Jerry Liang is chief financial officer and executive vice president responsible for development, asset management, capital structuring, investor relations, accounting, treasury, and risk management.

Before joining Benchmark in February 2021, Jerry served as senior vice president of investments and development at Sunrise Senior Living, based in McLean, Virginia, for 13 years.

Aaron Pechota joined The NRP Group in 2004 and in 2021 was elevated to Executive Vice President of Development with responsibility for leading the affordable development organization and all related activity across the entire NRP footprint.

For more than 20 years, Aaron Pechota has developed multifamily housing at The NRP Group. He is responsible for leading the company’s affordable development activity across the entire NRP footprint. In this capacity, Mr. Pechota oversees 15 team members in more than 20 markets. It is his and all NRP’s mission to create exceptional rental opportunities for all individuals and families, regardless of income.

Over the course of his career, Pechota has gained extensive experience in various types of multifamily housing development including Class A luxury apartments, student housing, senior housing and affordable housing. During this time, he has developed over 50 communities totaling over $1 billion of investment, much of which has been in disadvantaged communities.He brings specialized expertise in urban infill developments, focusing on unique opportunities and challenges in redevelopment. He also has a long history of creating strong public/private partnerships with local municipalities, community groups, public institutions, community-based non-profit organizations and other for-profit developers.

Prior to joining NRP, Pechota worked as a Corporate Associate and in the investment banking group at National City Corporation, now PNC. In this role, he advised clients on both strategic sell-side and buy-side merger and acquisition transactions.

Pechota holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Dayton and an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He is a board member at the Ohio Housing Council and a board member of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Pechota resides in Avon, Ohio, with his wife and six children.

Based in New Jersey, P.J. McDevitt serves as Managing Director within Walker & Dunlop’s multifamily

finance group. Mr. McDevitt is focused on the affordable housing space and is responsible for

originating debt for multifamily properties on behalf of clients nationwide. Since 2018, Mr. McDevitt has

been involved in the origination, underwriting, and closing of nearly $1 billion in affordable housing

transactions and has extensive experience in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, and FHA financing

solutions.

Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop as a Managing Director, Mr. McDevitt served as a Director at

Greystone, where he was responsible for the origination of affordable multifamily housing loans for five

years. He previously worked for PNC, where he contributed his expertise as a Production Management

Representative and Production Assistant, and he gained some of his first experience in commercial real

estate at Walker & Dunlop as a Senior Analyst before that.

Mr. McDevitt earned his bachelor’s degree from Willamette University and his master’s in organizational

leadership from Gonzaga University.

Lori Chatman is Co-CEO and President (interim), Enterprise Community Partners. With over 1,300 employees in cities and regions across the United States, Enterprise has invested $54 billion and created 873,000 homes across all 50 states since 1982. Lori works with a broad array of stakeholders to build on the strength and breadth of Enterprise’s work nationwide.

A visionary leader with more than three decades of experience in affordable housing and community development, Lori Chatman also serves as president of Enterprise’s Capital Division. In this role, Lori manages a $16 billion investment platform – one of the nation’s largest affordable housing finance platforms – with a full suite of equity, debt and tax credit products.

Since 2004, Lori has served the organization in a number of roles, including as president of Enterprise Community Partners’ community development financial institution (CDFI), Enterprise Community Loan Fund, where she oversaw billions of dollars in affordable housing investments, stewarded $424 million in assets under management, and also headed Enterprise’s $1+ billion New Markets Tax Credit business and Opportunity Zones fund platform. Lori is also an architect and executive sponsor of Equitable Path Forward, Enterprise’s $3.5 billion initiative to address racial inequities in the real estate industry by investing in developers of color through a wide range of capital products, including grants, debt and equity.

Prior to joining Enterprise, Lori was the director of lending for the Calvert Social Investment Foundation (now Calvert Impact Capital), where she managed their portfolio of loans to CDFIs, community development corporations, community service organizations, and international microfinance institutions.

Lori serves as a board member of Appalachian Community Capital, City First Enterprises, and Hopewell Fund. Lori holds a bachelor’s degree from Howard University.

For media inquiries, contact Stephen Fee at sfee@enterprisecommunity.org.

Rob Wrzosek is President - Affordable Strategies at NewPoint Real Estate Capital, responsible for developing proprietary non-agency executions and managing investments in affordable housing bonds. He has over two decades of multifamily and affordable housing finance experience.

