Staff

Housing Up’s mission is to provide families with opportunities to transform their lives and thrive through affordable housing and support services. Completing this mission would not be possible without the dedicated work of Housing Up’s staff. Housing Up’s staff of 90 is led by our Executive Leadership team:

Philip H. Hecht

President & CEO

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Haribo Kamara-Taylor

Chief Operating Officer

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Lucho Vásquez

Chief Program Officer

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Christina Peay

Chief Development & Communications Officer

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Corey Mendez

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

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Board of Directors

Housing Up’s board of directors currently has 8 members. Our board members are recruited from key sectors of housing development, housing advocacy and finance. Each board member is assigned to one or more committees which include the executive committee, finance committee, philanthropy and communications committee, program committee, governance committee, and the affordable housing committee.

Housing Up’s board of directors actively participates in the governance and financial oversight of Housing Up’s operations. The board members provide expertise in critical areas of the organization’s operations, programs, and finances.

For a list of board members and their bios, read more here.

 

Associate Board

The associate board supports Housing Up’s mission and goals while building professional skills and growing as community leaders. Associate board members are young professionals that contribute their talents and resources to cultivate a network of Housing Up supporters, volunteers, and ambassadors.

Anna Rabil

Dillon Ficca

Katie Williams

Marc Daniels

Parker Stone

If you are interested in joining our associate board, please email Sarah Jaleel, Senior Manger of Development & Communications, at sjaleel@housingup.org. 

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Philip H. Hecht, President & Chief Executive Officer, has worked to address family homelessness in the District of Columbia for more than 25 years. In the late 1980s, he helped form the partnership of Christ Lutheran Church, Community Family Life Services, and Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington that became Housing Up (formerly THC). Phil was a member of Housing Up’s board of directors for its first 25 years, serving as President from 2000 to 2003. He served in the same capacities for Housing Up Development (formerly THC Affordable Housing). Phil received Housing Up’s 15th Anniversary Appreciation Award in 2005 and the Carla B. Howery Service Award in 2015. Phil was a partner in several Washington, DC law firms for 23 years, and chaired K&L Gates LLP’s pro bono legal program for 10 years. He also served on the board of directors and as President of CFLS, and has served two terms as Council President of Housing Up’s founding member Christ Lutheran Church. He has lived in the District of Columbia since 1980, mostly in Ward 4. Phil earned a B.A. from Amherst College, an M.A. from Oxford University, and a J.D. from The University of Michigan Law School.

Philip H. Hecht

President & CEO

Haribo Kamara-Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, brings years of experience overseeing financial and administrative operations for academic and nonprofit organizations. Most recently the Director of Finance at Meridian Public Charter School here in Washington, DC, Haribo also has tenures at DC’s Paul Public Charter School and Barclays Corporate Banking in London. A graduate of the Howard University School of Business, Haribo will receive his Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University this year. When not overseeing budgets and financials, Haribo spends his time as a volunteer soccer coach with ACG Academy, and serves on the board of Play Footy, a nonprofit that brings soccer to underserved neighborhoods in the District.

Haribo Kamara-Taylor

Chief Operating Officer

Lucho joins Housing Up with twenty-five years of experience working to end homelessness and support people living with behavioral health challenges. He began his career serving as an Innkeeper with the men’s transitional housing program at Samaritan Inns in Washington, DC. He participated in AmeriCorps through this effort.  Lucho worked with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington initiating and leading eight shelter-based programs, and overseeing the multiple site hypothermia program.

Lucho worked with the DC Department of Behavioral Health to establish and lead the DC-wide mobile crisis program that provided mental health interventions to adults experiencing psychiatric crises. He also gave leadership to the homicide response, high lethality domestic violence, hoarding and crisis intervention officer initiatives. He returned to Catholic Charities to direct the Homeless and Housing Services Department, which served more than 10,000 people annually. Lucho recently worked in multiple leadership roles with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Lucho earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Catholic University of America and his Master of Social Work degree from Howard University. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in DC. Lucho was named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine in 2007.

Lucho Vásquez

Chief Program Officer

Christina Peay, Vice President of Philanthropy & Communications, brings years of experience crafting compelling messaging and developing strong brand identities for nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. Christina joined Housing Up in 2015, leading communications efforts that included 2016’s rebrand from Transitional Housing Corporation to Housing Up. Christina now oversees Housing Up’s fundraising, communications and community engagement efforts. Prior to Housing Up, Christina worked for communications and marketing agencies in North Carolina and New York City, helping organizations such as Sesame Workshop, the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida Health System navigate branding and communications challenges. Christina earned her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College, Columbia University and resides in downtown Silver Spring.

Christina Peay

Chief Development & Communications Officer

Corey Mendez, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, brings years of experience working to end homelessness. She has worked in fundraising, community advocacy, system coordination, policy development and implementation, government partnerships, and finance and operations. Corey joined Housing Up in 2014 as a grant writer and now leads many daily operations. She oversees Housing Up’s public grant funding management and the data team. Prior to joining Housing Up, Corey worked for the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless in Huntington, WV, a nonprofit providing homeless services, affordable housing development, and system coordination for the Cabell-Huntington-Wayne Continuum of Care. Corey received her undergraduate degree in public relations from Marshall University and her Master of Public Administration and Policy degree from American University.

Corey Mendez

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

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