Our Speakers

Former Executive Director

AHMA of East Texas

Michael Alexander has been in the housing industry 40+ years. He has served as the Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Management Association of East Texas. He also was Project Administrator for The Pinemont Apartments, a Section 8/202 property for the elderly and disabled, from 1994-2011. Although he officially retired from AHMA East Texas in 2022, he continues to train as a Certified NAHMA Trainer for the CPO and FH. He teaches a variety of classes for managers and maintenance personnel. He currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A Texan native, Michael attended Eastern Washington State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music; he also earned a Master of Arts degree from Houston Graduate School of Theology. He has also participated in the Art and Practice of Leadership Development program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is a Master Practitioner of the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

His first children's book, "Henry, The Laughing Hippopotamus" has been published and is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Chief Operating Officer/Chief Wellness Officer

The Battlestation Corporation

Sheila Battle is a TEDx speaker, author, and executive coach dedicated to transforming lives from the inside out. As a dynamic leader, change agent, and human services advocate, she empowers individuals and teams through practical, personal teachings that foster growth and resilience. Whether managing teams or leading workshops, Sheila's energetic and engaging approach motivates and inspires in the boardroom and beyond. Blending real-life stories with a conversational style, she creates deep, personal connections with her audience, making transformation both accessible and actionable. Alongside her husband, Frank, she co-hosts the Soulful Conversations with Frank & Sheila podcast and is the visionary behind The BattleStation and 15 Minutes of Grace.

Asset Management Trainer

Navigate Affordable Housing Partners

Mary Celone is an Asset Management Trainer with Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, joining the organization in 2026 after more than 20 years in affordable housing property management. Her experience spans both housing authorities and nonprofit management companies throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, with roles in direct property management and operational compliance. Mary has extensive knowledge of HUD, USDA Rural Development, HOME, and state-funded housing programs, working closely with property owners and residents to support successful, safe, and healthy communities. While much of her career focused on senior housing, she is passionate about learning, speaking, and educating others about all areas of affordable housing.

Senior Account Executive

Affordable Sales Team/Yardi Systems

Joanna Chlopecka is a Senior Account Executive on the Affordable Sales team at Yardi Systems, where she covers affordable housing portfolio clients across the East Coast. With 15 years in the technology space and 8 years at Yardi, she brings deep expertise in helping organizations simplify operations through integrated software, from property management and compliance to leasing automation and AI-powered resident services. Joanna knows that better technology means housing providers can operate more efficiently, and that makes a real difference for the people they serve.

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C

Since his years with Mays & Valentine in the early 1990's Mr. Creasy (Grimes) has included an emphasis on Landlord/Tenant, Fair Housing and ADA litigation in his practice. With Johnson, Ayers & Matthews in Roanoke since 1995, Grimes has continued to focus on housing issues, including serving on the Virginia Housing Study Commission, conducting seminars for state and local apartment and real estate associations, as well as providing Judicial Seminars for General District Court and Circuit Court Judges on the VRLTA.

President & CEO

DeSilva Housing Group

Jenny DeSilva is the President and CEO of DeSilva Housing Group and has more than 25 years of experience in affordable housing. She is a recognized industry compliance expert with extensive consulting and training knowledge in HUD's Multifamily Housing programs. Ms. DeSilva began her career in the affordable housing industry as a Director for Southwest Housing Compliance Corporation, HUD's Project-Based Section 8 Contract Administrator for Texas and Arkansas. Over the course of fourteen years, she held two directorships overseeing staff that processed monthly HAP Requests, as well as staff that conducted 900+ Management and Occupancy Reviews at HUD communities every year.

Ms. DeSilva then utilized her experience and perspective to develop her new role in the industry as an approachable consultant and passionate trainer for housing professionals. When not training, Ms. DeSilva provides quality assurance and technical expertise to vendors offering TRACS compliance software. She has participated in multiple HUD Working Groups charged with developing new TRACS industry specifications and in shaping MOR audit procedures that foster consistency amongst various oversight agencies. She currently serves as a HUD technical assistance subcontractor, providing nationwide TRACS and Secure Systems technical assistance to owners. She is a Certified Occupancy Specialist, Tax Credit Specialist and Certified Housing Manager.

 

Founder, COO/Chief Inspector

American Property Consultants

Mr. Dennis DiBello is the founder and COO/Chief Inspector of American Property Consultants, a Nationwide Inspection & Consulting Company. Mr. DiBello's experiences started with UPCS inspections under the initial HUD REAC pilot program in July 1998 and he has been managing/performing inspections (NSPIRE, UPCS, HQS) and training ever since. In these last 28 years Dennis has certified multiple times as a HUD REAC inspector and trained 1000's of housing personnel about inspection. He is one of the nation's top HUD Inspection knowledgeable persons including the new inspection protocol NSPIRE. His company, APC, has performed 1000's of inspections from Maine to Puerto Rico to California and Oregon. Mr. DiBello also has conducted over 500 NSPIRE/UPCS training sessions for over 8,000 housing personnel. Mr. DiBello is actively involved in the development of the inspection protocol NSPIRE with HUD-REAC, national associations, and Washington meetings and discussions.

Rental Compliance Support Manager

Virginia Housing

Erica Etterling is the Rental Compliance Support Manager in Compliance and Asset Management at Virginia Housing. She has worked in the affordable housing industry for over 25 years in various roles, developing, managing, monitoring, and directing projects and affordable housing programs. As the Compliance Support Manager, she serves as an internal advisor on the regulations governing the federal and state housing programs administered and monitored by Virginia Housing.

Erica loves all the moving parts of working with affordable housing programs. She takes every opportunity to gain new knowledge and share her knowledge and experiences with others. She is an avid reader and is always up for talking about food!

Compliance Support Officer

Virginia Housing

Rosie Hackett is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in property leasing, management, and compliance monitoring of affordable housing programs. Since 2023, she has held the role of Compliance Support Officer at Virginia Housing, ensuring high compliance standards for the properties in the Virginia Housing rental portfolio.

Rosie is driven by her desire to serve and help others and approaches her role with a deep commitment to community and regulatory integrity. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, fishing, hiking, and working on her farm.

President

AJ Johnson Consulting Services, Inc.

Mr. Johnson has been involved in the development and management of residential and commercial enterprises since 1976. He has coordinated the development of over 70 multi-family housing complexes utilizing federal, state, and conventional financing, of which more than 40 used the federal low-income housing tax credit. He is now President of A.J. Johnson Consulting Services, Inc., a full-service real estate consulting firm specializing in due diligence and asset management issues, with a particular emphasis on properties utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. Mr. Johnson served as a technical advisor to Congressional staff during the drafting of both the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

His company has performed asset management reviews on more than 5,000 properties containing approximately 460,000 units since January 1995. Mr. Johnson is a contributing author to The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Advisor, as well as being a member of the Board of Advisors to The Tax Credit Housing Management Insider, a monthly tax credit compliance guide.

Mr. Johnson was also a member of the Task Force that developed the Housing Credit Certification Exam on behalf of NAHB, and is a NAHB recognized Section 42 Trainer. Mr. Johnson holds the S.T.A.R. (Spectrum Training Award Recipient) designation for demonstrated expertise in the regulations and management principles of Rural Rental Housing and is a Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP©).

Corporate Training & Education Specialist

Navigate Affordable Housing Partners

Pam Kazlauskas has over 30 years of affordable housing experience in the HUD PBRA program and direct property management. She is proficient in HUD Guidelines, HUD Compliance, and Fair Housing training. Pam is also experienced with HOME, USDA/RD, LIHTC, and CT state-funded housing.

Presently, she holds the position of Corporate Training and Education Specialist for Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, the HUD Contract Administrator for the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi, and Virginia. She currently co-hosts a weekly YouTube video HUD compliance session entitled "Tuesday Tips," sharing her knowledge and expertise of the HUD multifamily industry.

In her free time, Pam can often be found volunteering in animal rescue.

Gates Kellett is the founder of The Gates Development Group, LLC (GDG, LLC), a mission-based consulting firm that works with non-profit owners of affordable housing across the country to help them through the preservation process. Gates specializes in working on projects that were originally financed through the HUD 202 Direct Loan and Capital Advance programs, as well as with properties with Section 8 and PBV rental subsidy, and she has been working in this field for over 30 years.

Gates spent fifteen years with regional and local non-profit affordable housing developers before founding her consulting company, and this experience allowed her to develop expertise in a variety of preservation transactions. She has also been an active educator on affordable housing development and preservation issues. She is a HUD approved "Subject Matter Expert", and she has been a co-facilitator in HUD's two main preservation training series. She has been an instructor with NeighborWorks Institute, and a visiting lecturer in the Georgia Tech Graduate City Planning program.