Prior to joining NewPoint, Wrzosek was Head of Multifamily at Bluefin Capital Management. Previously, he was responsible for the affordable housing and HUD/FHA finance businesses of Berkeley Point (now Newmark). During his career, Wrzosek has served on the board of directors of Walker & Dunlop, was President of Hunt Mortgage Group, and managed the tax-exempt affordable housing securitization and tax equity syndication platforms for Credit Suisse. He has also acted as an outside advisor to the Obama Administration on issues pertaining to the LIHTC program, and was a partner at Eichner & Norris PLLC, a Washington, DC-based law firm.

Wrzosek holds both a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Ithaca College, a J.D. from Duke University School of Law, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

Since early 2018 Priya Jayachandran has led National Housing Trust (NHT). NHT is committed to the preservation of home, opportunity, and dignity through affordable housing. In her role as CEO, Priya leads NHT’s engagement in public policy, lending and energy sustainability.

Priya previously led Housing Development at Volunteers of America (VOA). In her role, she managed the strategic direction, acquisition, and development of rental housing for VOA. Priya served in the Obama Administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 until 2017, as Senior Policy Advisor, Director of the front office of Multifamily Housing, and ultimately as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs.

Before joining HUD, Priya spent more than 15 years in community development real estate banking in New York and Washington, DC. She led client teams delivering debt and tax credit equity for affordable housing and charter schools during that time. Under Priya's leadership, the Mid-Atlantic market at both Citi and Bank of America were the top production offices in the country. Priya is a recognized industry expert on affordable finance deal structuring. Priya has also worked as a consultant to women’s microcredit organizations in La Paz, Bolivia; at Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst; and at California State Treasurer Kathleen Brown as a Capital Fellow. Priya earned her B.A. from the University of California and her MPA from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Alan leads the team of development managers responsible for the acquisition, financing, and renovation and new construction of multifamily residential communities throughout the Greater Washington area. He specializes in crafting innovative partnerships that leverage private sector capital to create and preserve affordable housing. Examples include ground-up construction joint ventures with faith-based organizations and for-profit developers and large-scale preservation of naturally-occurring affordable housing in collaboration with local jurisdictions and private sector capital partners. Alan previously worked on Wall Street as an investment banker structuring debt issuances for state housing finance agencies. He served for many years on the Board of Directors of Makom (formerly the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes) where he co-chaired the Housing Strategies Task Force and sought to expand housing opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is an active member of the Montgomery Housing Alliance which seeks to increase preservation and production of affordable housing in the County.  He earned a Master’s degree in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. Alan grew up in Silver Spring and lives in Kensington with his wife and three children.

Feras Qumseya is Chief Development Officer at Standard Communities, where he leads the firm’s national development platform focused on delivering high-quality, sustainable housing for underserved communities.

Feras has been instrumental in scaling Standard’s development efforts across multiple markets, overseeing a growing pipeline of large-scale projects utilizing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), tax-exempt bonds, and innovative public-private partnership structures. His work spans the full lifecycle of development—from sourcing and structuring deals to navigating entitlements, financing, and execution.

Known for his disciplined approach to underwriting and his ability to navigate complex capital stacks, Feras plays a key role in advancing projects that balance financial performance with long-term community impact. He works closely with municipalities, housing authorities, and capital partners to deliver developments that are both economically viable and socially meaningful.

Beyond his professional work, Feras is actively engaged in housing policy discussions and serves on nonprofit and industry boards focused on expanding access to affordable housing and strengthening communities.

Lee leads an interdisciplinary team focused on housing innovation, public policy priorities, and the integration of health and wellness services within new and existing affordable housing developments throughout VOANS’ national footprint of over 20,000 multifamily units. Lee oversees housing development transactions in key markets, including the development of Volunteers of America’s new corporate headquarters co-located with 110-units of senior affordable housing in the Buzzard Point neighborhood of the District of Columbia. In addition to managing specific housing transactions, Lee advances national housing policy issues on behalf of VOANS, and pursues strategic housing initiatives focused on innovation, resident wellbeing, and cross-sector collaboration. Prior to Volunteers of America, Lee worked as a consultant with CSG Advisors, where he provided development advisory services to Public Housing Authorities repositioning their portfolios through RAD conversions and Section 18 dispositions. He also spent six years working in the Government of the District of Columbia, where he led the planning and disposition of public property for redevelopment and deployed public subsidies to create new mixed-income, mixed-finance housing developments in Washington, DC under the city’s New Communities Initiative. Lee holds a BA and MPA from the George Washington University, and is a graduate of ULI Washington’s Regional Land Use Leadership Institute.

