Consulting Resources
Zen Sawyer, Owner/Founder
Notable Specialties: Building/managing pro-formas; funding applications; development proposals; acquisitions; experience with many different types of executions, including affordable rental/condo, market rate, Opportunity Zone investment, naturally occurring affordable housing, retail/commercial office, mixed-income, and mixed-use.
Zen has been working in affordable housing since 2007 when he cut his teeth as an acquisitions analyst with Mercy Housing California, building a new pro forma template, putting it to good use with over 50 financial and site use analyses, and launching 12 new projects with a combined construction budget of over $450 million. Since founding ZDC in 2011, Zen has worked on more than 50 consulting engagements. While predevelopment work is his specialty, his consulting experience has been wide-ranging, including serving in such roles as VP of Operations for a mid-sized developer; project manager for a four phased, mixed-income, mixed-use development in Detroit; and project lead on a multi-year nationwide search for naturally occurring affordable housing opportunities. This wide variety of engagements has allowed Zen to cultivate expertise not only in affordable rental housing but also in for-sale product, mixed income, mixed use, value-add, commercial, and market rate executions ... a rare cross-pollination within a specialized field like affordable housing. Zen lives in West Marin County, California with his wife and two sons. He spends much of his free time doing yoga, exploring the culinary arts, and traveling, all with a healthy dose of present moment awareness.
Jeremy Hoffman, Chief Operating Officer
Notable Specialties: Financial analysis and underwriting; acquisition/rehab and resyndications; government affordable housing policy and finance; staff management; extensive project management from conception to completion.
Jeremy had his first experience with affordable housing in 2011 as an intern while in graduate school for real estate development at the University of Maryland. After getting a taste, he quickly moved to where the most affordable housing action was, in the Big Apple, where he worked for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development for 7 years. He started on the Preservation Team underwriting and financing acquisition/rehabs; worked his way up to Executive Director of Multifamily Preservation Programs; and culminated with a notable leadership position as Assistant Commissioner for New Construction Finance where he oversaw a 35-person team that financed more than 6,000 affordable housing units worth more than $3 billion. In 2020, Jeremy and his wife moved back West to their Oakland homeland to raise a family. Jeremy joined the California development community serving as Associate Director of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing, Inc. and subsequently as Director of Development for Northern California at BRIDGE Housing, where he oversaw the large-scale master plan development, Balboa Reservoir, in San Francisco, as well as many notable new construction projects in the Bay Area, and several portfolio resyndication projects. In 2024, Jeremy founded JH Affordable Housing Solutions Inc. to focus on consulting in the industry and currently serves as subconsultant to ZDC. When Jeremy doesn’t have his hands full with his two young daughters, he enjoys exercising, cooking, live music, and traveling.
Ben Phillips, Lead Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Development proposals, acquisitions, entitlements, policy development, financial analysis, historic preservation, transit oriented development, public housing redevelopment, shelter and supportive homes for frail seniors and those experiencing homelessness, cooperatives and social housing.
A third generation homebuilder, Ben got started in affordable housing as a resident leader and organizer of student cooperatives in the early 1990s. Now a national leader in urban and regional planning and development, Ben has a passion for creating high quality living environments that support health and wellness. Ben has enjoyed a 30 year career as a market leader for national nonprofit and for profit operators seeking to enter new markets in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore, and Cleveland. In 2024, Ben founded Bradstreet Phillips (www.bradstreetphillips.com) to make holistic real estate investments that preserve and enhance cultural, human, and natural resources for community and shareholder benefit. Bradstreet Phillips is currently a subconsultant to Zen Development Consultants. Ben has built more than 50 residential communities, and over 100,000 square feet of commercial, cultural, and educational facilities, including retail, restaurants, performance venues, and clinics. These assets represent over $2 billion in value, spread across 9 states. Ben is the past president of the Southern California Association for Non-Profit Housing, and has served in senior executive roles for Beacon Communities, Develop Detroit, and Mercy Housing.
Kevin Griffith, Lead Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Financial analysis and underwriting; acquisitions; public housing redevelopment; master planned communities; entitlements; staff management; project management from conception to completion.
Kevin has been an affordable housing developer for most of his career. He began as a young project manager with BRIDGE Housing Corporation at the end of the millennium completing several 100% affordable projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, then transitioning to sourcing new projects and leading BRIDGE’s geographic expansion to Sacramento, Oregon and Washington as Director of Business Development. In 2018 Kevin took the opportunity to work with Wilson Meany on the redevelopment of Treasure Island, a decommissioned Navy base in San Francisco Bay transitioning to a new master planned city. Kevin’s duties included creation of an interim ferry service, initial design for the first seven residential blocks, phased entitlement approvals for future phases, and community facilities and placemaking. Kevin then accepted a leadership position with McCormack Baron Salazar overseeing development for the West Coast region and managing a team of four developers. Most recently Kevin has been a Vice President with MidPen Housing overseeing a team of project managers and a portfolio of 14 projects throughout the Bay Area and Monterey Bay region. In 2026, Kevin founded Kevin Griffith Development Solutions LLC to focus on consulting in the industry and currently serves as a subconsultant to ZDC. Kevin holds a Civil Engineering degree and a Masters in City Planning. Kevin is a member of the Executive Committee of the Housing Action Coalition and serves on the board of KIPP Schools Bay Area Real Estate Board. Kevin is a long time resident of Oakland and enjoys biking and hiking in the East Bay hills and throughout the Bay Area.
Liz Tracey, Lead Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Financial analysis and underwriting; feasibility studies; debt and equity negotiations; new markets tax credits; Project Homekey.
Liz has three decades of experience with affordable housing finance and development, spanning construction and permanent lending; equity investing; real estate development; and consulting to developers, foundations, and local and state governments – she’s done it all! Liz worked at large institutions like Bank of America and Chase Bank in community development banking, nonprofits like Low Income Investment Fund placing debt and tax credits, Jamboree Housing doing business development, and juggernaut the Michaels Organization originating new affordable deals in Texas and Colorado. In the consulting realm, she was a senior principal at premier consulting firm, LeSar Development Consultants, where she led engagements with developers, transit agencies, local governments, and the Cal. Dept. of Housing and Community Development. In 2024, Liz founded her own consultancy - MET Consultants – and serves as a subconsultant to ZDC. Liz received her bachelor's degree at Northwestern and a master’s in business administration with a specialty in finance and real estate at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. After decades of the grind in California, Liz has wisely holed up in the small mountain town of Estes Park, CO, where she enjoys daily hiking with her dog, cross country skiing and hosting visits from family and friends.
Gabriel Speyer, Lead Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: providing construction loans and LIHTC investments; using and creating new HCD programs; representing cities in closing process; project-managing LIHTC developments; analyzing sites; writing/evaluating RFPs; and creating Excel-based funding applications & scoring.
Born and raised in California, Gabe Speyer has been working in the affordable housing industry for over 20 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the ZDC team. Until recently, Gabe served as a Senior Principal at LeSar Development Consultants, where he led the five-person Housing Finance and Development Unit. Often public facing, his team designed and implemented programs, tools, and analyses that addressed California’s housing affordability crisis by identifying, evaluating, and facilitating opportunities for affordable housing development statewide. Prior to his time at LeSar, Gabe was a Senior Project Manager at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) in San Francisco. During those five years, he oversaw all aspects of numerous new-construction and rehabilitation projects, from conception to completion. Before TNDC, Gabe was a Senior Client Manager with Bank of America Merrill Lynch Community Development Banking. He financed over 1,000 units of affordable and supportive housing throughout California using LIHTC equity, construction, and permanent loans. In 2025 Gabe founded his own firm, Keel Development Consultants (www.keel-development.com), to broaden his reach in the affordable housing industry. Gabe holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. He is a Marshall Memorial Fellow and an Ironman Triathlon finisher (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run). Gabe holds a German dual citizenship and in his free time enjoys traveling and swimming in the freezing cold San Francisco Bay.
Miguel Vasquez, Senior Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Entitlements/permitting/CEQA; Construction management; Condominium/HOA’s and Subdivisions; Extensive project management experience from conception to completion.
Miguel has over 20 years of experience with commercial, multi-family and mixed-use real estate development projects throughout the Western United States. In 2006 he became VP of Development for Coastal Rim Properties Inc. where he worked from conception to completion on developments throughout California and Hawaii. Miguel’s expertise encompasses a variety of product types ranging from multifamily and affordable housing; mixed-use projects including residential/office/retail; transit-oriented development (TOD) projects; and continuum of care communities for seniors. In 2013 Miguel founded his consulting firm, Anchor Point Development, for much of the next 10 years was focused on managing Development of several institutional sized, mixed- use TOD projects in the greater Los Angeles area, including brownfield remediation, with project sizes ranging from $20M to $175M. He holds an active Class B General Contractor’s license. Miguel lives in Orange County, Cal. and enjoys surfing, traveling, and teaming up with his wife to raise two rambunctious boys and a slightly less rambunctious daughter.
Ileah La Vora, Senior Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Project management from conception to completion; asset management; extensive San Francisco experience.
