Century Leadership Team

Oscar Alvarado
Vice President,
Housing
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Oscar Alvarado

Vice President, Housing

As Vice President, Housing, Oscar Alvarado supervises Century’s real estate development team which currently has over 2,000 affordable homes in its pipeline. During his tenure with Century, Mr. Alvarado has assembled and established a very productive, creative, and effective team of development professionals. His efforts have helped position Century as a regional leader in multi-phase and master-planned communities — an innovative and high-impact approach to addressing the local affordable housing and homelessness crisis. Mr. Alvarado has worked in affordable housing development in Southern California since 2005 and in that time, he has managed diverse projects serving families, seniors, veterans, the homeless, and the local workforce. Prior to Century, he worked for Thomas Safran & Associates and A Community of Friends in Los Angeles.

In his role, Mr. Alvarado manages the development team’s relationships with key lenders, investors, contractors, and other partners working with Century to identify, finance, and construct affordable and supportive housing. He received a B.A. in Political Economy at the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. Mr. Alvarado is a board member of American Family Housing, headquartered in Orange County, California.


Karen Bennett-Green
Vice President,
Loan Administration
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Karen Bennett-Green

Vice President, Loan Administration

Karen Bennett-Green, Vice President of Loan Administration, is responsible for managing Century’s loan portfolio. She has more than 15 years of real estate loan experience, including affordable commercial, multifamily, modular family units, and mixed use and AMI income niches. She has extensive experience in working with tax credit terms, tax-exempt bonds, and Fannie Mae “Direct Underwriting Service” transactions. Additionally, Ms. Bennett-Green manages the loan administration and closing staff, who have extensive expertise, training, and professional networking in the industry to deliver the service Century clients can rely on.

Ms. Bennett-Green’s previous roles have included Housing Specialist with the Housing Authority of the City of Inglewood before going to the Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group in Long Beach where she oversaw all aspects of risk management for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits of a robust Section 42 portfolio.

Ms. Bennett-Green received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles. She has her Housing Development Finance Professional Certification from the National Development Council.


Tracey Burns
Vice President,
Construction Lending
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Tracey Burns

Vice President, Construction Lending

Tracey L. Burns, Vice President of Construction Lending, is a seasoned professional who has been in the affordable housing industry for the last 18 years. Ms. Burns is responsible for Century’s urban infill construction and affordable housing lending programs throughout California. Most recently, Ms. Burns was selected to oversee the Century Emerging Developers Program designed to promote minority professionals by increasing their access to capital. Ms. Burns has underwritten more than $541 million in predevelopment, acquisition, and construction loans which resulted in more than 2,300 workforce and low-income housing units.

Prior to her employment at Century Housing, Ms. Burns worked with Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group as an Acquisitions Specialist, responsible for evaluating prospective deals and securing documentation for all land acquisitions.

Ms. Burns is a board member of the Executive Committee at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, a leading institution in real estate and affordable housing; and she is an advisory member of the Harbor Sustainability Gateway Project, a community-based advocacy organization in the Harbor Gateway South Community. She also oversees community funding for the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor Gateway. She is a member of the African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP) as well as an alumna in the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the USC Lusk Center. Ms. Burns is also a guest lecturer at USC in real estate development and financing.

Ms. Burns graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills, with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and a concentration in Criminal Justice.

Christine Byrne
Director,
Fund Development
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Christine Byrne

Director, Fund Development

Christine Byrne is the Director of Fund Development. She brings with her more than 28 years of grant management and oversight experience, 23 years of nonprofit management experience, and more than 18 years of nonprofit fundraising experience.

Christine began her work in the nonprofit sector shortly after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of California at San Diego, providing case management and housing services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. During that time, she acquired her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Counseling at Pepperdine University and began working at a domestic violence shelter while she gained counseling hours towards her licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Christine then moved into various management roles, overseeing the shelter and outpatient counseling programs for that organization. Over the course of the next 13 years, Christine served as a Clinical Director, Deputy Director, and then Executive Director of the South Bay Children’s Health Center, where she developed and honed her executive management, grant writing and fundraising skills to support low-income children and families in need of mental health services and dental services.

In the six years prior to joining the Century team, Christine was the Executive Director of the Peninsula Education Foundation, leading the organization to raise millions of dollars to support essential programs and staffing positions for local public schools.

Christine is an alumnus of Leadership Torrance (2015) and has sat on various community committees over the years. Currently, she is a volunteer with the National Charity League, Peninsula Chapter, Los Hermanos, and she is also a board member for the Peninsula High School Drama Booster Club and the Peninsula High School Athletic Booster Club.

