Director, Economic & Urban Development, City Heights Community Development Corporation

Erik Tilkemeier is an advocate of equitable prosperity.  With 40 years’ experience in community, organizational, business and real estate development, he works with community residents and other stakeholders to facilitate the creation of socially, economically, and environmentally resilient places.

Erik earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, and has worked with UCSD’s Active Living Research and Center for Community Health, as well as the JKA Group as a Senior Associate in social ecology. He has experience directing master planning processes, built environment improvements, and entitlement of complex projects.

Project Manager, MAAC, Inc.

My name is Jesus Suarez, I was born in raised in San Diego County and I have been in the affordable housing industry for almost 3 years. I graduated from University of California Santa Cruz in 2017, with a major in Politics and began at MAAC on March of 2018.

Prior to working at MAAC, I was privileged to be chosen as an intern at MidPen housing, a large nonprofit developer based in Northern California.I am currently responsible for a total of 6 projects. I am responsible for various aspects of each project from acquisition, securing finance, relocation, construction and initial compliance.

Affordable housing is very much needed in California and I am very happy to contribute to that need through the development of affordable housing. In my spare time I love traveling and hanging out with my friends and family.

Project Manager, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation

Viviana N. Arellano is a Project Manager for Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation in San Diego. As a Project Manager she ushers affordable housing projects through all phases of development and construction. Viviana brings a unique perspective to affordable housing development with more than 20 years of experience as an architectural designer specializing in affordable housing communities.

She uses her accrued knowledge of affordable housing design, building codes and funding requirements to coordinate the efforts of diverse teams of consultants, contractors and development partners to create affordable housing that meets the needs of the communities Wakeland serves. Viviana’s experience includes a decade and a half working for San Diego’s leading architecture firm for affordable housing design, where she was instrumental to the design of 15 award-winning affordable housing communities. Throughout her career, she has been involved in the design of approximately 1,100 units of affordable housing. Viviana received a B.A. in Architecture with a minor in Civil Engineering and Master of Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley.

Vice President, Development for Community HousingWorks

Kelly Moden serves as Vice President of Development for Community HousingWorks, and leads a 9-person development team that is responsible for adding thousands of affordable units to California’s housing shortage.

Prior to her work at Community HousingWorks, Kelly developed market rate multi-family housing throughout San Diego county. She has worked both in the private and public sectors and possesses a strong and well-rounded real estate background.  Although she is a San Diego native, she graduated from the University of Colorado with degree in Architecture. Beyond her work as VP of Development, she also represents the City of San Diego as a Planning Commissioner, sits on the board for NAIOP a commercial real estate industry association, and is a guest lecturer at UCSD.

Throughout her career she has transacted on over $175 million worth of deal volume (land and acquisitions), underwritten $300+ million of acquisition and redevelopment deals, and negotiated leases for retail, commercial and ground leases, amounting to annual lease revenue of over $2 million. She has managed construction projects in excess of $200 million and managed complex land entitlements including tentative maps, changes in use, Letters of Map Revision (LOMR) with FEMA, Coastal Development Permits, and master plan amendments. She works tirelessly on housing policy and ways she can positively influence and propel the entire San Diego community forward.

Associate Director, Housing Innovation Partners

Jon Walters graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, cum laude, and received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army Reserve. While in Michigan, Jon began his career with the American Red Cross in the Emergency Services Department before relocating to San Diego in 1999. Jon and began working at St. Madeleine Sophie Center for Developmentally Disabled Adults administering the Garden Therapy Program.

Jon’s career in permanent, supportive housing began at Community Interface Services in 2001 working as an Independent Living Resource Counselor for Developmentally Disabled Adults. Jon then began work at the Telecare/REACH Program in 2003 working to provide supportive services in housing to adults with mental illness and a history of homelessness. In January, 2005 Jon was hired as Manager of Resident Services for The Association For Community Housing Solutions (TACHS) and began to develop and implement the Resident Services Department for all TACHS sites, overseeing the expansion of this program to all 5 housing locations.

In 2010, Jon became the Manager of Operations for all TACHS sites and programs. Jon has since advanced to become the Associate Director for the agency, which re-branded its name to Housing Innovation Partners in 2017 and continues it mission-driven permanent, supportive housing at 5 San Diego locations.

Jon brings extensive experience in supportive services, property and facilities management, asset management, and affordable housing development. Housing Innovation Partners has lead the region in the operation of service-enriched housing for the community’s most vulnerable members using Housing First and Harm Reduction principles. Jon has served in various capacities with the San Diego Continuum of Care, the San Diego County Behavioral Health Housing Council and currently facilitates the Permanent Housing Learning Collaborative.

Jon continues his work in the permanent, supportive housing in San Diego while pursuing his other passions of raising a family and performing jazz guitar across venues in Southern California.