Meeting the Demand for Senior Housing: Pipeline, Capital and Feasibility

What It Takes to Get Projects Funded and Delivered Across Affordable to Luxury Senior Housing

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  Jason Reyes

  A creative and collaborative community visionary, Jason was drawn to the family business and joined his mother, Alana Reyes, in developing award-winning senior living communities throughout California. Jason is involved in every aspect of company operations, with a particular emphasis on long-range planning, acquisitions, financing, project development, and lease-up. Jason’s leadership has provided a platform for steady and consistent growth for decades to come.

  Calson Management

  Managing Partner

  Jason Reyes

  Managing Partner

  Calson Management

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  Mercedes Kerr

  Mercedes Kerr is a recognized leader in the health care industry with over 25 years of experience in the seniors housing sector. Prior to joining Belmont Village Senior Living as President in 2019, she was Executive Vice President of Business Development at Welltower Inc. where she helped to shape the trajectory of the industry through transformative transactions over a period of over 10 years. Prior to that, Ms. Kerr spent 10 years at HCP, Inc., where she was was Vice President of Acquisitions. She serves on the boards of leading national organizations dedicated to setting policy, standards and innovation in the seniors housing industry, such as NIC, Argentum and The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Ms. Kerr graduated with honors from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and holds a Master of Real Estate Development degree from the University of Southern California.

  Belmont Village Senior Living

  President

  Mercedes Kerr

  President

  Belmont Village Senior Living

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  Cynthia Alvarez

  Cynthia is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $60 million and ensuring the short and long term financial, regulatory and physical sustainability of the assets in service to the communities in which we work. Cynthia’s various executive roles in affordable housing have given her direct oversight of a range of strategic planning and supervision of multiple departments. She is known for building strong teams with a mission-centered approach and for establishing systems to achieve efficiencies and accountability within and across teams. Cynthia was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US when she was eight years old. She graduated, with honors, from UC San Diego with a BA in Political Science and then attended Stanford University’s PhD Political Science program from 1995 – 1999, on a full merit scholarship.

  Christian Church Homes

  CEO & President

  Cynthia Alvarez

  CEO & President

  Christian Church Homes

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  Chris Cummings

  Chris began his role as Director of Housing Development in August 2022, previously having worked at TNDC as the Interim Director of Housing Development and in a Project Manager role and most recently as Associate Director of Housing Development. As a Project Manager, Chris worked on both new construction and acquisition/rehab projects, delivering over 300 units of housing to San Francisco. Chris is deeply passionate about affordable housing development, and more specifically, in preservation strategies for TNDC’s existing building portfolio and in the context of acquiring existing rent-controlled properties to preserve as affordable in perpetuity. As Associate Director of Housing Development, Chris led the development and execution of TNDC’s 2018 Portfolio Recapitalization Plan, a comprehensive five-year plan which included the rehabilitation of over 250 units of existing TNDC housing. Chris also developed and currently leads TNDC’s Acquisitions Strategy Group, a multi-department team which focuses its efforts on identifying TNDC’s priorities for new acquisitions and appropriate opportunities that meet community needs and TNDC’s overall mission, race-equity framework, and Theory of Change.

  Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

  VP, Real Estate

  Chris Cummings

  VP, Real Estate

  Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation

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  Mike Smith

  Mike Smith is a seasoned construction professional with over 18 years of experience across various roles and currently serving as Vice President for W.E. O’Neil Construction. Specializing in multifamily and mixed-use projects, Mike has been instrumental in shaping the Northern California landscape. Mike is a decisive leader with extensive experience leading numerous high-profile projects and a proven track record of success throughout Northern California. His deep understanding of the construction industry, coupled with his leadership acumen, has enabled Mike to foster collaborative teams, cultivate strong client relationships, and drive sustainable growth for organizations.   One of Mike’s core focuses is on developing and nurturing our people to create an environment of continuous improvement and excellence within the organization.  Outside of work, Mike enjoys finding balance by spending time with family, playing musical instruments, and cheering on the San Francisco 49ers.

  W.E. O'Neil

  VP

  Mike Smith

  VP

  W.E. O'Neil

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  Mark Schlientz

  Mark attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 1990. After working for the Ratcliff Architects for 5 years he moved to Austin, Texas where he completed a master’s degree program at the University of Texas. Mark returned to the Bay Area in 1997 and joined the newly formed firm of Kava Massih Architects where he became an Associate in 2003, a Senior Associate in 2010 and a Principal in 2016. Mark's experience spans a wide range of project types including health care, adaptive re-use, commercial, educational and multi-family housing. He played a key role in planning and designing several large projects including the Aliso, a 472-unit mixed-use housing project in Downtown Los Angeles and recently completing the Kittredge, a 169-unit mixed- use housing project adjacent to the UC campus in Berkeley. His Senior Housing experience includes Providence Senior Housing project, a 50-unit affordable housing project developed jointly between Providence Baptist Church and Christian Church Homes, completed in 2008. He lead the Bayside Park senior housing project in Emeryville, a 126-unit project developed by AgeSong, which included independent-living, assisted-living units and memory-care units. The 116,000 s.f., 5-story project included extensive amenity space, including dining facilities, library, fitness center, beauty salon and a public café. Mark is energized by good design and works diligently throughout the design and construction process to bring quality projects to life.