Howard Chan
Vice President,
Housing
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Howard Chan

Vice President, Housing

As Vice President, Housing, at Century Housing Corporation, Howard Chan is responsible for all aspects of accounting, tax, and financial reporting for Century’s portfolio of real estate assets operated and managed by its housing division. Mr. Chan also assists in the asset management functions of the housing projects.

Mr. Chan joined the team with more than 10 years of experience in the affordable housing and low-income housing tax credit industry from his tenure at Novogradac and Company and Highridge Costa Investors. Mr. Chan began his professional career at KPMG LLP and also worked at The Walt Disney Company and a private real estate investment management company in the greater Los Angeles area.

Mr. Chan received his B.S. degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Accounting from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Masters of Business Taxation degree with high honors from Golden Gate University. He is also a graduate of USC Ross Minority Program in Real Estate. Mr. Chan is a certified public accountant in the State of California.


Steve Colman
Executive Director,
Century Villages at Cabrillo
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Steve Colman

Executive Director, Century Villages at Cabrillo

Steve Colman is the Executive Director of Century Villages at Cabrillo and is responsible for all operational aspects of the 27-acre campus. Mr. Colman has more than 40 years of experience in the areas of office operations, facilities management, and financial analysis.

In the five years prior to joining Century Housing, Mr. Colman supported the Sr. Director of Global Real Estate and Risk Management at Korn/Ferry International, assisting the office operations in 21 cities across North America and directly managing the office operations of Korn/Ferry’s corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Colman was Operations Manager-West Coast for The Conde Nast Publications and from 1986 to 1993, held successive roles as Financial Analyst, Administration Manager, and Director of Administration for Knapp Communications Corporation, then publisher of Architectural Digest and Bon Appetit magazines. Before moving to the for-profit sector, Mr. Colman spent five years as a caseworker for Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles.

Mr. Colman received his B.A. from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and is an alumnus of Leadership Long Beach, a civic improvement organization designed to educate and develop community leaders. Outside of his duties at Century Villages, his past volunteer activities included local PTA, Cub Scouts, and coaching youth baseball, basketball, soccer, and football programs. He also serves as a board member of Long Beach Community Action Partnership.

Brian D’Andrea
Senior Vice President,
Housing
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Brian D’Andrea

Senior Vice President, Housing

As Senior Vice President of Housing, Brian D’Andrea oversees Century’s affordable housing development, investment, management, and resident service activities that span five distinct businesses involving nearly 70 professionals. Century’s housing portfolio consists of more than 2,100 homes with several thousand in the pipeline. Since starting at Century in 2006, Mr. D’Andrea has been involved in more than $530 million worth of affordable housing transactions entailing more than 1,600 affordable homes. These include campus-based new construction developments, preservation projects, acquisition-rehabilitation projects, NOAH investments, and infill developments.

In furtherance of these activities Brian serves as president of two Century affiliates, Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC) and Century Affordable Development, Inc. (CADI). In his CVC role, Mr. D’Andrea is responsible for the 27-acre Villages at Cabrillo supportive housing campus that is home to more than 1,500 individuals on any given night, including nearly 700 Veterans, and features a collaboration of more than 30 nonprofit and public agencies, including 12 that are based on-site. Brian also serves as President of CADI, Century’s real estate development and asset management arm.

Building on Century’s experience at CVC, Century has expanded into other large-scale redevelopment efforts, including the 21-acre Rancho San Pedro site, the 388-acre West LA VA campus, the 12-acre CDU/MLK Wellness Campus, along with the LA County/USC Restorative Care Village site. Beyond these multi-phased communities, Century continues to develop and acquire affordable housing communities throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

Prior to Century, Brian worked for Toll Brothers, a public homebuilder, where his responsibilities varied from acquisitions to project management. Previously, Brian was a Program Manager for an economic development organization. Brian graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a liberal arts degree. In 2005, Brian earned his MBA in real estate and finance from UCLA’s Anderson School and is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California since 2010. He is a 2012 graduate of NeighborWorks America’s Achieving Excellence in Community Development, an 18-month performance-driven leadership program administered in collaboration with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Brian is also a proud board member of Mammoth Lakes Housing, The Veterans Collective, and One San Pedro.

Nick Friend
Director, Northern California
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Nick Friend

Director, Northern California

As Director, Northern California, Nick Friend leads Century’s Northern California office origination activities. Since joining Century, he has structured over $400 million of financing for primarily land acquisition. Mr. Friend enjoys providing clients with critical early stage-loans and treasures the moments when Century can offer a helpful insight into the development process and speed the delivery of affordable housing.

