CND Staff
Ann Houston, Executive Director; ext. 12
ahouston@chelseand.org
Chelsea is an exciting cosmopolitan city with great potential to do interesting work in a community committed to revitalization. I began work in Chelsea in 2004, taking over after a period of reorganization sparked by a Board of Directors dedicated to creating more housing opportunities in Chelsea. My work in affordable housing and community development began more than 25 years ago. I learned my trade and developed a broad network of colleagues by working in leadership positions at Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Codman Square NDC, Valley Opportunity Council in Chicopee and Holyoke, and as a residential and commercial lender for Mass Development/Mass Government Land Bank. I enjoy lecturing and serve on numerous boards and policy committees; currently I serve as President of Citizen’s Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA). I earned a masters in Real Estate Development from MIT, and a BA in Community Planning from UMass Boston.
Wendy Barrientos, Receptionist; ext. 10
wbarrientos@chelseand.org
My name is Wendy Barrientos. I was born in Mazatenango, a small town in Guatemala. I moved to Chelsea when I was 18. I have two boys, Eduardo who is 7 years old and Abraham who is 5, both attend Chelsea Public Schools. I have worked at CND since 2003 and I enjoy the friendly environment that both the office and the city of Chelsea represent.
David Keene, Director of Finance and Operations; ext. 13
dkeene@chelseand.org
My involvement with affordable housing is both personal and economic, at first by accident and later by design. I worked with affordable housing as a senior property accountant for national real estate syndictor, Boston Financial now MMA financial. During this time I continued my education at night at Northeastern University, where I earned my degree in Business Administration. It was here, at Boston Financial, that I began to learn the complexity involved in owning and running multi-family affordable housing. With this experience my next choice of employment was Abrams Management Co., a local developer/owner/manager of affordable housing. As a Controller I was responsible for management and development accounting for several properties totaling approximately 1,400 units. I next went on to join Beacon/Corcoran Jennison Partners as the Development Controller. Here I developed the accounting systems and requisition processes for three HOPE VI projects. In 2001 I joined Maloney Properties, a New England based management company specializing in mixed income housing. I was responsible for the accounting of over 100 properties and 8,000 units of housing. In 2007 Chelsea Neighborhood Developers invited me to join their development and finance committees. This quickly led to the opportunity I now enjoy as Chief Financial Officer. My experience with many affordable housing programs, being born in Chelsea and growing up in affordable housing in Chelsea gives me a unique perspective and makes this job especially rewarding and enjoyable. My wife and I are homeowners just blocks from where I grew up.
Nadhia Ojeda, Office Manager & Bookkeeper; ext. 14
nojeda@chelseand.org
I was born in Ciudad Guzman Jalisco, Mexico. I grew up in a very loving family with strong moral values. After finishing high school, I moved to Guadalajara, Mexico to study at ITESO University. After obtaining my degree in business administration, I moved to Boston and started working at the Consulate General of Mexico as Administrator. I began working at CND as the Office Manager/Bookkeeper in February 07. I am a very energetic person with a cheery disposition who is always willing to help others. I live in Chelsea and I love it here!
Janet Stearns, Director of Real Estate/ Corporate Counsel; ext. 18
jstearns@chelseand.org
Janet Stearns joined Chelsea Neighborhood Developers in 2008 as the Director of Real Estate and Corporate Counsel. Over the past twenty five years, Janet has worked, as a planner, consultant and lawyer, on housing and other types of development projects and land use policies. Janet was a principal of the consulting firm of Stockard Engler Brigham in Cambridge and a lawyer in private practice for ten years with firms in Boston and Cambridge. Her work has focused on planning and developing affordable housing and drafting land use regulations to provide housing opportunities. She also has experience in working on broader policy issues related to promoting mixed income housing, and in teaching planning courses on housing and smart growth. Janet serves on the Board of Directors of HomeStart and as a volunteer with people who do not have a place to live and are searching for housing. Janet received her B.S. with distinction, from Purdue University, where she was elected to Phi Kappa Phi. She also has a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Purdue University. She received her J.D., with honors, and a certificate in environmental and energy law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Emily Loomis, Real Estate Project Manager; ext. 23
eloomis@chelseand.org
I joined CND in August 2008, after spending three years as an affordable housing project manager at the Lower Cape Cod CDC. While at Lower Cape, I managed an affordable condominium development from permitting through sale, and managed a number of rental, rehab, and new construction projects in various stages of development. Prior to that, I attended Vassar College, where I majored in Geography and tailored my studies to housing and community development. During college, I interned as a community organizer at WATCH CDC in Waltham, and also worked with squatters on New York’s Lower East Side to write my thesis on their history of housing activism. I am excited to be at CND and to contribute to building healthy neighborhoods in this diverse and vibrant city.
