NAHMA Course Trainers

Angela Cisneros currently holds the position of divisional vice president at one of the nation’s best third-party management companies. While in that position, Cisneros is responsible for overall operations of 80-plus properties in California.
While in her previous position, Cisneros was accountable for all aspects of the organization’s property management operations, compliance and relocation including file review and audit responses. She also worked with local government agencies and investors to promote sustainable and financially viable communities; drafted all management agreements and management plans for refinanced communities and new construction; read/analyzed/interpreted all regulatory agreements that pertained to each community in the portfolio; created and implemented policies and procedures as laws and regulatory requirements changed; reviewed and analyzed all portfolio budgets to ensure peak financial performance of the asset; and more.
Cisneros’s previous experience also includes being a regional manager for the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino. During her time there she assisted with the development and implementation of new initiatives and programs through the Moving to Work (MTW) designation provided by the HUD.
Cisneros has experience managing both market rate and affordable apartment communities. She possesses knowledge of public housing, bond, tax credit, HOME, RDA, PBV, RAD and other affordable housing programs. Cisneros has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and law from the University of California, Riverside. Her professional designations include California Certified Residential Manager (CCRM), Certified Apartment Manager (CAM), Fair Housing Compliance (FHC), RAD PBV Specialists, Tax Credit Specialist (TCS), Housing Compliance Manager-Rural Development (HCM-R) and Novogradac Property Compliance Certification (NPCC).

Laurie Fritz has 20 years of experience in affordable multifamily housing, which includes 15 years of experience in contract administration with the state of Kansas.
Fritz’s major responsibilities include overseeing the Performance-Based Section 8 and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs at Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, where she is director of the Asset Management Division.
Her previous housing experience includes managing 314 units of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
Fritz is a NAHMA certified trainer of the Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO). She is a graduate of Washburn University of Topeka with a degree in business management.
Email: lfritz@kshousingcorp.org

Tim Herrman is a regional property manager for the Good Samaritan Society. He oversees 14 HUD and LIHTC properties. Herrman has worked in the affordable housing industry for over 16 years. He is CPO, FHC, CSC and HCCI certified.
Herrman’s previous experience includes managing a 265-unit LIHTC property and a 160-unit LIHTC property. Herrman then spent 11 years working for the Performance-Based Contract Administrator in Kansas.
Herrman has a degree in education and is currently a NAHMA authorized trainer of the Certified Professional of Occupancy and Fair Housing/Section 504 Compliance courses.

Sonja Horn started her career in affordable management more than 25 years ago as a community manager.  As she progressed in the affordable housing industry, Horn became an area manager, a regional property manager and then director of compliance. She has been responsible for overseeing the regulatory compliance for both large and small management companies. Since Horn has been on site, she is uniquely qualified to understand the struggles that managers deal with on a daily basis. She currently works at the director of compliance for Marcrum Management Company in Birmingham, Ala., which has communities in 11 states. She has also created a consulting company, DASH Compliance that emphasizes training and file review.
She has served as the vice president of education for Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association (SAHMA) and currently is its president-elect and sits on the board of directors. As a member of SAHMA, she also conducts training for state and regional meetings. Horn is a Housing Credit Certified Professional, a Specialist in Housing Credit Management, a Certified Occupancy Specialist and certified Fair Housing Coordinator. Horn is committed to excellence in affordable housing and looks forward to using her knowledge to help further the understanding of others.

Michael Martinez is a senior property manager based out of Worcester, Mass., overseeing a portfolio of both residential apartment and condominium units. An integral part of the field-based senior leadership team, Martinez brings with him real-world experience that translates to his ability to not just teach the material, but to empathize with learners to make trainings both practical and representative.
Since beginning his career in property management, Martinez has earned several designations in the housing industry including Fair Housing Coordinator (FHC), Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO), Accredited Residential Manager (ARM), National Affordable Housing Professional (NAHP), and Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM). Additionally, Martinez was named NEAHMA’s Property Management Professional of the Year in 2018.
Currently the chair of NEAHMA’s recently formed Young Professionals Committee, Martinez strives to bring awareness to the incoming generation of students to illustrate the vast career opportunities that the housing industry may provide. Furthermore, he endeavors to be a mentor to his staff and encourage growth through training.

Debbie Piltch has a masters’ degree in labor relations and is an attorney with considerable expertise in discrimination law and housing law. Since 1996, she has operated Piltch Associates, Inc., a consulting business that provides technical assistance and training to government and private entities on their rights and responsibilities in relation to civil rights and housing laws.
She has developed a national reputation in the fields of discrimination law and housing law and has been fortunate to work with a number of the leading government and private organizations involved in housing issues. A significant portion of her work for these organizations has focused on designing, developing and implementing training programs on occupancy issues, tax credit compliance and fair housing related topics.
In addition, she has analyzed countless organization’s rules, policies and procedures in an effort to ensure they are in compliance with applicable tax credit, civil rights and housing laws. She has also designed compliance protocols for government and private entities and served as an independent monitor in a discrimination case for a State Attorney General’s office.
In addition, Piltch has served for many years as the director of compliance for Maloney Properties, Inc., which offers comprehensive real estate services and expertise to clients in multiple states.