Mr. Friend previously served as a Mortgage Officer at the Community Preservation Corporation originating construction and permanent debt, and as an Associate at Citi Community Capital providing credit facilities to CDFIs, placing CRA-driven equity in affordable housing and venture funds, and financing charter schools. He also worked in project management at the NYCEDC in the Bloomberg administration, administering the construction of the High Line along Manhattan’s lower west side.

Mr. Friend received his MBA in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship from Columbia University where he was a Bodini fellow and his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Urban Studies from Yale University. He is a past board member of Cal-ALHFA and a current board member of Operation Dignity.


Ronald M. Griffith
President & CEO
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Ronald M. Griffith

President & CEO

Since 2007, Mr. Griffith has served as President and CEO of Century Housing. Prior to his current position, Mr. Griffith was Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Before joining Century, he was a partner in a national law firm specializing in all aspects of real estate law and finance. He also established the office of general counsel at Union Federal Bank. Earlier in his career, Mr. Griffith served as Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Griffith graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.

Mr. Griffith was the recipient of the Combat Infantry Badge and Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.


Josh Hamilton
Senior Vice President,
Lending
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Josh Hamilton

Senior Vice President, Lending

As Senior Vice President of Lending, Josh Hamilton oversees Century’s affordable and workforce housing lending platform. He is a seasoned professional with more than 15 years of experience in affordable housing finance.

Mr. Hamilton graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, he served in state government as a California State Senate Fellow, and a legislative analyst, with a focus on affordable housing and local government policy. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton earned a Masters in Real Estate Development through the School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.  He currently serves on the Housing Commission for the City of Santa Monica.


Fern Hendrickson
Vice President,
Human Resources
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Fern Hendrickson

Vice President, Human Resources

Ms. Hendrickson has been with Century Housing since 2001 and is responsible for directing Human Resources functions. Her responsibilities include identifying sources for talent acquisition, implementation and monitoring of compensation and rewards systems required to retain talent, and assuring the health and welfare of employees. She is responsible for the management of policies to provide a supportive employee environment including maintaining good employee relations and providing equal opportunity. Ms. Hendrickson manages the Human Resources budget and staff along with the general administrative staff.

Ms. Hendrickson is certified by the Human Resources Certification Institute as SPHR-CA and a graduate of California State University, Dominquez Hills, where she earned her B.S. in Business Administration with honors. She is an active member of Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Before joining Century Housing, Ms. Hendrickson worked for two multinational manufacturing firms, a microwave engineering firm, in banking, and in sales training.

Alan R. Hoffman
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer
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Alan R. Hoffman

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Alan Hoffman is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Century Housing. With more than 30 years of experience in management and finance, Mr. Hoffman is currently responsible for all corporate finance, risk management, investments, financial planning, and tax functions.

Mr. Hoffman has spearheaded capital markets and corporate finance functions for such companies as Exxon Corporation, GM-Hughes Electronics, K & B Home Corporation, and Lockheed Martin Finance Corporation. To date he has raised over $5 billion in debt and equity capital for companies in various industries in public and private markets, including 3 IPOs.

Mr. Hoffman received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Political Science and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Social Systems Science from UCLA. He has also instructed as an adjunct professor of finance in Pepperdine University’s M.B.A. program and at UCLA Extension.

Mr. Hoffman first moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and is active in the Los Angeles finance community.


Beulah Ku
Vice President,
Client Relations
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Beulah Ku

Vice President, Client Relations

Beulah Ku brings over 20 years of marketing and management experience to Century as the Vice President of Client Relations. Ms. Ku focuses on identifying, assessing, and developing new business opportunities. She is involved in strategic marketing and operations and works closely with the lending team.

Prior to joining Century, Beulah held various management positions in a diverse arena including architecture, media, and venture capital. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and an undergraduate degree in dietetics. She was a Managing Editor of AsianWeek (Southern California), one of the only AsianWeek news publications (1979-2009) that proudly chronicled the growth and development of Asian Pacific America within American history.

She serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH), and is an Executive Fellow Alumni of CORO, Southern California and a current Senior Fellow, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs (2022-2023). She is also a member of the LABC Legislative Affairs Committee and the Housing California Policy Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Beverly Hills Women’s Club and co-owns Joss Cuisine in Beverly Hills, California.


Bartek Malecki
Assistant Vice President,
Marketing
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Bartek Malecki

Assistant Vice President, Marketing

Bartek Malecki leads marketing activities for Century Housing and its affiliates, and provides creative direction for all campaigns and collateral. He administers Century’s marketing plan, including branding and design, and seeks opportunities to serve Century’s affiliates in support of their mission to provide more affordable housing options to California’s low-income residents.