Jeffrey Little is the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He is the career leader of the agency’s strategic objective to increase the supply of housing. Previously, Jeffrey served as Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing, Director of Multifamily’s Program Systems Management Office, Acting DAS for Housing Operations, and Deputy Director of the Office of Recapitalization. He also directed the Performance Management Division in HUD’s Office of Strategic Planning and Management, leading the agency’s strategic planning and data-driven management efforts. Jeffrey joined HUD as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2009 as a member of the project management team that coordinated Recovery Act work across HUD programs.

Joseph LeMense is the managing director of community development & nonprofit banking at United Bank, the largest headquartered community bank in Greater Washington. With over 40 years of experience, LeMense guides the Bank’s nonprofit business development and lending initiatives throughout the Bank’s markets in eight states and the District. He focuses on providing personalized financial solutions to mission-based organizations involved in community development, affordable housing, education, social services and trade associations. LeMense joined United Bank in 2004, most recently serving as a senior vice president of commercial banking. In this role, he developed and managed long-term lending relationships, primarily in the nonprofit, biotech and government contracting industries. LeMense’s areas of expertise include tax exempt bond finance, tax increment finance, Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) financing and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”) and New Market Tax Credit (“NMTC”) financing. A fifth-generation Washingtonian and fourth-generation graduate of Georgetown University, LeMense is a board member of the Jubilee Housing Advisory Board and a former mayoral appointee to the D.C. Public Charter School Credit Enhancement Fund Committee. He is an active volunteer and advisor with the Georgetown University Alumni Club of Washington, D.C. as well as a guest lecturer at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. A 2015 graduate of Leadership Montgomery, Joe was also a charter member and past president of the Metro Bethesda Rotary Club.

Stephen Morel is the Chief Executive Officer and was formerly the Chief Investment Officer of the Montgomery County Green Bank (MCGB). He comes to MCGB with a professional background in corporate and project finance, with a particular interest in the use of public and private funds to fill market gaps and catalyze investment into high impact sectors. Stephen brings his strong skills in financial management and project-related investment to MCGB in order to accelerate the deployment of programs and products towards achieving the Bank’s clean energy and energy efficiency objectives.

Prior to the MCGB, Stephen led a financial consulting company dedicated to connecting infrastructure developers with debt and equity financing sources. This role followed almost a decade of experience as an investment officer and project finance specialist for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Stephen began his financial career in investment banking at Taylor-DeJongh and Friedman, Billings, Ramsey.

Pam is a Development Director at the NHP Foundation where she provides direction throughout all aspects of the development process, from inception and financing to construction completion. Her responsibilities include acquisition, entitlement, design, financing, construction, and lease-up. Prior to joining NHPF, Pam was at EYA, a townhome developer focused on new construction and mixed-income projects, and at Telesis, managing LIHTC projects across the country. Pam’s experience in development is augmented by her background in housing finance policy, at HUD and FHA, and at the Urban Institute. Pam holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Harvard, and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. She is on the board of directors at Greater Greater Washington and is active in ULI Washington.

Chris Marshall is responsible for leading affordable housing development in DC, Maryland, and Virginia for The NRP Group, one of the most prolific multifamily developers and builders in the U.S. In this role, he oversees all aspects of the affordable housing development process with a focus on site acquisitions, entitlements and funding applications.

Prior to joining NRP, Chris served as a Project Manager with Wesley Housing, a leading nonprofit affordable housing developer in the DC region. During this time, he was involved in a full range of development activities, from sourcing new projects to leading rezoning processes. He was also responsible for initiating funding applications and collaborating with apartment residents for in-place renovations and complete redevelopments.

In previous roles, Chris worked at the U.S. Green Building Council to develop criteria for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Following that, at the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, he implemented the District’s Inclusionary Zoning and Affordable Dwelling Unit housing programs.

He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in social policy from Michigan State University.