Since 2005, Ileah has been working as an affordable housing project manager in the San Francisco Bay Area. Of the 14 total projects she has worked on, 12 have been in San Francisco proper, and through that work Ileah has gained exceptional experience with all City agencies and departments. Six of her projects include commercial space and four of them include special needs components for formerly homeless families, seniors and transitional aged youth. Two of Ileah’s projects – 1180 4th St. and 1100 Ocean have been lauded with numerous awards, including Affordable Housing Finance Readers Choice, local awards, and AIA Design awards. In 2021, Ileah founded La Vora Development to focus on consulting in the industry and currently serves as a subconsultant to Zen Development Consultants. Ileah currently resides in Baja California with her pup, where in her free time she can be found honing her ceramics and surfing skills, and we are not sure she is going to come back, but she remains a highly effective asset for any development initiative.
Colleen Edwards, Senior Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (“AHSC”) funding; public-private partnerships; community engagement; complex entitlement and negotiations; lender relations; budgeting and cost control; City of LA development; Construction Management as Owner Representative.
Colleen is an accomplished development manager with over two decades of experience managing complex, large-scale affordable and market-rate housing projects across California. After high school, she dove right into the construction industry, joining Swinerton as a project engineer/estimator, then circled back for her Bachelor of Science in Management, Magna Cum Laude, from Pepperdine University and Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California. In 2007, Colleen launched her project management career at AMCAL, followed by stints at Palm Communities, WCH Communities, and Chelsea Investment Corp, where she developed the valuable skill set of funding Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (“AHSC”) projects. Colleen sports a near perfect record on securing awards for her AHSC projects. Her notable developments include the Weingart Tower in Los Angeles, a 278-unit high-rise providing permanent supportive housing in Skid Row; Pueblo Viejo Villas in Coachella, which brought the first AHSC-funded affordable housing to the Coachella Valley; and the West View and Marmion Way Apartments in Los Angeles, CA – both transit oriented developments close to the Metro Expo and Gold Line stops serving families, seniors and formerly homeless veterans. In 2024 Colleen founded Colleen Edwards Inc. to focus on consulting and serves as a subconsultant to ZDC. Colleen is a licensed California Real Estate Broker (License #02085079), general contractor, and a LEED Accredited Professional. She spends her free time urban hiking with her three dogs in and around Los Angeles, jamming on the auto harp, and is actively building her own real estate portfolio.
Candice Hung, Senior Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Mixed-Income Housing, Master Plan Development, Public Housing Redevelopment, Privately Financed Affordable Housing, Entitlements/Permitting, Site Plan/Building Design Review, Modular Construction, and Permanent Supportive Housing
After receiving her Master of Planning degree from USC in 2011, Candice beelined for the affordable housing development industry, beginning her career at Clifford Beers with a focus on Permanent Supportive Housing. Later, while at Abode Communities, she gained experience in a wide variety of affordable housing projects that focused on families, seniors, acquisition-rehabilitation, and resyndications. As Vice President at McCormack Baron Salazar, Candice spearheaded mixed-income, mixed-use developments along the West Coast. During her tenure, Candice led a $240 million multi-phase redevelopment of a 22-acre master plan development that included 487 units of mixed-income housing, a public park, an early childhood education center and a light rail station. Candice also established the company’s first projects in Oregon and Nevada. She is well-versed in a myriad of public and private financing strategies ranging from Federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Tax-Exempt Bonds, HUD Choice Neighborhood Initiatives, HUD Section 18 and RAD, California Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, California Multifamily Housing Program, and other state and local financing programs. Most recently, Candice took a break from public funding applications (whew) and served as Vice President at SoLa Impact, where she was responsible for 22 new construction, multifamily projects as part of a cutting edge funding strategy to replace soft funds with private equity in affordable housing. In 2025, Candice founded CHRE Development to focus on consulting in the affordable housing industry and currently serves as a subconsultant to Zen Development Consultants. An avid traveler, Candice has been to over 45 countries and collaborated with local government and NGOs on community development projects in Costa Rica, China, Romania, and India. A slugger both in the office and on the field, Candice is a founding member of Eligible Bases, a co-ed municipal softball team consisting of affordable housing professionals.
Erick Diaz, Senior Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Acquisitions, advanced financial modeling, GIS programming, strong expository writing, project level and organizational underwriting.
