WAHN ATLANTA
Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN) Atlanta is focused on elevating and connecting women who are making a positive impact on the affordable housing industry within the Metro Atlanta and surrounding area. We are an organization that strives to be a place where women involved with all aspects of affordable housing can come together to learn, network, advocate and empower others that are working towards affordable housing for all.
Jen Nyquist
Co-Chair
Experienced Commercial Real Estate Leader with an impactful career in the Affordable Housing industry. As a trusted leader, Jen uses her years of experience in Asset Management to develop Strategic and Effective plans for complex deal structures. Her professional accomplishments, academic background, and real estate experience make her a uniquely qualified individual who focuses on preserving existing affordable housing. As a Senior Asset Manager for Columbia Residential, Jen is focused on overseeing quality affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families in over 40+ multifamily communities throughout the Southeast.
Grace Graszer
Co-Chair
An affordable housing professional with experience in policy analysis and development, project management, research, operational leadership, change management, and remote team management, Grace serves as Co-Chair for WAHN Atlanta. She is passionate about crafting policies and developing properties that create communities where everyone has access to safe, healthy, affordable, quality housing. At DCA, she serves as Assistant Director of the Office of Portfolio Management in the Housing Finance Division, remotely managing a diverse team in developing policies and assessing property operations to guide the compliance and asset management of DCA’s LIHTC and HOME portfolio.
Maureen Freehill
Director
Maureen has a long list of affordable housing professional accomplishments in her career, including renovating an Upstate New York Family Self-Sufficiency Program tripling the number of families moving to economic independence and home ownership, starting RUPCO’s scattered site supportive housing program, and leading their Neighborworks home ownership center. From there she served as Special Needs Housing Policy Analyst for New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYS DHCR), generating the Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Housing (NHTD)Subsidy Program as a response to the Supreme Court Olmstead decision. This program won the 2009 National Council of State Housing Authorities (NCSHA) award for innovation in special needs housing. After moving to Atlanta in 2012 she began her work as a multi-family developer utilizing LIHTC and leveraging public and private partnerships to provide enriched housing opportunities in Georgia with a focus on the Atlanta Metro. As Senior Project Lead for National Church Residences she provides leadership in strategic planning and execution for developing the organization’s senior housing footprint in the Atlanta.
Kristy LaRose
Director
Kristy is responsible for growth in the Southeast region for an architectural design firm that has been designing affordable housing for over three decades. At Rosemann & Associates, the mission is to ensure that everyone receives good architecture. Affordable housing design at Rosemann is characterized by a commitment to cost/quality balance, maintainability, and durability, maximizing resident voice and choice, neighborhood integration, and advocacy for the project. Kristy has been actively involved in many industry organizations in the Atlanta area and enjoys volunteering to help the progress of women in the business advancing in their careers.
OUR COMMITTEES
Ready to enhance your leadership skills, expand your network and help make a difference? We’ll be adding new seats on our Committees coming 2022!
Please email AtlantaWAHN@gmail.com to get more information on committee volunteer needs, descriptions, and time commitments.
The SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE’S responsibility is to coordinate the receipt of sponsors and their donations. Committee members communicate with potential and existing sponsors to answer any questions and keep track of responsibilities to those sponsors. Committee members work with the Communications Committee to get information from sponsors in order to highlight them in newsletters and on social media. Committee members are also responsible for keeping track of the amount of funds coming in from sponsors and track the events and social media posts for each Sponsor.
The PHILANTHROPY COMMITTEE raises funds for local nonprofit organizations whose missions are to elevate others. The Scholarship subcommittee is charged with the implementation of the application and selection process. WAHN provides $1,500 awards to young women lifting up the next generation of women in Affordable Housing Industry. Some of the community giveback WAHN is involved in includes: Atlanta Food Bank, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, and Delowe.
The COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE is responsible for maintaining the group’s social media accounts as well as preparation and distribution of the WAHN newsletter. The Communications Committee works with the Events Committee and Sponsorship Committee to ensure that our members are kept up to date with upcoming events and that our sponsors are properly represented.00baf2
WAHN’s MENTORSHIP PROGRAM is held over a 12-month period that focuses on pairing a mentee and a seasoned affordable housing professional’s goals, strengths and competences. During this time period, the mentee and mentor will set up a mutually agreed upon communication timeline. In addition, events specifically for mentors and proteges will be held throughout the year. The 2021 cohort includes a diverse group of 7 women from several disciplines of affordable housing. The program is held bi-annually.
The PROGRAMS COMMITTEE is responsible for the content of WAHN luncheon programs, including the Virtual Speaker Series. The Committee brainstorms to develop programs, secure speakers and panelists with relevant expertise, outline the content of the discussion around the interests of our membership and industry, and provides input as to unique program locations to complement each topic. Program Leaders will gain the opportunity to further develop leadership skills, work with and learn from the speakers, and participate in on-stage introductions. WAHN’s Mentorship Program is held over a 12-month period that focuses on pairing a mentee and a seasoned affordable housing professional’s goals, strengths and competences. During this time period, the mentee and mentor will set up a mutually agreed upon communication timeline. In addition, events specifically for mentors and proteges will be held throughout the year. The 2021 cohort includes a diverse group of 7 women from several disciplines of affordable housing. The program is held bi-annually.
WAHN BOOK CLUB
WAHN is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. WAHN hosts a monthly DEI book club, reading and discussing member-selected works of fiction and nonfiction. Discussions are intimate and allow members to support one another in their efforts to center DEI in their work and personal lives. Anyone is encouraged to attend, even if you don’t have the opportunity to finish the book prior to the discussion. Discussions are typically the 4th Wednesday of the month, from 6-7 PM. All meetings are currently virtual.
PREVIOUS BOOKS INCLUDE:
- The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
- The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
UPCOMING BOOKS INCLUDE:
- January 27, 2021: The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
- February 24, 2021: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
- March 24, 2021: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander