Strategies to Successfully Implement Supplier Diversity Goals

Last year, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 2873, new legislation that seeks to address historic inequities and underrepresentation of disadvantaged contractors/businesses in the construction trades and affordable housing development industry. This bill establishes a new requirement for developers to track and report on the ownership and labor practices of the contractors they hire to build their projects, if they utilize low-income housing tax credit funds.

What will be the impact of AB 2873 on our industry and what will it take for successful implementation?

Join us alongside the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH) on Tuesday, May 9 from 10:00-11:30-AM for: Strategies to Successfully Implement Supplier Diversity Goals. This webinar will explore industry implementation of AB 2873, discuss the availability of services to support adherence to new requirements, and deliberate the challenges and opportunities for the capturing of such data during a panel discussion.

Given that affordable housing development is a significant economic driver that creates billions of dollars in procurement opportunities each year, the legislation aims to ensure the affordable housing development industry intentionally uplifts and invests in firms led by people of color. By diversifying the pipeline of people who share in the revenue resulting from these vital public investments, we can increase wealth amongst communities typically excluded from such valuable opportunities. Ultimately, the collection of supplier demographic data from developers will then be used to set diversity and inclusion goals, and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee will share these data through a publicly available annual report.

Learn more about our panelists: 

Julian Gross, Principal, Law Office of Julian Gross

Julian is an attorney with decades of experience in equitable development , including legislative and administrative policy drafting, as well as complex negotiations, representing government entities and nonprofits.  Many of his more than twenty successful negotiations of community benefits agreements (CBAs) have included equitable procurement and contracting components.  Julian has also drafted numerous local hiring and contracting policies, and has worked on living wage policies, disadvantaged-business policies, and many other community economic development initiatives.  He represents public entities and nonprofit affordable housing developers in negotiation of project labor agreements and community workforce agreements that advance equity goals, including enhanced diversity in workforce and contracting.

Lakeisha Bearden, Director of Program Development, Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services

Lakeisha Bearden, Director of Program Development with Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services (MWIS), plays a vital role in developing, implementing, and expanding MWIS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives. MWIS is a commercial property and casualty risk management consulting firm. She assists with identifying new jurisdictions’ new opportunities to address challenges of diversity, equity, and inclusion for small minority-owned businesses in public contracting. Her innovative equity-building programs for MWIS have supported multi-billion-dollar capital improvement projects for large public agencies. Lakeisha is a leader and a true change agent, she believes equity is not just the right thing to do, but believes it is the human thing to do.

John Miller – Contract Based Finance (CBF) Project Manager, Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services

As Project Manager for CBF, John is responsible for prequalifying program participants, loan underwriting, origination, and monitoring. This program, funded by non-profit 501C3 Community Development Financial Institutions, provides contract based finance to qualified small and local business enterprises in the construction industry. John’s background and experience, over 46 years, spans surety underwriting, surety and insurance broking, senior level management and experience in all forms of construction project finance.

J.T. Harechmak, Policy Manager, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California

J.T. Harechmak (he/him) joined NPH in May 2022 as Policy Manager, where he works on state and federal advocacy efforts. He leads the Regulatory Working Group, which covers the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC) and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC). Before joining NPH, J.T. was a legislative aide, a LIHTC development consultant, a resident and board member of a student housing cooperative, a researcher on Permanent Supportive Housing, a project manager for a rapid rehousing prototype house, and a fair housing advocate that focused on equitable disaster recovery. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science from Santa Clara University and a Masters in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.

Outside of work, J.T. is playing and singing old music and digging in the garden or the record store.

Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, CEO, Center by Lendistry

Tunua Thrash-Ntuk is a seasoned community and economic development practitioner with more than 15-years of experience in both non-profit and private sectors. Her strengths range from community advocacy, to asset and real estate development around neighborhood revitalization. Prior to joining The Center by Lendistry, Tunua served Senior Executive Director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Los Angeles (LISC LA), where she successfully expanded LISC LA’s housing, small business and lending programs and deepened its commitment to racial equity by bridging gaps in wealth and opportunity for Greater Los Angeles families and businesses. For her accomplishments and leadership, Tunua has been awarded California Black Women’s Collective’s “Trail Blazer Hall of Fame Award”, was named LA’s 2021 Impact Makers to Watch by Stratiscope and received the Wells Fargo Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Award by Los Angeles Business Journal.

Tunua is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she earned her Master’s in City Planning, as well as an alumna of UC Berkeley. She serves on the SCANPH Board of Directors.

Denice Wint, Vice President of Development, EAH Housing

Denice Wint joined EAH in 2018 after serving as the Director of Projects & Services, for Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO). There she oversaw real estate and community development projects as well as enhanced services programs.

Ms. Wint is primarily responsible for the supervision of project management staff executing multi-million-dollar rental housing and other real estate development projects on behalf of EAH, and facilitating relationships with local financial and government partners. She ensures successful closing of real estate projects under approved project completion timelines and within board-approved budget limits. Ms. Wint also manages activities during the predevelopment, development, initial or construction closing, construction, and final closing stages.

Before working at IHO, Ms. Wint worked at Los Angeles Housing Partnership (LAHP) for over seven years starting out as an Assistant Project Manager and working up to Senior Project Manager. Previously, she was also at Abode Communities where she served as a LISC AmeriCorps member. Ms. Wint holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from USC and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Scripps College. She currently serves on the SCANPH Board and chairs the Strategic Affairs Committee.

Amy Anderson, SVP, Social Impact Lead, Housing Access and Affordability, Wells Fargo Foundation

Amy Anderson is a Senior Vice President with Wells Fargo’s foundation, providing strategic leadership for national philanthropic investments that expand the supply of affordable housing. Wells Fargo’s Housing Affordability Philanthropy catalyzes pathways to affordable and quality homes, especially for underserved communities, by investing in change makers, fostering collaboration, and supporting systemic change in the housing sector.

Amy most recently served as the Chief Housing Officer for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In this role, Amy advanced the Mayor’s goals of increased housing production and a stronger safety net for vulnerable and economically disadvantaged Angelenos, using innovation, streamlining, inclusive planning policies, and expanded financial resources to make them possible. During her tenure she helped to realize key COVID emergency programs that lower health risks for impacted populations by improving access to housing, including Project RoomKey, Homekey and emergency rental assistance.