After getting oriented to the affordable housing development industry through the intensive California Coalition for Rural Housing Training (CCRH) Internship Program and the USC Ross Minority Certificate Program in Real Estate, Erick began his career in 2014 with Community Housing Works in San Diego where he project managed 300 units of acquisition-rehabs and new construction projects in Southern California. Duties included due diligence for acquisition, submitting local and state funding applications (LIHCT, bond, HOME, AHP, RFP’s and other NOFA’s), and managing construction through stabilization and project close out. In 2017 Erick joined the wide world of consulting, where he has performed feasibility analysis for numerous sites, submitted RFPs, and managed the acquisition process for a $12.5 million site in San Jose. In 2021 Erick founded his consultancy, Studio 13 Community Development Consultants, and serves as subconsultant to ZDC. He started consulting on the finance/underwriting side of the industry at Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp, and then at the Housing Partnership Network where he has underwritten $35 million in LIHTC equity and $40 million in project-based and working capital loans for various CDFIs. His duties as an underwriter include reviewing due diligence materials (i.e., market studies, appraisals, environmental reports); understanding sponsor’s development plan; performing financial modeling; and analyzing sponsor financial statements, written policies/procedures, and projected real estate pipeline. Erick decided at this point in his career that one master’s degree from Harvard was not good enough for him, so he got two of them simultaneously – a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Master’s in Urban Planning from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. In 2019, he took a breather from Harvard to be a Summer Policy Analyst at the California Housing Partnership where he was able to utilize his top-notch data analysis and GIS skills. Erick currently resides in warmer climates where he is slowly recovering from Boston winters.
Kate Traynor, Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: acquisition rehab and new construction project management from conception to completion; HUD RAD/202/236/FHA underwriting; City of San Francisco expertise.
Originally from Massachusetts, Kate’s affordable housing career started on the East Coast producing market studies for LIHTC developers and consulting at HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing Preservation in DC where she supported RAD privatization of public housing and underwrote refinancings for HUD 202s and HUD 236s. In search of better weather, Kate followed the setting sun to Los Angeles to pursue a graduate degree in Urban Planning at UCLA. She then moved to the Bay Area in 2017 where she worked for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and others before landing at BRIDGE Housing in 2021 as a Project Manager. At BRIDGE she was quickly promoted to Senior Project Manager in charge of managing new construction and portfolio rehab/resyndication projects from conception to completion. In 2024, Kate founded Kate Traynor Corporation to focus on consulting work and serves as subconsultant to ZDC. Kate splits her time between the Bay Area, Lake Tahoe, and the New York City and prides herself on traveling light, but always with at least three books in her travel bag. When not immersed in affordable housing, Kate likes to birdwatch, ski, and work with stained glass.
Christina Duran, Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Public Administration of LIHTC; Funding Applications; Underwriting; Resyndications
For nearly 15 years, Christina served as the Director/Executive Director of the LIHTC program at New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the nation’s largest municipal housing finance agency. She worked intimately with not-for-profit and for-profit developers, syndicators, financial institutions and other stakeholders through the application, carryover, 8609 and troubleshooting processes. She allocated competitive 9% and tax-exempt 4% tax credits to more than 40,000 units during her career through original allocations and resyndications. As Executive Director, she was also responsible for publishing HPD’s annual Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP). During her tenure, Christina was responsible for the creation and management of HPD’s Year 15 Program and recently spearheaded revising HPD’s Right of First Refusal (ROFR) policy which is being used as a blueprint for many other cities and states. Needless to say, Christina is an expert in all things LIHTC and specifically in resyndication planning and execution. Prior to work at HPD, Christina served as an Assistant Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase working exclusively on affordable housing developments in New York City from conception to conversion. She earned her Master’s in Public Administration from CUNY’S John Jay College and her Bachelor’s in Sociology from Iowa State University. In 2022, Christina founded Christina Duran LLC to focus on consulting work and is currently a subconsultant to ZDC. At the same time, Christina relocated from New York City to Iowa with her husband, three busy children, and five pound fur baby chihuahua to be closer to family and find a slower pace of life after living in NYC for 25 years (just imagine!).
Kayla DiMarco, Development Consultant
Notable Specialties: Project management from conception to completion; construction management (i.e. owners rep), Community Land Trusts for homeownership, Affordable Condos, New Markets Tax Credits
Originally from Massachusetts, Kate’s affordable housing career started on the East Coast producing market studies for LIHTC developers and consulting at HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing Preservation in DC where she supported RAD privatization of public housing and underwrote refinancings for HUD 202s and HUD 236s. In search of better weather, Kate followed the setting sun to Los Angeles to pursue a graduate degree in Urban Planning at UCLA. She then moved to the Bay Area in 2017 where she worked for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and others before landing at BRIDGE Housing in 2021 as a Project Manager. At BRIDGE she was quickly promoted to Senior Project Manager in charge of managing new construction and portfolio rehab/resyndication projects from conception to completion. In 2024, Kate founded Kate Traynor Corporation to focus on consulting work and serves as subconsultant to ZDC. Kate splits her time between the Bay Area, Lake Tahoe, and the New York City and prides herself on traveling light, but always with at least three books in her travel bag. When not immersed in affordable housing, Kate likes to birdwatch, ski, and work with stained glass.