Speaker Menin Announces Members of NYC Council’s Advisory Group on Housing Affordability

Advisory group features deep expertise in finance, development, neighborhood planning, architecture, labor, and advocacy

NEW YORK, NY - New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin today announced the full list of members in the Council Advisory Group on Housing Affordability ahead of their first meeting. The membership is comprised of architects, engineers, urban planners and designers, finance professionals, fair housing advocates, and labor leaders. Speaker Menin announced the creation of the Advisory Group and its Co-Chairs in April.

The Advisory Group will serve as a sounding board for the Council, providing ideas, analysis, and recommendations that shape proactive policies to address New York City's housing crisis. Their first meeting comes on the heels of Speaker Menin's proposal to modernize aging public library facilities while creating hundreds of new homes for New Yorkers by building 100% affordable housing above library sites across the city. Earlier this year, Speaker Menin also announced that the Council will pursue reforms to the City's Construction Codes to unlock up to 35,000 units of new housing on nearly 3,000 small lots across the five boroughs. Among other topics areas, including preservation, development, planning, and access, the Advisory Group will be focused on identifying Construction Code reforms that can prompt the building of new housing without undergoing burdensome, expensive, and time-consuming zoning changes.

Photos from their first, full-member meeting will be available here.

"Our City Council is taking a proactive approach to addressing the housing shortage by thinking creatively about where we can maximize the creation of homes for New Yorkers," said Speaker Julie Menin. "I'm proud to unveil the full list of members in our new Council Advisory Group on Housing Affordability, who will lend their expertise and expert analysis on our housing and land use initiatives. We're honored to bring together these industry leaders whose voices are essential to solving the affordability crisis, and I look forward to our continued partnership."

"As Chair of the Committee on Land Use, I am excited to convene with this exceptional group of housing leaders, practitioners, advocates, and industry experts," said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. "Their diverse perspectives and real-world experience will help the Council identify practical, innovative solutions to increase housing production, expand affordability, and remove unnecessary barriers that make it harder to build the homes New Yorkers need. I thank Speaker Menin for her leadership in assembling this distinguished Advisory Group, which will serve as an invaluable partner as we advance proactive housing policies, explore meaningful Construction Code reforms, and develop new strategies to create housing opportunities across all five boroughs."

CO-CHAIRS

Barika Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD)

During her ANHD tenure she led impactful projects and initiatives including mandatory inclusionary housing, equitable economic development, and data and research work - especially those focused on marginalized communities and neighborhoods. Prior to joining ANHD, she served as Assistant Secretary for Housing for the State of New York, worked in real estate development in Washington, DC, and published at the Urban Institute.

Gary LaBarbera, President of the New York City Building and Construction Trades Council and the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council.

Mr. LaBarbera represents 235,000 union construction workers and tradespeople throughout New York State. He has served as President of the New York City Building and Construction Trades Council since 2009 and was elected President of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council in 2021. A longtime labor leader, Mr. LaBarbera is a strong advocate for job creation, workforce development, and major infrastructure investments that support New York's construction industry and drive economic growth throughout the state.

James "Jim" Simmons, Founder and CEO of Asland Capital Partners

Jim is CEO & Founding Partner of Asland Capital Partners, serving as head of the investment committee with responsibility for the strategic direction and investment strategy of the firm. Over his 20 years of industry experience, Jim has focused on managing, originating, and structuring various types of real estate transactions including portfolio acquisitions, single asset acquisitions, and joint ventures through his deep relationships across the public and private sectors.

