations of women who will follow.
Our 50 Over 50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing WAHNcast series celebrates the remarkable women whose leadership, service, and generosity have shaped our industry while inspiring the next generation. In this episode, fellow 50 Over 50 honoree Ann Cone sits down with Cindy Prater of Tapestry Development Group, WAHN's inaugural WAHNderful Woman of the Year, for a conversation that's equal parts heartfelt, insightful, and laugh-out-loud funny. Cindy's path into affordable housing began with a newspaper ad she almost ignored and a due diligence checklist she had to figure out one step at a time. More than 20 years later, she reflects on the mentors who believed in her before she believed in herself, the confidence that comes from asking questions, and why some of the best careers are built one challenge at a time. Along the way, Cindy shares the story of helping launch WAHN Alabama, mentoring the next generation of women in affordable housing, and why the energy of WAHN is something she wishes everyone could "bottle up and sprinkle everywhere." It's a joyful conversation about taking chances, lifting others as you climb, and finding purpose in work that changes lives.
Linda Mandolini didn't plan on a career in affordable housing. Like so many leaders in our industry, she discovered it almost by accident during a college internship and never looked back. In this episode of the WAHNcast 50 Over 50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing series, host Babbie Jaco sits down with Linda, CEO and President of Eden Housing, to explore nearly four decades of leadership, innovation, and impact. Their conversation goes far beyond development. Linda shares why preserving affordable housing matters just as much as building it, how sustainable organizations are created, what today's leaders need to succeed, and why mentorship has shaped every stage of her career. Along the way, she reflects on the women who opened doors for her, the importance of helping emerging leaders "jump into the pool," and why solving complex problems has always been a team sport. As Linda reminds us, affordable housing isn't just about buildings. It's about creating the stability that allows people, families, and entire communities to thrive.
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Apple Podcasts rankings via the Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed October 20, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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