Meg Piltch is a senior training specialist at a large software company that provides software solutions for every market in the real estate industry. In her role, Piltch works closely with new and existing clients and employees to develop and deliver trainings on various affordable housing compliance and property management topics.

In her previous roles, Piltch has worked both on-site in compliance capacities and as an affordable housing management consultant in the Greater Boston area. She has extensive experience at developing training material and curriculums that break down the intertwined and at times contradictory compliance requirements of different affordable housing programs. Piltch is a NAHMA certified trainer of the Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO) and holds a BA in Human Services from Lesley University.

Rose Rafuse is the owner and managing member of Core Compliance Group LLC—a consulting business that provides compliance guidance, training programs, and professional services for clients managing HUD and tax credit sites, including auditing files, TRACS management and Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) monitoring and support.
She brings considerable hands-on experience as a former senior manager of a multisite portfolio that included sites layered with Section 8, LIHTC, HOME, state and local programs.
Rafuse is a NAHMA certified trainer of the Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO) and the Fair Housing Compliance (FHC) courses. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business studies in computer information technology.
Email: rose@corecompliancegroup.com

Sheila C. Salmon is a partner with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Coan & Lyons, a firm specializing in the representation of private owners, management agents, nonprofit organizations and public housing agencies throughout the United States in connection with the acquisition, development and management of a variety of real estate, with special emphasis on affordable housing.
Salmon specializes in the areas of fair housing, and other related civil rights laws, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act.
Salmon has written, or contributed to, several articles on fair housing-related topics, which have appeared in various American Bar Association and other trade association publications. Salmon is a certified trainer for the National Affordable Housing Management Association’s (NAHMA) Fair Housing Course and she teaches seminars on fair housing and other civil rights-related issues. She has also been a guest speaker at meetings for such organizations as The National Leased Housing Association, National Association of Home Builders and NAHMA.
Salmon graduated from American University’s Washington College of Law in 1988. She joined Coan & Lyons in 1990

Nicole Scott is the founder and CEO of RightTracs, which provides TRACS, EIV, Yardi and special project support to affordable housing communities.  She possesses a wealth of experience as a software implementer, trainer, and technical support specialist, coupled with a strong understanding of affordable program compliance rules and regulations, such as Project-Based Section 8, Housing Choice Voucher, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and the HOME program. The resulting versatility of her skill set has positioned Nicole as an invaluable resource to her clients and the industry overall. 
From a training perspective, Scott’s expertise in TRACS compliance has allowed her to provide years of training and support for numerous management companies, on best practices for everything from monthly certification processing to tenant and voucher file submission. In addition, she has leveraged her extensive experience with HUD’s Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system to design and facilitate both online and classroom EIV trainings for several leading property management firms. 
In addition to being a NAHMA certified trainer of the Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO), Scott holds both COS and SHCM designations, as well as a B.A. in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During her down time, Scott enjoys spending time outdoors and being active with her husband, two children and two Border Collies.

Heather Wezensky brings knowledge from both sides of the industry. Heather is a 25-year veteran in the property management industry. She previously managed both the PBCA Contract Administration and LIHTC Program Compliance departments for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) and prior to that, she was a project manager with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Heather is an expert in Fair Housing regulations as well as all other affordable housing laws and regulations. She is a past chairperson for the National Affordable Housing Management Association’s Fair Housing Committee.
Heather has a unique ability to take complex topics and convey them to class participants in a way that is understandable to even the newest property staff. In addition, her hands-on knowledge of applying the rules of the affordable housing industry helps assist management agents and owners across the country stay compliant with not only government agencies, but also with Fair Housing laws.
Email: heather@star-momentum.com

Gwen Volk has worked in the affordable housing industry since 1983. She served as president and CEO of a Midwest property management business (1988 – 1996) and chief compliance officer over a Dallas firm’s national portfolio (2001 – 2014).   In 1996 she established Gwen Volk INFOCUS, Inc. to provide consulting and training services, where she has been active fulltime since 2014.   

She has a master’s degree in Business and is a Certified Property Manager (CPM) through the Institute of Real Estate Management. Gwen holds certifications as a National Affordable Housing Professional – Executive Level (NAHP-e), Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM), Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP), Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO), and in Fair Housing Compliance (FHC). 

She has been a servant leader in the AHMAs, NAHMA and IREM throughout her career. Gwen is a nationally recognized expert in the tax credit, bond, HOME, and HUD Multifamily programs and enjoys helping agents, owners, and managers make sense of it all. Email: gwenvolk@gwenvolk.com