WAHNcast

Linny Simkin didn't plan on a career in affordable housing. She dreamed of becoming a singer-songwriter, moved to Los Angeles to pursue music, and took a job with an executive search firm simply to pay the bills. What she discovered instead was a career helping people find meaningful work and, eventually, a calling within affordable housing. Over the next two decades, Linny built one of the indust...

As part of WAHN's 50 Over 50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing series, Ann Cone and Diana McIver welcome fellow honoree Deborah Welchel, Vice President of Real Estate Development–Texas for Volunteers of America National Services. Debbie's path into affordable housing was anything but conventional. Over a career spanning underwriting, consulting, development, asset management, and nonprofit...

What happens when someone who once needed affordable housing dedicates her career to helping others find stability, opportunity, and hope? In this episode of the WAHNcast 50 Over 50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing series, hosts Ann Cone and Jennifer Green welcome Flynann Skeen, Executive Director of Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation. Flyn shares her extraordinary four-decade journey...

When a team of WAHN University students entered the 2026 Bank of America Affordable Housing Challenge, they weren't just designing housing—they were reimagining community recovery. In this episode of WAHNcast, host Angie Truitt is joined by student team members Emily Jessup and Mia Spero, developer partners Leslie Weiss and Monte Heaton of Highridge Costa, and faculty advisor Mark Shelburne to dis...

WAHNcast is back! In this special kickoff episode, we're launching our new summer series celebrating WAHN's inaugural 50/50 Women of Influence in Affordable Housing honorees. Host Angie Truitt is joined by four remarkable industry leaders who will be serving as guest hosts throughout the series: Ann Cone, Babbie Jaco, Diana McIver, and Jennifer Green. Together, they share their journeys into affor...

Brian Goldstone on the Rise of the Working Homeless In this powerful WAHNcast conversation, Angie Truitt and Jean Dahlquist sit down with award-winning journalist and anthropologist Brian Goldstone, author of There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America. Through the stories of five Atlanta families, Goldstone exposes a deeply troubling and increasingly common reality: the rise of the...

In this episode of WAHNcast, host Sadie Nott, National WAHN VP, celebrates the 35th anniversary of Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build initiative with two leaders from Habitat Charlotte Region: Mary-Margaret Johnstone, NC WAHN Board Member and Events Co-Chair, and Brooke Moose, Director of Development for Community Engagement. What began in 1991 as a simple idea shared over brunch in Charlotte has...

In this episode of WAHNcast, Angie Truitt sits down with Emily Promise, CEO of Shorepoint Advisory Group and a trusted financial planner committed to helping women build confidence, clarity, and long-term financial stability. Emily shares practical, approachable guidance on creating strong financial foundations, navigating career transitions, and building wealth in ways that align with personal va...

What does it mean to be dressed by love? In this episode of WAHNCast, Angie Truitt and Celia Gunn-Zaboli are joined by Karen Martin-Spellerberg of The Princess Project, a nonprofit that has spent more than two decades creating spaces where teens are not only dressed for prom, but wrapped in dignity, confidence, and belonging. Karen shares powerful stories of transformation — teens who arrive unsur...

In this episode of WAHNcast, we sit down with leaders from CohnReznick to unpack insights from the 2025 Affordable Housing Credit Study, one of the most widely referenced performance benchmarks in the LIHTC industry. Hosted by Stephanie Sleva, Senior Assurance Manager at CohnReznick and Founding Member and Board President of the Pennsylvania chapter of WAHN, the conversation explores how LIHTC por...

What does it take to steward an entire housing portfolio for nearly three decades? In this episode, hosts Ashley Northcutt and industry legend Babbie Jaco sit down with Colleen Fisher, Executive Director of the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing (CARH), for a deep and candid conversation about leadership, legacy, and the future of rural affordable housing. Colleen reflects on her 28-year ten...

This episode of WAHNcast is a celebration of growth, community, and six years of building something powerful together. Angie Truitt, Vice President of Communications for the Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN), is joined by WAHN’s CEO and President, Ashley Northcutt, to mark WAHN’s birthday and reflect on how far the organization has come. From the early days of explaining that “WAHN isn’t a...

