ChangeMakers with Katie Goar

In this episode of Changemakers, Katie Goar sits down with Joaquín Cintrón Vega, CEO of the Denver Housing Authority, to explore his transformative vision for affordable housing. Born in Puerto Rico and shaped by early experiences of community resilience, Joaquín shares how his 24-year career centers on housing as a foundation for human dignity and economic mobility—not mere transactions.   He det...

Katie sits down with Ann Bischoff, CEO of Star House, a groundbreaking nonprofit empowering youth exiting homelessness in Columbus, Ohio. Ann shares her deeply personal journey—from surviving childhood trauma to becoming a policy advocate—and how it fueled her mission to create safe, transformative spaces for vulnerable young people.    Discover how Star House’s innovative 24/7 drop-in model prior...

Katie sits down with Kyle Kamrooz, founder of Bonus Homes. He shares his innovative approach to affordable housing and helping middle-class families maximize the long-term value of homeownership. With decades of experience in mortgages and fintech, Kyle introduces the model behind Home Appreciation Partnerships (HAPs)—a unique solution that enables homeowners to access their home equity without ha...

Katie welcomes ChangeMaker Milet Hopping, President and CEO of the Waco Housing Authority, to explore innovative strategies for tackling affordable housing challenges. With over three decades of experience, Milet shares her journey from social work to housing advocacy, emphasizing how stable housing transforms lives and communities. Discover how Waco is pioneering public-private partnerships to re...

In this inspiring episode of Changemakers with Katie Gore, Ashley Northcutt, President and CEO of the Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN), shares how she pivoted from a 15-year career in public accounting to leading a groundbreaking movement empowering women in affordable housing. Dive into a conversation about WAHN’s mission to unite professionals across the industry—from finance to propert...

 Katie Goar sits down with ChangeMaker Kevin Campbell, the visionary Executive Director of the Raleigh Area Land Trust, to explore innovative solutions for affordable housing. Discover how Raleigh’s booming growth and rising housing costs are impacting families, and learn why the land trust model is uniquely positioned to address affordability challenges. Kevin delves into the history of this appr...

Katie sits down with ChangeMaker, Chris Krehmeyer, President and CEO of Beyond Housing, a visionary leader dedicated to transforming communities in St. Louis. With over 30 years of experience, Chris has mobilized over $175 million in investments to create thriving neighborhoods. Join us as Chris shares his journey into affordable housing and community development, starting from his early days at t...

In this episode of ChangeMakers, Katie sits down with Bob Simpson, founder of Simpson Impact Strategies and CEO of the Multifamily Impact Council, to discuss the critical role of affordable housing in strengthening communities and driving economic growth. With over 25 years of experience in housing finance and policy, Bob shares insights into the challenges and opportunities in the multifamily hou...

In this inspiring episode of ChangeMakers, Katie welcomes Paige Lohoefer, the visionary founder of The Birthday Party Project. Paige shares her incredible journey from being a successful wedding planner to creating a nationwide nonprofit that has brought joy to over 73,000 children experiencing homelessness through unforgettable birthday celebrations. Paige opens up about the pivotal moment that s...

In this episode of Changemakers with Katie Goar, we sit down with Terri Lee, President and CEO of Atlanta Housing, to explore her journey as a leader in housing policy and urban development. Terri shares her experience as Atlanta's first Chief Housing Officer, her transition to leading Atlanta Housing, and the transformative initiatives she has championed to address affordability in one of the cou...

In this episode of ChangeMakers, Katie welcomes Angela Jimenez, the first female CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of High Point. From her personal journey as a former public housing resident to her current leadership role, Angela shares how her experiences shape her approach to transforming affordable housing. She discusses innovative initiatives including the conversion of outdated housin...

In this episode of Changemakers, Katie speaks with Leonard Spicer, Executive Director of the Newark Housing Authority. Leonard shares his journey into affordable housing, beginning with an unexpected entry at the Chicago Housing Authority and leading to significant roles within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He describes the challenges and rewards of his work in Newark, emph...

