Ben Creed joined the California Housing Partnership in 2019. As an Associate Director of Financial Consulting, he provides financial consulting, technical assistance and training to our nonprofit and government partners. Ben has experience with 9% and 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt private activity bonds, and funding sources from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Home Loan Bank, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, several localities including Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles, and conventional private lenders. He was promoted from Housing Finance Consultant in 2022.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Ben worked as a project manager at West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, where he contributed to eight developments in the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood with over 400 affordable homes for households with low incomes and special needs. He previously worked in operations and finance at The California Wellness Foundation in Los Angeles and the Charles H. Revson Foundation in New York City. A graduate of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI), Ben has an M.A. in Spanish Language and Translation from NYU Madrid and a B.A. in Urban Studies and Hispanic Studies from Vassar College. He was raised in Mitchell-Lama affordable housing in New York City.

Chad Horsford joined the California Housing Partnership in 2018. As an Associate Director, Financial Consulting, he provides financial consulting, technical assistance and training to our nonprofit and government partners. Chad has experience working with a variety of federal and local funding sources, including Low Income Housing Tax Credits, HUD Section 202 financing, AHSC, IIG, and LA City and County funding sources.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Chad worked in the affordable housing field for over four years, first in acquisitions at Abode Communities and then in project management at PATH Ventures. During that time, he contributed to the acquisition and financing of over 500 units of affordable housing throughout the Southern California region. In his acquisitions role, Chad analyzed and structured acquisition/rehab and new construction opportunities across the state. Prior to working in affordable housing development, he worked at the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity where he used data analysis to support social movement research on equity, immigration, and environmental justice issues.

Chad earned his master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA with a concentration in Community Economic Development and Housing, and holds a B.A. in Sociology and Public Policy Analysis from Pomona College.

Genise Choy joined the California Housing Partnership in December 2020. As a Senior Financial Consultant, she provides financial consulting, technical assistance and training to our nonprofit and government partners. She has experience with both acquisition/rehab and new construction projects, utilizing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bond financing, Rental Assistance Demonstration First and Second Components, the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program, various state funding sources and green incentives, as well as project-based Section 8 and HUD-VASH vouchers.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Genise was a project manager at Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco, where she contributed to the development of over 600 units for families, veterans, and formerly homeless individuals. She also worked with Barbara Sokoloff Associates, a community development consulting firm in Providence, RI, helping develop affordable housing and community spaces throughout southern New England. Genise holds a Master of City Planning and Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Real Estate from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Art from Swarthmore College.

Joanie joined the California Housing Partnership in 2024. As an Associate Financial Consultant, she provides financial consulting, technical assistance and training to our nonprofit and government partners. Prior to joining the Partnership, Joanie worked as a Project Manager-Lead at Venice Community Housing Corporation, where she contributed to six developments in Los Angeles with over 300 affordable apartments for low-income households experiencing homelessness. She previously worked at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, designing and managing loan programs targeting low-income homeowners across New York City.

Joanie is a graduate of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate’s Levine Affordable Housing Development Program (LAHDP) and Local Initiative Support Corporation’s (LISC) Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI). Joanie was raised in affordable housing in New York City. She holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Columbia University.

Maxwell Albrecht joined the California Housing Partnership in February 2024 as a Financial Consultant. In his role, he provides financial consulting, technical assistance, and training to our nonprofit and government partners. Maxwell has experience with 4% and 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), tax exempt bonds, and various state and local financing programs in support of affordable and permanent supportive housing projects. 

Prior to joining the Partnership, Maxwell was a Senior Project Manager for Home First, a supportive housing developer in Chicago and previously spent four years as a Project Manager at A Community of Friends (ACOF) in Los Angeles. In these roles, Maxwell developed supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness and living with physical disabilities and mental illness. This included applying for and obtaining public funding and working with various local, regional, county, and state agencies.

Maxwell is a graduate of the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI). He holds a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California–Los Angeles and a B.A. in Human Geography from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Michelle Espinosa Coulter joined the California Housing Partnership in 2020. As Associate Director of Financial Consulting, she provides financial consulting, technical assistance and training to our nonprofit and government partners. Michelle has over 20 years of professional experience including 14 years in affordable housing development and nine years in audit and assurance. She has direct experience with a wide range of affordable housing finance tools including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bond financing, and a variety of public funding programs administered at the local, state, and federal levels. Her projects have ranged from new construction to adaptive reuse, and have served families, seniors, and special needs populations. Throughout her career, Michelle has contributed to the development of more than 1,800 units of affordable housing with total financing exceeding $800 million. 

Prior to joining the Partnership, Michelle worked with Meta Housing Corporation for nearly 10 years and rose from Project Manager to become Meta’s Director of Artist Housing. She also worked as a Project Manager with A Community of Friends developing supportive housing, and at Livable Places developing affordable homeownership opportunities. Prior to development, Michelle provided assurance services with industry-affiliates Low Income Investment Fund and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. A five year career in public accounting preceded her time at the Federal Reserve Bank. Michelle holds dual master’s degrees in Urban Planning from UCLA and in Accounting from Texas A&M University. Her B.B.A. is from Texas A&M. 

Sherin Bennett joined the California Housing Partnership’s Southern California team in 2016. As Director, Financial Consulting – Housing Finance Training, she provides financial consulting, technical assistance, and training to our nonprofit and government partners and supports the Partnership’s training programs. She was promoted from Senior Housing Finance Consultant in 2020.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Sherin was an underwriter with Chase Community Development Banking in New York City and Los Angeles, where she underwrote over $200 million in construction and permanent loans, financing over 2,350 units of affordable housing in six states. Sherin was a Housing Fellow for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development and the NYC Housing Development Corporation from 2011-2013. She closed construction financing on one of the first HUD RAD/IRP conversions in the nation and created a database and methodologies to track funding sources and development outcomes for then-mayor Michael Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan. Sherin earned a Master of Science in Public and Urban Policy from the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment (The New School, NYC) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.