Teri Bernert, Real Estate Project Manager; ext. 22
tbernert@chelseand.org
I joined the CND Real Estate team April 2010 to manage the Neighborhood Stabilization effort. I am excited to be a part of and believe in this mission to revitalize and strengthen Chelsea and Revere neighborhoods through the acquisition and rehabilitation of blighted, foreclosed properties. I am emboldened by CND’s approach in creating healthy and sustainable neighborhoods as an umbrella to NSI. My twenty years experience in community development includes city planning in Waltham and Pittsburgh, ten years as the Executive Director of a CDC in Taunton, MA, and Real Estate Director for a CDC in Providence, concentrating in foreclosure rehab work. I hold a BS from UMass Amherst in Environmental Design, and a Masters Degree in City Planning from George Washington University. I look forward to working with the cities of Chelsea and Revere, their residents, and their many partners.
Marissa Guananja, Director of Resident Asset Development;ext. 20 mguananja@chelseand.org
I received my undergraduate degree from Mount St. Mary’s College (Los Angeles, CA) and my Master’s of Public Policy from The George Washington University in 2005. At GW, I participated in research on the role that collective remittances play in development in El Salvador. While in Washington, I worked at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation analyzing high-performing homeownership programs. I also worked at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy which shares my commitment to work toward social and economic justice for disadvantaged and disenfranchised populations and communities. As the Director of Resident Asset Building here at CND, I manage the Financial Literacy courses and the Individual Development Account program. I currently serve on the Advocacy and Legislative Organizing Committee of MACDC, and on the Financial Education and Communications Committees of the FDIC’s Boston Alliance for Economic Inclusion and enjoy a game of soccer in what little time I have to myself.
Carol Rijo, Resident Asset Building Associate; ext. 16
crijo@chelseand.org
I immigrated to the United States in 1994 and have been a Chelsea resident ever since. I graduated from Chelsea High School in 2004 and attended Boston College where I received a BA in Sociology and Latin American Studies. I joined CND in July 2008 very excited to work in the city that has seen me grow. I enjoy the time spent with the many residents that come through the door and their willingness to learn what is necessary to achieve their goals and dreams. CND has played a major role in the changes that Chelsea has seen and will continue to see and I am glad to be part of such a great team. When I’m not in the office I enjoy spending time with my two dogs, visiting family in the Dominican Republic, and dancing.
Ricky Ochilo, Resident Asset Development VISTA; ext. 19
rochilo@chelseand.org
I grew in up in Nairobi, Kenya and attended primary and secondary school there. Later, I decided to pursue a higher education degree in the U.S. I graduated from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina with a B.A degree in History, Political Science and Economics. I am interested in law, economics, and international sustainable development. I am a founding member of the Ikon project, an NGO that aims to address economic hardship and poverty through microfinance and small business creation in rural developing countries, primarily in Kenya, Nepal and Azerbaijan. I enjoy sports and on occasion love to play soccer, basketball and rugby.
Cat Dodson Goodrich, Director of Community Engagement; ext. 15 cdodson@chelseand.org
I came to CND in September 2008 after completing a Master of Divinity program at Boston University School of Theology. I grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana and have a BA in Political Science and Religion from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. A candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I’ve worked as an advocate for immigrants and economic justice through internships with the PC(USA) Washington Office and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Before moving to Boston, I volunteered for a year in Guatemala, and I’m happy to be around so many Spanish speakers again here in Chelsea. The Community Engagement Program offers me a chance to help build relationships between residents that will transform and strengthen this neighborhood through NeighborCircles and other outreach -- fulfilling work with really amazing people.
George Reuter, Special Projects Associate; ext. 21
greuter@chelseand.org
I joined CND in November 2008 after interning at LISC’s Green Development Center. Born and raised in small town Oregon, I made the great leap east to attend Haverford College just outside of Philadelphia, where I studied Philosophy and Ancient Greek. After graduating in 2008, I headed north to Boston to pursue work in community development. When I’m not tracking foreclosures, building databases and drawing up maps for CND I enjoy hiking, playing Bridge and reading.