Mr. Malecki holds a bachelor’s degree in Design and Media Arts from UCLA and was an active member of the Polish American Film Society’s Board of Directors, which hosted the Annual Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles for 20 years.


Rosa Menart
Senior Vice President,
Finance & Treasury
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Rosa Menart

Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury

Rosa Menart is Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury for Century Housing. She has over 24 years of experience in finance, accounting, and treasury. Mrs. Menart is responsible for corporate accounting, cash management, treasury, capital raising, investments, financial reporting, compliance, loan accounting, loan servicing, and information technology. She manages the day-to-day activities of the finance, accounting, treasury, and loan servicing departments. She coordinates, formulates, and manages a capital and operational expense budget of over $40 million. Mrs. Menart coordinates the annual audit and tax returns of Century Housing and affiliates. She oversees the loan accounting and loan servicing departments, which are responsible for a loan portfolio of over $400 million. Mrs. Menart is responsible for helping to raise capital via the capital markets, lending institutions, and grants; she has raised over $835 million to date. She oversees the $120 million investment portfolio and is responsible for financial and compliance reporting. Mrs. Menart also oversees information technology for Century and all affiliates.

Prior to her employment at Century Housing, Mrs. Menart worked as a Planning Assistant at American Express Financial Advisors and as a Financial Assistant for Farmers Insurance.

Mrs. Menart graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelor of Science (with honors) in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.

Brett Morales
Vice President,
Property Management
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Brett Morales

Vice President, Property Management

Brett Morales currently serves as the Director at Large for the Affordable Housing Management Association of the Pacific Southwest (AHMA-PSW).

As Vice President of Property Management at Century Housing, Brett oversees Century’s Property Management operations in support of the mission to finance, build, and operate exceptional affordable housing so that the people served may have a dignified home, a healthy and hopeful future, and attain economic independence.

Mr. Morales has 30 years of diverse experience in the Property Management Industry and specializes in Homeless and Permanent Supportive housing.

He also holds the following professional designations: NCP-E®, NAHCP-E®, SHCM®, FHC®.

Kimberly Wee
Vice President,
Residential Services
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Kimberly Wee

Vice President, Residential Services

As Vice President of Residential Services, Kimberly Wee oversees the services offered to residents in Century’s supportive housing developments. Ms. Wee has more than two decades of program development and contracts experience, which enables her to oversee Century’s intensive case management county contract, develop and evaluate programming for adults and youth, as well as support the larger backbone role that Century Villages at Cabrillo plays within the community. She supports a dedicated team of case managers and clinical staff who serve Veterans, youth, and families that experienced homelessness. At Century Villages at Cabrillo, she has worked collaboratively to strengthen and expand the community resulting in thousands of lives being transformed.

Ms. Wee began her work in social services and as an advocate for women in Connecticut more than 30 years ago. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology at Central Connecticut State University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Women’s Center and the Counseling Center where she first began her work as a certified domestic violence counselor and sexual assault advocate. Her work as an undergraduate led to a prestigious graduate fellowship to study substance abuse and sexual assault on college campuses throughout the state. In 1998, she relocated to California where she began working at a domestic violence shelter in Orange County which led to her career path in the field and to Long Beach.

In 2000, she started her work in Long Beach at a domestic violence agency as Program Coordinator. She worked to integrate the shelter and agency into the new community and to build the program into the success it is today. She held several leadership positions in the agency including the Senior Director of Contracts and Quality Assurance. Ms. Wee remains active in the domestic violence movement as a graduate of BlueShield’s Strongfield Leadership Program, an intense 18-month statewide initiative for leaders in the domestic violence field and as a long-time member and former president (and current treasurer) of End Abuse Long Beach. She is a graduate of the Leadership Long Beach Institute, class of 2020, and is a current member of their board of directors. Ms. Wee is also currently serving as the Co-Chair for Long Beach Continuum of Care Board.

Sara Williams
Director,
Communications
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Sara Williams

Director, Communications

As Director of Communications, Sara Williams develops and leads strategic communications for Century Housing and its affiliates. She oversees the marketing and communications department which promotes Century’s work in affordable housing and advocates for equitable community development. In addition, Ms. Williams is responsible for media relations, digital content, and special projects.

Ms. Williams has nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit external affairs and television news production. Most recently, she worked at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. At the outset of her career, she served as a local television news producer at CBS and ABC affiliates.

Ms. Williams holds a master’s degree in public administration from New York University and bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international relations from the University of Southern California. She is a member of Coro Southern California’s Housing and Houselessness Leadership Network and the Public Relations Society of America.