Joan Carty

President & Chief Executive Officer

Since taking the helm at HDF in 1994, Ms. Carty has grown its funding pools from $8.5 million to more than $140 million. Throughout her career she has established relationships with private lenders, government funding sources and corporate and foundation donors. Ms. Carty holds her Bachelor’s degree from the College of New Rochelle, an M.S. in urban affairs from Hunter College, and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law. Joan is currently serving her third term on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s (FHLBB) Board of Directors and is Chair of the Housing and Community Development Committee for the FHLBB. She is also a member of the Executive Committee and Human Resources and Compensation Committee. As a board member of the Housing Partnership Network and a Loan Committee member of the National Neighborworks Association (NNA), Joan is involved in current and critical housing policy issues on a national level. Joan served as a member of the Transportation Finance Panel for the Governor’s office in Connecticut in 2015.

Gina Delano

Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Delano joined HDF in June 2014 and as CFO of HDF, she has responsibility for accounting and data functions within the organization. Prior to joining HDF, Ms. Delano spent 7 years as VP/Controller for Fieldpoint Private Bank & Trust, and has extensive board and consulting experience in the nonprofit sector. Ms. Delano came to HDF with extensive experience in accounting, technology and finance, and is CPA qualified with a Masters in Accounting from Fairfield University and a degree in Business from Indiana University.

Kelly Almanzar

Director of Residential Lending

Mr. Almanzar has over a decade of experience in residential lending. Having worked at large banks and community banks Mr. Almanzar has specialized in low to moderate income and first time homebuyers. He has held positions as a Residential Lending Manager and most recently as Consumer Lending Product Manager. He holds his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from City University of New York.

Deborah MacKenzie

Director of Homebuyer Development

Ms. MacKenzie joined HDF in 2007. She has been the Director of Counseling since September 2009 responsible for pre-purchase counseling and education activities and compliance. Ms. MacKenzie has more than 25 years of cumulative prior experience with the United Way of Northern Fairfield County as a project manager and the City of Danbury as the Director of Welfare and Social Services. She holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Administration from the University of New Haven. Currently she holds the necessary NCHEC certifications required to supervise and provide Housing Counseling Services.

Elyse Pitts

Director of Innovation

Ms. Pitts has been with HDF in various ways since 2003. She has been the Director of Innovation since September 2012 responsible for launching new programs, streamlining process workflows, and upgrading and streamlining HDF’s technology infrastructure. Elyse took 2008 to 2012 off to be a full time parent, but prior to that, she served as HDF’s Director of Lending from 2003 to 2008. Before her time with HDF, Ms. Pitts worked almost 10 years in the national commercial real estate finance arena, working with companies like AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corporation, Nomura Securities, and Coopers and Lybrand. She holds a B.S. in Business and Economics with a concentration in Finance from Lehigh University. She also is a Master of City and Regional and Urban Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

Elizabeth Frost

Director of Development and Communications

Mrs. Frost joined HDF in 2016 as the Grants Manager and has held the position of Director of Development and Communications since August of 2018. Mrs. Frost came to HDF with over ten years of experience in various aspects of Nonprofit management including grants management and compliance, fundraising, event planning, marketing, and communications. Before her time at HDF, Mrs. Frost managed grants at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and provided fundraising support to the Major Gifts Department at Harvard University’s Development Office. Mrs. Frost holds a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College where she majored in Government.

Ali Robinson

Director of Commercial Lending

Ali Robinson has worked in the social/environmental impact field for over a decade, 8 years of which have been focused in community development finance. After working for the U.S. Green Building Council's Northern California chapter, Ali obtained an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School before joining California FarmLink, where she collaboratively built an impact loan fund focused on supporting sustainable agricultural entrepreneurs. Ali joined HDF in 2018 and has focused on growing the Commercial Lending department, which finances affordable multifamily commercial real estate. Ali is Spanish/American, loves music, learning, and healthy food, and enjoys outdoor activities and adventures with her husband, son, and dog.

Jaclynn Marie Alves

Assistant Lending Manager

Winifred Bailey

Closing and Syndication Manager

Mary Alice Dinho

Homeownership Advisor / Danbury Program Manager

Kayte Graveline

Junior Underwriter

Shweta Khairnar

Data Analyst

Ana Martinez

Accounting Assistant

Amaryllis Marquez

Counseling Support Specialist

Myriam Mena-Polk

Senior Loan Officer & Bridgeport Program Coordinator

Jerry Morgan

Homeownership Advisor

Eliot Pacheco

Controller

Daisy Pavon

Office Manager

India Rogers-Shepp

Development Assistant

Maria Sanchez

Servicing Coordinator

Mairin Sheridan

Marketing Intern

Wanda Smiling

Counseling Support Specialist

Roxana Ubillus

Senior Homeownership Advisor

Richard Zelinsky

IT Business Line Data Analyst

Clay Fowler

Spinnaker Companies

Robin Gallagher

Webster Bank

Scott Gerard

Shipman and Goodwin LLP

Charles F. Howell

Attorney

Bert Hunter

Connecticut Green Bank

Barbara Kelly

Citibank

E. Phillip McKain

Community Member

Willard Miley

First County Bank

Marjan Murray

People's United Bank

Margaret Powers

Newtown Savings Bank

Matthew Quinones

Stamford Public Education Foundation

Kathleen Romagnano

Nexos National Bank

Lisa Sanders

TD Bank

Al Shehadi

Shehadi Advisory

Michael Weinstock

M&T Bank