Ryan Riel has worked in Commercial Real Estate with EagleBank for more than 20

years and currently oversees the Bank’s $5 billion CRE lending portfolio. Throughout

his tenure, he has worn multiple hats and participated in originating more than $6

billion in real estate transactions of various types across the DC region. Since

February 2025, in addition to CRE Lending, Mr. Riel oversees more than 200

employees across retail banking, small business lending, loan and deposit

operations, and information technology.

Mr. Riel sits on the Board of Directors of the EagleBank Foundation, and on the Board

for George Mason University’s Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship. He is a

current Trustee for The Children’s Inn at NIH and previously served on the Board of

Directors at the Inn for ten years. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from

West Virginia University.

A founding member and owner of SCG Development and its affiliated company Stratford Capital Group

(the “Company”), Steve is responsible for the management and oversight of the Company’s property

development activities. Committed to developing high quality affordable and workforce housing to

support healthy, diverse communities, the Company has participated in the capitalization and

development of over 290 properties comprising 35,000 apartment units across 45 states. SCG

Development has active development projects in 12 states and maintains offices in Tysons, Virginia and

Peabody, Massachusetts.

Steve is a frequent panelist at industry events and guest lecturer at various colleges and universities. He

is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a bachelor’s degree in finance and holds an MBA from

The George Washington University. Steve is a 35-year resident of northern Virginia and currently lives in

Vienna with his wife, 3 kids and a dog.

Mr. Antoine is President and a Principal at Torti Gallas + Partners, where his work focuses on the relationship

between architecture, urban design, and planning in lower density neighborhoods and communities. His efforts

to implement housing policy and market response through appropriate and contextual architecture and

neighborhood planning have manifested themselves nationwide in over seventy revitalization and newly

developed projects during his 25+ year tenure at Torti Gallas.

Murphy practices as both a professional architect and a professional planner, using urban design to inextricably

link the two practices. He bridges an all-too-common divide between the two professions by bringing the

planner’s priorities of policy implementation, community benefit, and public collaboration to bear on his

architectural contributions. In recognition of his significant impact on architecture and society at a national level

through the promotion of affordable housing, Mr. Antoine was elevated to the American Institute of Architects

College of Fellows in 2020.

Mr. Antoine’s career has culminated in an urban design, planning and architecture expertise that has been

tapped by the AIA, CNU, HUD, the National Building Museum, and the National Charrette Institute, where he

has contributed as a speaker, presenter, juror, and exhibitor. His projects with Torti Gallas have been honored

with awards from the APA, CNU, AIA, HUD, NAHB, Residential Architect and Builder magazines.

Murphy is a member of the AIA, CNU, and the APA, and a past nationally elected Chair of the APA’s New

Urbanism Division. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and Masters’ Degrees in Urban and

Environmental Planning and in Architecture, all from the University of Virginia.

Jon serves as Sustainability Director for MaGrann Associates and Technical Consultant to developers and architects, interested in high performance multifamily projects. He expertly guides clients through various programs including: PHIUS+, LEED BD+C Homes and Multifamily Midrise, Enterprise Green Communities, the National Green Building Standard and ENERGY STAR certification programs. Jon is an industry thought leader and has facilitated hundreds of client meetings and presentations, both regionally and internationally, helping projects meet their ESG goals. He has a formidable reputation as a subject matter expert, adult educator and effective collaborator.

Jon enjoys working with teams to break down complex decisions into their components, so that they can make truly informed choices about their buildings.

Jon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Carleton College. His credentials include CPHC, LEED AP Homes, LEED Green Rater & QAD, NGBS Green Verifier, and HERS.

Scott heads McGuireWoods’ Land Use Practice Group and is a

leader in the Northern Virginia land use and development field. Scott’s

practice focuses on land use and development issues in Northern

Virginia, where he assists developers and landowners in navigating

the land use entitlement process, including obtaining rezonings,

special exceptions, special permits, variances, and comprehensive

plan amendments.

Scott’s creative and entrepreneurial approach to land use helps add

value to client’s development projects. Throughout the land use

entitlement process, Scott works to maximize development potential

for his clients in a cost-effective and timely manner. In addition to new

development, he also assists clients in amending existing

development approvals to more closely align with changing market

conditions. Additionally, Scott has experience navigating the approval

process for repurposing of existing buildings and historic structures.

Prior to obtaining his law degree and joining McGuireWoods LLP, he

was an urban planner assisting developers and advising local

governments on a wide range of land use and development issues.

Scott also volunteers for a variety of community organizations and

serves as a volunteer Cub Scout leader.