Pictured: (L) Mike O’Connor, Amanda Wallace, Tim Lavery, Laura Johnson, Joe Phillips, LaMonte Cooke.
Kent Attainable Housing, Inc. (KAH) is pleased to announce the election of six new members to its board of directors. “Our new board members are actively working alongside staff and volunteers to support hard-working Kent County families. They each bring skillsets that will help KAH deliver a strong impact in 2023 and beyond,” said Taylor Frey, Board President of Kent Attainable Housing.
The new board members include:
· Joe Phillips is the Principal at Phillips & Donovan Architects, a firm based in Pennsylvania that serves over 200 commercial and residential clients each year with two offices and 19 employees. A part-time resident of Chestertown, Joe serves as KAH’s Board Vice-President of Construction & Planning, providing leadership to KAH’s residential construction in Kent County.
· Amanda Wallace is the Assistant Vice President and Branch Leader at Truist Bank in Chestertown. She serves KAH as a Volunteer Financial Coach and Board Vice-President of Homeownership & Financial Literacy. In this role, she offers 17 years of experience in the financial industry to help serve KAH's clients. A lifelong resident of Kent County, Amanda brings a deep understanding of the struggles KAH clients face.
· Mike O'Connor is a marketing and communications executive based in Chestertown with 25 years of experience in mission-based environments. Currently the Assistant Vice President at Northeastern University, Mike has held leadership positions at St. John’s College, Washington College, and in the healthcare sector. Mike currently serves as the KAH’s Fundraising & Community Engagement Co-Chair.
· Tim Lavery is the Founder & CEO of Wrench & Socket, LLC, an organizational strategy and effectiveness consultancy based in Chestertown, Maryland. Tim has 25 years of experience driving strategic planning, organizational development, and change management. He is an organizational development partner at T Rowe Price and served federal sector clients for nearly two decades with management consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton. Tim will leverage this experience to help KAH build a robust strategic plan.
· Laura Johnson is a finance executive with over 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors and is based in the Chestertown, Maryland area. Laura has served as the Vice President of Finance and Administration for Washington College and as a Senior Global Financial Analyst with the Dupont Corporation. Laura is leveraging this experience as a member of KAH’s Finance Committee.
· LaMonte Cooke is the Director of the Queen Annes County Detention Center and a community leader with decades of experience in public safety, advocacy, community engagement, and administration. LaMonte has served on countless local and state-level boards and as an Interim County Administrator, helping to drive change and draw attention to critical local issues. LaMonte will leverage this experience to support KAH’s Community Engagement and Revitalization initiatives.
These new members join existing board members Taylor Frey, Kathy Appel, Ronnie Edelman, Leon Frison, Carolyn Brooks, Jonathan Chace, Bob Altieri, Nivek Johnson, and Xavier Jones.
Kent Attainable Housing is a local affordable housing non-profit breaking the cycle of poverty by making homeownership attainable for working families. Since its founding in 2019, KAH has built and renovated three affordable homes and provided access to financial literacy education to over 300 families. KAH is currently working on five additional homes in Chestertown and Butlertown, where they will launch community revitalization initiatives this fall. KAH hopes to expand its efforts to include other areas in the county. For more information on Kent Attainable Housing, Inc., please visit kentattainablehousing.org.