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, host Ashley Northcutt interviews Bob Moss, one of the most respected champions of affordable housing policy in the United States. Bob traces his unexpected entry into the industry—from renting apartments in Maine to working alongside pioneers like Herb Collins and David Resnick—and shares how early lessons in advocacy shaped his approach on Capitol Hill....

In this episode of WAHNcast, host Ashley Northcutt sits down with Emma Schumaker, Senior Associate at Fairview Housing Partners and Lincoln Avenue Communities, whose work exemplifies resident-centered, heart-driven leadership in affordable housing. Emma shares how Fairview’s mission—to strengthen communities through direct services, deep partnerships, and creative approaches to financing—comes to...

In this episode of WAHNcast, hosts Angie Truitt and Ashley Northcutt sit down with Julia Pierson, Executive Director of the Consortium for Housing and Asset Management (CHAM) and one of the most respected voices in affordable housing. Julia reflects on her four-decade career, from her start as a HUD intern to becoming a nationally recognized leader shaping the field of asset management. Julia brea...

In this deeply moving episode of WAHNcast, host Ashley Northcutt sits down with Michele Stowe, founder of Skyrocket Coaching and former COO of Mercy Housing, and Shannon Wallis, founder and managing director of Cascade Leadership and former global director of High Potential Leadership Development at Microsoft. Together, they explore how profound loss can reveal the truest forms of leadership. Draw...

In honor of Veterans Day, this special episode of WAHNcast spotlights the inspiring work of Gorman & Company and their veteran-centered housing developments. Host Angie Truitt speaks with Rachel Snethen, Director of Development Operations, and Sally Schwenn, Arizona Market President, about the company’s efforts to build communities that go beyond shelter—providing wraparound services, mental h...

In this episode of WAHNcast, host Ashley Northcutt sits down with Dr. Reginald Parker, President and Chairman of Freedmen Green Bank & Trust, to explore how clean energy, finance, and community development can work together to build true equity. Dr. Parker — an engineer, innovator, and visionary leader — shares how his journey from technology and consulting to community banking became a missio...

In this deeply personal WAHNcast conversation, host Ashley Northcutt sits down with Brooke Etie, Cayleigh Miller, and Liz Childers — three women whose lives have been shaped by breast cancer in powerful ways. Together, they pull back the pink ribbon to talk about the hard truths behind awareness: missed mammograms, environmental causes, body image, advocacy, and the mental and emotional toll of di...

Note: This episode includes discussion of survivor recovery and support in the context of domestic violence and human trafficking. In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, we’re honored to bring you this inspiring conversation on WAHNcast. Hosts Angie Truitt and New England WAHN President Susanna Medoff sit down with Vanessa Volz, President and CEO of Sojourner House, a Rh...

In this episode of the WAHNcast, host Ashley Northcutt sits down with Donna Bullock, President and CEO of Project HOME and former Pennsylvania State Representative, to explore how housing can heal and empower entire communities. From growing up with housing insecurity to now leading one of Philadelphia’s most transformative nonprofits, Donna shares her journey of resilience, purpose, and partnersh...

Valerie White’s career spans over three decades in finance, housing, and community development—from shaping bond ratings and housing authority strategies at S&P to leading statewide MWBE initiatives and now serving as Head of National Housing Strategic Initiatives at LISC. In this WAHNcast conversation with Ashley Northcutt, Valerie shares her journey, the bold three-pronged strategy LISC is d...

In this episode of WAHNcast, host Angie Truitt takes the field with some of our WAHN Allies to talk about what allyship looks like in affordable housing today. Joined by Ally Committee co-chairs Abe Kruger and Ben Goates, Mike Duffy (WAHN’s 2025 Ally of the Year), and Brian Philps of Indiana WAHN, the conversation explores how allies are helping women’s voices lead the industry. From the origins o...

In this episode of WAHNcast, Angie Truitt teams up with co-hosts Megan Goyer and Britney Watson, Co-Chairs of the UNC Chapel Hill WAHN U Chapter, for a powerful conversation with Kate Rodgers, Co-Chair of the Student HOMES Coalition and recent UCLA graduate. Kate shares how she helped launch a statewide student coalition after realizing that conversations around college affordability were leaving...