MEMBERS

Arielle Hersh, Director of Policy and New Projects of Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB)

Arielle leads UHAB's policy and advocacy to preserve affordable co-ops, protect tenants, and expand social housing, including the campaign for the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA). She is an expert on community-controlled housing models like HDFC co-ops and community land trusts (CLTs), and helps tenants organize to preserve their buildings as social housing. Arielle has a background in affordable housing development and tenant organizing, and currently sits on the leadership bodies of Housing Justice for All (HJ4A) and Stabilizing NYC. She holds a master's in Urban Policy and Leadership from Hunter College and a bachelor's in Urban Development, Policy, and History from New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

Bill Murray, Vice President of Metropolitan Region, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

Bill Murray leads policy and advocacy efforts on behalf of engineering firms and oversees the organization's activities across the New York City region. With a background in environmental science, government affairs and public policy, he previously worked at the New York City Council and now focuses on advancing infrastructure, regulatory, and industry priorities through stakeholder engagement.

Courtney Horwitz, Founder & Principal at Strada Ventures LLC

Courtney is the Founder & Principal of Strada Ventures LLC, a Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) real estate consulting company specializing in the financing, development, and asset management of affordable and supportive housing. Founded in 2019 Strada serves as a trusted advisor to for-profit, non-profit, emerging developers, and government agencies, structuring and closing affordable, supportive, new construction and preservation projects in New York City and beyond. Learn more at stradanyc.com.

Elizabeth "Liz" Crowley, President and CEO of Building Trades Employers' Association (BTEA)

Elizabeth Crowley is President and CEO of the Building Trades Employers' Association (BTEA), which represents over 1,200 union construction contractors across New York City and the surrounding region. She previously served on the New York City Council representing the 30th District in Queens from 2009 to 2017, where she secured record funding for school construction and passed laws strengthening construction safety standards, expanding opportunities for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, and funding industry training programs including Nontraditional Employment for Women. During her tenure, she also supported major land-use and zoning actions that enabled transformative developments such as Hudson Yards and the Midtown East rezoning.

Guillermo Chacón, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS

Guillermo Chacón is the President of the Latino Commission on AIDS, a nonprofit organization focused on addressing HIV/AIDS and related health disparities in Latino communities, a role he has held since 2010. A longtime public health advocate, he has led national initiatives to expand HIV prevention, education, and community mobilization, while also founding the Hispanic Health Network and serving on numerous health policy advisory boards.

Howard Slatkin, Executive Director of Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC)

Howard Slatkin joined CHPC in January 2023 after over two decades of government service at the intersection of housing and planning in New York City. At the New York City Department of City Planning, Howard oversaw long-term planning and policy development and a range of citywide initiatives to promote housing supply, affordability, economic development, and sustainability.

Jesse Lazar, Executive Director of American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY)

Jesse Lazar, Assoc. AIA, is the Executive Director of the American Institute of

Architects New York Chapter (AIANY) and the Center for Architecture. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, Lazar managed all fundraising and development activities for both AIA New York and the Center for Architecture, along with the organizations' communications and marketing team and the Center for Architecture programs and exhibitions team. Lazar has a long history at AIA New York, having launched his career in 2008 managing programs for the Chapter. Lazar holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association

Kenny Burgos is the inaugural CEO of the New York Apartment Association (NYAA), whose diverse membership owns and manages nearly 1 million affordable housing units in the NYC metropolitan area, making him the head of the largest trade organization representing private multifamily building owners in the country. As an Assembly Member for New York's 85th District in the Bronx, Kenny was at the forefront of housing policy reform. During his time in the Assembly, he spearheaded critical legislation aimed at revamping rent-stabilization laws to boost housing supply and successfully championed bills to extend housing tax credits to families in need.

Kim Darga, Vice President and New York Market Leader of Enterprise Community Partners

Darga most recently served as Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Development at the NYC Department of Housing & Preservation (HPD), the nation's largest municipal housing agency. There, she led efforts to advance affordable housing production and preservation across New York City. In her current role, she draws on this public-sector leadership experience to drive strategic partnerships and expand equitable housing solutions across the New York market.

Maddie DeCerbo, Director of Urban Planning at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)

Maddie DeCerbo is the Director of Urban Planning at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), where she focuses on zoning, land use policy, and development strategies aimed at increasing housing and supporting economic growth across New York City. She previously served as Senior Urban Planner at REBNY and brings experience in research, zoning analysis, and urban policy, with degrees in Geography and Urban Studies and Leadership and Public Policy.

