Atlanta Affordable Housing Summit

As Director of the City of Atlanta’s Housing Innovation Lab, Matt leads a talented team of designers, architects, finance, and housing professionals tasked with building innovative development models to increase affordable housing in Atlanta. The Lab is responsible for aggressively redeveloping Atlanta’s public land portfolio for new mixed-income housing and coordinating action across major public agencies, including the recently created Atlanta Urban Development Corporation.

Shannon is currently Senior Vice President with Truist Bank and works with their Affordable HousingFinance/Asset Management Division (Truist Community Capital). She has been in the industry for more than thirty (30) years and has an extensive background in Affordable Housing, Multi-Family, Property Management and Asset Management Leadership and has held several positions of increasing responsibility. She has been a Team Member with a leading Banking entity (Truist) and worked with several Property Management Firms overseeing portfolios throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States. Shannon graduated from Alameda College with a B.A. in Sociology and has earned her professional designations such as: Certified Property Manager (CPM) from the Institute of Real Estate Management, while also holding other distinguished Designations such as the Housing Credit Compliance Professional (HCCP) from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Certified Manager of Housing (CMH), Certified Manager of Occupancy (CMO), Certified Tax Credit Specialist (TCS), and Site Based Budget Specialist (SBS) from the National Center for Housing Management (NCHM), and previously served in the United States Army. Shannon is a native of Atlanta and was the youngest Member to serve on the Eastlake Planning Committee as she worked alongside her grandmother, Eva Davis, who was the original Catalyst that initiated the redevelopment of East Lake Meadows. She has devoted her life and time to continuing her Grandmother’s Legacy for Community Service by advocating for Low Income Families which focus on the areas of Housing, Education, Health and Wellness, and Community Revitalization/Redevelopment. She’s extended her passion of advocating for Low Income Families in her career path by intentionally aligning herself with Companies/Agencies that support the upward empowerment of Families to move them towards equitable opportunities that offer a better quality of life, housing, education, and healthier lifestyles. Shannon has been recognized as one of the “Top Women Leaders of Georgia” by Women We Admire, she was named “Georgia Outstanding Citizen” by the State of Georgia, a “Change Maker” by Forbes, Atlanta Magazine’s Women “Making A Mark,” the Atlanta Business League’s “Top 100 Women of Influence,” DeKalb County’s Unsung Heroes and Trailblazing Women Leaders, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s “Corporate Champion,” and inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Sponsors at Morehouse College. She was recently honored with Proclamation Awards by the City of Atlanta, and DeKalb County, for her continued leadership, impact, and commitment to Affordable Housing and the Families across Atlanta and the Affordable Housing Industry. Shannon also has been recognized by the Southern Company and the PGA Tour Championship for her role in serving alongside her grandmother, Eva Davis, in the redevelopment of East Lakevand her continued leadership and advocacy for Low Income Families in East Lake, the City of Atlanta, and the Affordable Housing Industry abroad. Shannon continues her passion of service for Low Income Families and Neighborhoods across the country and was recently responsible for advocating and coordinating with the PGA Tour Championship to become a Community Partner in Low Income Neighborhoods throughout the United States which resulted in more than $100 million being donated to support racial equality, inclusion, and social injustices. She’s been featured in esteemed publications such as Atlanta Magazine and the Journal of Property Management (JPM) Magazine and has earned their Awards such as the “Impact Award,” the “Real Estate “Management of Excellence (REME) Award,” the “Certified Property Manager of the Year” Award, the “All-Star Presidential Award,” and the “J. Paletou” Award. She’s been a distinguished Honoree recognized by the East Lake Foundation for her commitment to community advocacy for Low Income Families for the East Lake Community and the Affordable Housing Industry abroad. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Drew Charter School, and United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Rockdale County Chapter. She also serves as a Mentor for the Institute of Real Estate Management, the Atlanta Hawks-SheLeads Program, and the StepUp Program. She has formerly served as the Institute of Real Estate Management’s (IREM) Southeast Regional Vice President and on their Boards such as the Federal Housing Advisory Board, the Georgia Chapter Executive Board, the University of Georgia (UGA) Family and Consumer Science (FACS) Advisory Board, and Co-Chair (Co-Founder) of the Eastlake Women’s Alliance. With more than thirty (30) years of service, Shannon continues to serve in her Industry and in her community as she is a living Legacy of the East Lake Community and Atlanta. She continues her passion by working to partner with Community/Corporate Partners, Government Agencies, Developers, and Managing Agents to develop and implement program initiatives for East Lake, City of Atlanta, and the Affordable Housing Industry abroad, whose primary mission is to continue progress with Community Development and Community Relationship Restoration.

