Our Team

Executive Leadership Team

Gail Gilman

Gail Gilman is an influential executive with more than 25 years of experience designing and driving policy, strategy, and real estate development aimed at dismantling the root sources of homelessness in California and across the United States. Toggle to read more.

Gail is a thought partner for local and state elected officials on housing issues and regularly provides guidance and support on program funding, structure, and efficiency. She recently advised the California Governor’s Office on the formation and execution of the Covid-19 rapid-response for Homekey, the $1.3 billion state program that was the largest and fastest expansion of housing for people experiencing homelessness in recent history. Homekey became one of the most effective state initiatives for affordable housing production in California’s history.

Prior to leading CCH, Gail spent more than three years as Chief Strategy Officer of All Home California, a start-up that partners with the private sector to invest in regional, scalable solutions that disrupt homelessness. She spent more than 20 years in senior executive positions for organizations that created financing for and built affordable housing.

Gail received her master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and her bachelor’s degree in political science from San Francisco State University. She is currently the Port Commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco, appointed by Mayor London N Breed. She also has served on several nonprofit boards and served on California’s Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.

President & CEO

Cynthia Alvarez joined CCH as Chief Operating Officer in July 2023 and oversees Finance, Property Management, Asset Management, Resident Services and IT. Toggle to read more.

Cynthia is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $60 million and ensuring the short and long term financial, regulatory and physical sustainability of the assets in service to the communities in which we work. Cynthia’s various executive roles in affordable housing have given her direct oversight of a range of strategic planning and supervision of multiple departments. She is known for building strong teams with a mission-centered approach and for establishing systems to achieve efficiencies and accountability within and across teams. Cynthia was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US when she was eight years old. She graduated, with honors, from UC San Diego with a BA in Political Science and then attended Stanford University’s PhD Political Science program from 1995 – 1999, on a full merit scholarship. Since 2007, she has served on the board of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), a national immigrant advocacy group.

Cynthia Alvarez

COO

Leadership Team

Angelique Booth

As CCH’s Designated Broker-Officer, Angelique Booth is responsible for supervising all licensed and unlicensed property management activities within the organization and the salespersons and broker-associates affiliated with CCH’s broker license in California.

After nearly 30 years in the Real Estate industry, Angelique has a proven track record as an exceptional manager and leader with in-depth knowledge and understanding of real estate laws. She has broad experience in all aspects of the market, from serving as an assistant to the managing broker of one of the Bay Area’s top real estate offices to helping both clients and agents to meet and exceed their industry goals. Every step of her career, Angelique has been passionate about serving her clients, agents, and the community as a whole.

Designated Broker-Officer

Wendy Chan brings an extensive background in finance and accounting to CCH in her role as Senior Director of Finance. She previously was employed as Senior Director of Finance at Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), a community-based affordable housing organization.

Wendy started her career in real estate financing and accounting in 1990 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to CCH. For two decades, Wendy was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s corporate, property management and real estate development accounting while at TNCD.

Wendy Chan

Senior Director of Finance

As CCH’s Director of Policy & Engagement, Avni Desai has been working in the non-profit public policy field since 2010. Her experience is centered around removing systemic barriers to health, housing, and economic justice through power-shifting, policy advocacy, and community organizing.

Avni has successfully advocated for laws that have increased access to higher education, decreased financial barriers to living and working in San Francisco, and increased the access and availability of affordable housing in San Francisco. Additionally, she has worked on statewide legislation related to housing and reducing the impact of municipal debt. Prior to joining CCH, Avni worked to address residential displacement with the City of San Jose and was the Public Policy Manager at Community Housing Partnership in San Francisco.

Avni Desai

Director of Policy & Engagement

As Acting Director of Real Estate Development, Jennifer Dolin has built a career in real estate development with more than 20 years of experience in design, development, finance, and construction. She has worked on some of the most complex developments in the Bay Area.

As a nine-year senior officer at Mercy Housing, Jennifer focused on broad organizational matters and strategic and policy issues throughout the State of California. She led teams responsible for evaluating and maintaining real estate portfolios and resident services. Jennifer has a proven track record of executing adaptive challenges, managing large and small teams, and getting things done. She is the current Board Chair for National Cooperative Bank and a Momentus Capital board member.

Jennifer Dolin

Acting Director of Real Estate Development

With more than more than 15 years of experience in federal, state, and local affordable housing compliance, Brandon Flannery joined CCH in September 2023 to ensure quality, affordable housing and support services for more than 3,600 of CCH’s moderate to low-income residents in six states.

In his role, Brandon works with compliance staff to ensure CCH’s properties meet all standards for federal, state, and local housing regulatory and compliance requirements. He is skilled in compliance management systems, tax credit compliance, certified occupancy, and economic development. He also has extensive experience working with LIHTC, HOME, CoC, CDBG, HCD, CHFA, AHP, HUD, MHSA, HOPWA, RDA, CDLAC, RAD, Public Housing, and HOPE VI programs and holding several industry certifications.

Brandon Flannery

Director of Compliance

As CCH’s Technology Director, Seong Kim has more than 20 years of experience in IT management. He has built a career by bridging the gap between technology and strategic business management. His tenure spans significant contributions to both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

Throughout his career, Seong has been a driving force behind innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency, foster growth and promote impactful societal change. He champions a culture of innovation, mentorship, and continuous improvement, empowering his teams to excel through cross-functional collaboration and professional development.

Seong Kim

Director of IT

As Director of Human Resources for CCH, Erin Mascaro is responsible for the overall Human Resources strategy and operations of the organization. With more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources, Erin is a results-focused leader who delivers talent acquisitions, retention and motivation solutions that help empower organizations talent.

In her previous roles, Erin worked in the private sector for various environmental engineering and remediation companies. Of significant professional growth and personal importance to Erin, she worked for 10 years for an affordable housing and service provider in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. This role led Erin to discover the importance of being in service to others, looking beyond oneself, and taking a more outward focus.

Erin Mascaro

Director of Human Resources

Rafael Nicolescu, CPM, is a seasoned property management professional with more than 20 years of experience dedicated to providing and preserving quality affordable housing.

Having worked in multiple agencies across the Bay Area prior to joining CCH, Rafael built a solid track record for reducing costs and implementing organizational strategies to streamline and enhance operations. As CCH’s Director of Property Management, Rafael ensures nearly 50 properties in CCH’s portfolio are managed to the highest possible quality standards, perform within or better than budgeted and that resident satisfaction remains at the highest level so they can live well and thrive in caring communities.

Rafael Nicolescu

Director of Property Management

Amber Sullivan stands out as a strategic-thought partner, who as Director of Administration lends her unique ability to see the bigger picture and envision the broader trajectory for the company.

Amber is a driven and influential Administrative Executive with nearly 20 years of experience in the field. Her impressive track record includes successfully managing teams of administrative staff and overseeing critical departments such as facilities, administration, and people ops. As a member of the Chief of Staff Association, Amber actively engages with and learns from world-renowned leaders in the administrative space. Amber takes pride in her numerous career accomplishments, including being featured on the Leader Assistant podcast with Jeremy Burrows. Additionally, her dedication and excellence in administrative roles earned her a prestigious nomination for the 2021 Admin Awards, celebrating administrative excellence.