In part two of this inspiring conversation, Katie continues her discussion with Sarah Kahn, President and CEO of Housing Forward, about their transformative work in combating homelessness. Sarah shares insights into how Housing Forward addresses family homelessness, the critical role of supportive resources like furnished homes, and the importance of housing stability for families. Through persona...

In this episode, Katie sits down with Sarah Kahn, President and CEO of Housing Forward, to explore the impactful work being done to combat homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties. Sarah shares her journey into the field, driven by a deep-seated commitment to social equity and sustainable housing solutions. As the head of the lead agency for the homeless response system, she discusses Housing Fo...

Katie looks back at her inspiring conversation with ChangeMaker Jennifer Keogh, Vice President of Operations and Affordable Housing at Progress Residential. With over 20 years of leadership in affordable housing, Jennifer brought a wealth of experience and insight to the discussion. Formerly Deputy Executive Director at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Chair of the National Association...

Katie revisits her inspiring conversation with Grace Ruiz-Stepter, Director of the Housing and Community Development Department for the City of Anaheim. With over 20 years of experience managing housing programs at federal and local levels, Grace was a passionate leader dedicated to expanding affordable housing access and fostering community development. Before her current role, she held key leade...

Katie welcomes ChangeMaker Ali Solis, the Managing Principal at Solis Strategic Solutions (S3) and a leading advocate in housing policy. Ali shares her inspiring journey from private sector beginnings to a pivotal role in national housing initiatives, including the ACTION Campaign. She delves into the challenges of manufactured housing, the importance of public-private partnerships, and her work t...

In the second part of Katie's conversation with Tess Hembree, Executive Director of COSCDA, they delve deeper into the technical assistance her organization provides to state agencies navigating the complexities of federal funding. They explore the challenges faced by state and local governments in administering programs like CDBG and CDBG-DR. Tess highlights the importance of training and capacit...

In this episode, Katie is join by ChangeMaker, Tess Hembree, Executive Director of the Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA). Tess is a seasoned advocate for state-level community development and affordable housing. From her early days as a temp worker to her current leadership role, Tess shares her inspiring journey and valuable insights. Listeners will delve into the challenge...

In Part 2, Katie Goar continues her conversation with Marion McFadden, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD. Marion highlights a wide array of HUD programs, from homelessness prevention to affordable housing creation, and discusses their recent accomplishments. She emphasizes the success of HUD's Pro Housing program, which empowers communities to i...

Katie Goar speaks with Marion McFadden, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD. Marion shares her journey, beginning with her unexpected involvement in disaster recovery after 9/11, and reflects on how this shaped her passion for community resilience. She discusses the evolving role of HUD in addressing the growing frequency and severity of disasters...

In this compelling second part of Katie's conversation with Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing, they dive deep into how modern technology is reshaping public housing and resident services. Williams shares valuable insights about cybersecurity challenges in housing authorities and discusses the innovative Beyond Housing Foundation, which has already accumulated over $1 million in asset...

Katie welcomes ChangeMaker Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing, to explore the remarkable journey of an architect-turned-housing innovator who's reshaping affordable housing in California's Central Valley. Williams shares his "scenic route" from Prairie View A&M University to MIT and explains how his diverse experience in architecture, urban planning, and real estate development ha...

In Part Two of our conversation with Lisa Gutierrez on ChangeMakers, we explore the human side of affordable housing development. Lisa shares inspiring stories from her portfolio, including groundbreaking projects like one of the nation's first LGBTQ+ senior housing developments and the revitalization of a historic Bracero farm worker housing complex in Soledad, California. As a 2023 inductee into...

In this episode of ChangeMakers, host Katie Goar sits down with Lisa Gutierrez, Senior Vice President and Director of Business Development for Affordable Housing at U.S. Bank. As a 2023 inductee into the California Housing Consortium's Hall of Fame, Lisa shares invaluable insights from her 20-year career in affordable housing and commercial real estate. Lisa leads U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance's nat...