Mr. Epps works out of ASCP's Atlanta office and leads originations for the American South Real Estate Fund(s). He is responsible for managing partner relationships and sourcing LP and preferred equity investment opportunities for the funds in workforce and affordable housing projects across the funds' 10-state footprint. To-date, ASCP has capitalized more than $1B of projects across more than 7,000 units. Mr. Epps graduated with a BBA in Finance from Georgia State and an MBA from Georgia Tech.

I am a personable, intelligent, and result-oriented leader who understands the importance of each member of my team and have a unique ability to harness and leverage every person's strengths to get remarkable results. I am a high-energy individual with strategic planning, coaching and facilitation, marketing/business development, urban design, and management expertise with over 40 years of experience in Architecture, Engineering, Planning, and Development including a focus on sustainability and resiliency. A licensed Architect from 1982, I have Master’s Degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering including course work in community, regional and transportation planning. My experience has been mostly at senior management levels; in large, medium, and small firms at local, regional, and national levels. I have been successfully responsible for managing regional programs and teams; planning and leading strategic marketing/business development plans and pursuits; planning, managing, and delivering large projects; extensive internal and external relationship development, team-building and partnership-forming; and growing staff and new offerings across multiple businesses lines in new and multiple locations to meet our clients’ needs and expectations. My experience includes 4 years as Planning Director for the City of Omaha, NE; over 4 years as the Deputy Director for Development Services for DeKalb County, GA; and currently the Southeast Region Senior Public Relations and Development Manager for LDG Development, LLC. My diverse list of clients includes federal, state, regional, county and municipal agencies and private organizations. I have served as coach, facilitator, project principal, project manager, and project architect on a range of projects which have included project planning and programming, new, renovation and retrofit construction. Projects include a full range of vertical projects and infrastructure projects (transportation, water, wastewater, and natural resources) accomplished under various contract vehicles – Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity, Open-End, General, direct and as a sub-consultant.

As Senior Vice President of Development, Ivy Dench-Carter oversees the execution and growth of Pennrose’s development pipeline within multiple designated regions, provides oversight of performance goals for the regions as identified in Pennrose’s Strategic Plan, and monitors regional performance and efficiency. Ivy also provides executive representation of Pennrose among industry organizations and associations, financial partners, design and construction partners, Housing Authorities, and State Agencies. Ivy has more than 30 years of management and real estate development experience. She began with Pennrose Management Company in 1990 as a Property Manager for two properties before earning a promotion to Regional Property Manager, which gave her oversight of 21 affordable housing properties. In 1995, Ivy joined the development arm of Pennrose, expanding her career from property management to real estate development in the affordable housing arena. Ivy previously led the Pennrose Baltimore Regional office (Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia and U.S. Virgin Islands) where she oversaw all phases of development process, from sourcing deals to securing financing to overseeing the transition from construction to management. Under her supervision, she was proud to lead an exceptional staff who are responsible for the day-to-day project management and development activities. One of her many strengths is the ability to support her staff to successfully manage large teams to maintain the project the schedule and keep costs within budget. However, she continues to enjoy meeting with public housing residents and community stakeholders to alleviate their fears of redevelopment and providing them the opportunities for Section 3 and MBE/WBE participation during a transparent development process. Ivy began her career in property management giving her a unique perspective during the development process. Her experience ranges from stand-alone affordable housing development deals to complex mixed-income, mixed finance, and multi-phase redevelopment projects including, HOPE VI, RAD, Upfront Grant and CHOICE programs. As a result, these programs require the complicated, multi-layered financing structures and the ability to secure soft resources required for 9% and 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit transactions. While most of her career has been redevelopment of public housing, her office is also focused on mixed-income, mixed-use and market rate developments. Throughout her career, Ivy has developed over thirty-five projects totaling approximately 2,400 units. Many of these projects involved public housing authorities and government agency owned land requiring the negotiation of complex Land Disposition Agreements and Master Development Agreements. Ivy serves as President Emeritus of the Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition and is on the Board of Directors of Anne Arundel County Affordable Housing Coalition, Baltimore City Inclusionary Housing Board and The Reinvestment Fund Board of Directors. She is an active member of the community and a graduate of Leadership Maryland, an independent statewide program designed to expand the capacity of Maryland’s leaders. She is a frequent affordable housing panelist and recently recognized by the Baltimore Business Journal as a one of ten business executives for the 2019 Leaders in Diversity, which honors influential executives and business owners who promote diversity and inclusion in the Greater Baltimore business community. Ivy attended Spelman College in Atlanta, GA.

As a Vice President with Prestwick Development Company, Casey Craven focuses on site acquisition, financial analysis, and project management of both market rate and affordable housing projects. Casey sources new construction and value add deals throughout the Southeast by generating opportunities for boutique to large scale multifamily development. Prior to joining Prestwick Companies, Casey worked with a real estate firm as an asset manager where he oversaw the rehabilitation and sale of more than $20,000,000 in annual assets. He also worked as a project manager for a land planning and civil engineering firm where he managed development projects from schematic design through construction documents. Casey’s previous experience gives him a unique perspective in real estate development. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Landscape Architecture, Casey spent 6 years working closely with commercial developers in a variety of market sectors to provide site planning and environmental services. In 2015, Casey received his Masters in Business Administration from Georgia State University. Now, with more than 12 years of experience in the real estate development industry, he is able to draw on a diverse background to help Prestwick Companies reach new levels of success.

Patricija Pericic is GLA's Director of Affordable Housing with over 10 years of experience in Multifamily design and 8 years of dedicated focus to affordable housing. With active involvement, she has taken projects from early stages of conceptual design, funding process, all throughout project close out. In that time, she has overseen/managed well over 2,000 completed units in many jurisdictions spanning from USDA funded rural area developments to densely populated urban environments. She has experience in HUD, LIHTC Elderly, HFOP and Family Developments. Patricija strongly embodies GLA’s core values and cultivates strong relationships with dedication to each project’s success and ultimate prosperity of communities for many years to come. She graduated from Southern Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor’s of/ Architecture and a Minor in Business Administration, joining GLA in 2014.

Philip E. Searles is the principal of Westchester Ventures, LLC a developer and owner of affordable housing and the President of the Beverly J. Searles Foundation. A native of Atlanta, Searles learned about the real estate development industry at a young age by watching family members engaged in development projects. After earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Alabama, he began his career working as an auditor of affordable housing properties, routinely compiling financials from both construction and operating general ledgers. After working for a non-profit for 12 years in this industry Mr. Searles opened Westchester Ventures in 2020 while still serving as President of the Foundation. During his time with the nonprofit, he has spearheaded the development of 11 communities throughout Georgia. To date, Philip has developed 14 communities valued over $250 million in development costs. Philip is an advocate for providing affordable housing choices for Georgia residents, while encouraging programming that enhances resident’s health, wellness and spiritual growth through the nonprofit resident services programs. In 2018 Philip was able to break ground in Vine City to create 105 units of senior housing, preserving affordable housing in this up and coming neighborhood of Atlanta. One of his communities was distinguished with the Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award in 2015. Searles is the chair elect of the board of The Lenbrook in Buckhead, Atlanta and an active member of Roswell Presbyterian Church. Philip, his wife and their two sons reside in Roswell, Georgia.

As Senior Director of State & Local Affairs, Emily works with state and local government entities, as well as interested policymakers, to provide resources and support in the shared pursuit of reducing climate impacts in the built environment. By working closely with local decision makers to open markets to GBI tools, Emily ensures that communities have access to innovative resources, relationships, and strategies that help promote their sustainable goals.