Madeline Neighly, Chief of Policy and Research at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)

Trained as a lawyer, Madeline is a policy and program leader whose work has focused on economic security, criminal legal reform, and racial and gender equity. She has led research, strategy, and programmatic initiatives at organizations including the Center for Political Economy at Columbia University, Economic Security Project, Roosevelt Institute, Council of State Governments Justice Center, National Employment Law Project, and more.

Marcel Negret, Director of Land Use at Regional Plan Association (RPA)

Mr. Negret oversees research projects on housing, economic development, climate resiliency, and land use. He combines systemic thinking with design, analytics, and mapping to support the organization's long term planning and advocacy efforts.

Melanie E. La Rocca, Chief Operating Officer of RiseBoro

Melanie E. La Rocca is the Chief Operating Officer for RiseBoro Community Partnership, New York City's premier non-profit affordable housing developer and social services provider, where she oversees property management, business development, and Human Resources. She previously served as the Chief Efficiency Officer for the City of New York, Commissioner for the NYC Department of Buildings, Vice President of Development and External Affairs at the School Construction Authority (SCA), and COO of BFC Partners.

Nicole Lockett, Managing Director of Development at Genesis Companies

As Genesis' Managing Director of Development, Nicole draws on over 25 years of industry acumen in the public and private sectors to finance and lead complex housing developments for the firm. In this role, Nicole structures and executes real estate projects involving taxable and tax-exempt bonds, conventional debt, LIHTC, HTC, RAD, HOME, CDBG, and a range of other public and private financing sources.

Pascale Leone, Executive Director of The Supportive Housing Network of NY

For nearly nine years, Ms. Leone has held various positions at the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a national nonprofit organization that works to serve vulnerable populations through supportive housing, while advocating for equity and deinstitutionalization. Most recently, she served as CSH's Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, where she was responsible for crafting the organization's strategic vision to advance a comprehensive Racial Equity Framework in pursuit of becoming an antiracist organization.

Robert "Bob" Kelly, President of Master Built Homes

For over 30 years now Bob Kelly, President of Master Built Homes, has been building new homes on Staten Island. His commitment to strategic planning, affordable housing, LEED certifications, and white-glove service has kept Master Built Homes as the go-to builder on Staten Island.

Sabrina Lippman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity NYC & Westchester

Sabrina Lippman is the Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity New York City & Westchester. She is leading a focused effort to expand permanently affordable homeownership as a pathway to stability and opportunity-building homes, preserving limited equity housing, and mobilizing New Yorkers to strengthen their communities. She brings more than two decades of experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, shaping real estate and policy strategies that deliver lasting community impact.

Stephanie Knepper Basman, President at SKA Marin

Stephanie Knepper Basman is President of SKA Marin, a New York-based affordable housing development and ownership firm that is a recognized leader in affordable senior and special-needs housing. A leader in integrating health and housing, she has spent nearly two decades advancing innovative housing solutions that improve quality of life and strengthen communities. Stephanie holds a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and serves on the Board of Overseers of Cardozo School of Law and on the Advisory Board of the New York Housing Conference.

Thomas Yu, Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE)

Through his leadership, AAFE has achieved development of over 1,300 units of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families, provided crucial social services to over 35,000 individuals annually, assisted more than 10,000 small business entrepreneurs with over $70 million of direct capital, and aided 5,000 first time homebuyers in achieving their American dream through counseling and access to $250 million in sustainable home mortgages

Yarojin "Roj" Robinson, Senior Vice President of Mixed-Income & Affordable Housing at Gilbane Development Company

Roj is responsible for leading Gilbane Development's Affordable & Mixed-Income Housing platform, where he leverages his financial expertise and extensive experience leading deal negotiations and underwriting on affordable and mixed-income housing developments. At Gilbane, Roj oversees a portfolio of over 12k units of affordable and mixed-income housing at various stages of the development process, totaling over $5Bn in total development costs.

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