  Kava Massih Architects

  Principal

  Mark Schlientz

  Principal

  Kava Massih Architects

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  Joseph Camajani

  Joseph Camajani serves as Principal and Client Executive of the IMEG San Francisco structural team. He joined the firm in 2020 as Operations Manager and Senior Structural Engineer. A San Francisco native, Joseph has experience ranging from seismic structural design in California to global engineering management on five different continents for firms in each of the A/E/C fields. Joseph is a licensed Civil and Structural Engineer in California, a CalOES Disaster Service Worker, and a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Joseph lives in San Anselmo with his wife and 3 daughters.

  IMEG

  Principal, Client Executive

  Moderator

  Joseph Camajani

  Principal, Client Executive

  IMEG

Building and Designing Senior Housing That Performs

Creating Healthy, Accessible, and Flexible Living Environments

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  Amir Kia

  Amir is a Principal of Spirit Living Group, overseeing finance, operations, and strategic growth. A founding principal of AgeSong, he has held leadership roles including Executive Director, CFO, and CEO, and was recognized with the American Society on Aging's National Award for Excellence. Amir is a graduate of the Wharton School and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where he also taught and served as Vice-Chair of Starr King School for the Ministry. He is a trustee of Golestan Kids and a former trustee of the Helix School. Beyond his professional work, Amir has coached individuals on living from their spiritual center, led meditation programs in county jails, and walked the 850km coastal stretch of the Camino de Santiago in 30 days. His interests include sketch comedy, tennis, and mountain biking.

  Spirit Living Group

  Principal

  Amir Kia

  Principal

  Spirit Living Group

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  Susie Criscimagna

  Susie Criscimagna is Vice President of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing. Since joining the organization in 2013, she has managed and overseen affordable housing developments for families, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and formerly homeless individuals. As Vice President, she guides a team in implementing all aspects of affordable housing development, including entitlements and environmental approvals, securing public and private financing, and overseeing design, construction, and lease-up of projects. Her projects include new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and joint ventures with other developers. Prior to her career in affordable housing development, she conducted housing research at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Her research on the national housing market focused on affordable housing, rental markets, green building and mortgage markets.

  Eden Housing

  VP, Real Estate Development

  Susie Criscimagna

  VP, Real Estate Development

  Eden Housing

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  Smitha Seshadri

  Smitha Seshadri is Executive Vice President of Development at BRIDGE Housing Corporation and leads the organization’s real estate development activities in Northern California. Smitha brings 20+ years of experience with a strong background in architecture, community development and real estate finance. She has successfully structured several complex multi-family affordable housing developments and is responsible for overseeing the execution of several mixed-use/mixed-income developments for BRIDGE in Northern California, including new construction and acquisition-rehab over the past 5.5 years. Earlier this year, BRIDGE was honored with the “Nonprofit Developer of the Year Award” from the San Francisco Business Times for delivering approximately 1,000 new and rehabbed affordable housing units in the Bay Area over the past 2 years. Her team is currently working on 7 construction projects with a total of 735 affordable housing units and several new construction projects in predevelopment. Prior to BRIDGE, Smitha served as Vice President of Real Estate at Habitat for Humanity, San Francisco and Director of Development for the Santa Clara Housing Authority. Ms. Seshadri holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates.

  BRIDGE Housing

  EVP

  Smitha Seshadri

  EVP

  BRIDGE Housing

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  Christophe Laverne

  Christophe has over 20 years of design, project management, and construction administration experience for a variety of project types focused on senior living communities, multi-family residential communities, municipal projects, and an array of public facilities. His approach to architectural design is rooted in meaningful, sustainable, and healthful experiences for users that balances nature and the architectural built environment. He serves as Co-Chair for the AIA San Francisco Chapter’s Design for Aging Committee, where he leads interdisciplinary discussions on topics addressing the challenges and opportunities of design for aging and how architecture can thoughtfully and effectively support the quality of life for our aging society.

  HKIT Architects

  Principal

  Christophe Laverne

  Principal

  HKIT Architects

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  Zico Saryeddean

  With a career built on turning complex sites into thriving communities, Zico Saryeddean, PE, LEED AP, has spent 28 years mastering the civil engineering and infrastructure challenges that make great senior housing possible. As a Senior Associate and Project Manager at Kier + Wright, Zico has a gift for bringing together the right people, solving the right problems, and delivering on the promise of a project, with more than 500 completed developments across the Bay Area and Northern California to show for it. His deep roots in multi-family residential and ground-up development give him a rare, practical understanding of what it truly takes to deliver senior housing that is thoughtfully designed, fiscally sound, and built to last.

  Kier + Wright

  Sr Associate, Project Manager

  Zico Saryeddean

  Sr Associate, Project Manager

  Kier + Wright

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  Ashley Weinstein-Carnes

  Ashley Weinstein-Carnes counsels a wide variety of developers and investors on the land use and environmental laws affecting development projects in the Bay Area, including senior living projects and licensed Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. She guides clients through complex entitlement, permitting, and regulatory processes from project conception through final approval, offering practical advice tailored to each stage of development. Ashley is known for her solutions-oriented approach and her ability to translate complex issues into clear, actionable next steps, and keep projects moving forward.

  Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP

  Partner

  Moderator

  Ashley Weinstein-Carnes

  Partner

  Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP