President

Kelly Wakefield

Kelly Wakefield joined Preferred Compliance Solutions, a nationally recognized affordable housing consulting and advisory firm, in 2005. Starting as a compliance specialist, she was instrumental to the idea and development of tools and procedures that allowed Preferred to pioneer reviewing files paperless. Spearheading the 2020 release of the NextGen eFile system, as well as the LIHTC Rent and Income Calculator, her ability to stay ahead of industry trends led to her current position as Executive Vice President.

Kelly oversees the Asset Management and Training divisions that work closely with lenders, syndicators, management companies and owners to ensure compliance with affordable and federally funded programs. Making affordable housing education easily accessible to those that need it most is a priority. Her certifications include the HCCP and COS and she is a distributor of NAHB’s HCCP exam. She received her Associate of Arts degree from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Virginia University. After residing in France and Bulgaria, she loves to brush up on her language skills and enjoys traveling. A fourth generation Floridian, she currently resides in a 100-year-old historic home in Jacksonville, Florida.

Vice President

Jean Amison

Jean Amison has built her career in the affordable housing space with almost 30 years of distinguished service at the state and local level and currently is the Manager of the Housing Division for the City of Tallahassee. Jean provides guidance to City staff, developers, partners, and residents on issues concerning affordable housing and community development. Her diversity of experience and leadership skills have served her well since joining the City in 2017 and prior to when she led the CSBG and LIHEAP State Office for Florida, administering funding for Florida’s most vulnerable populations. Jean has developed and implemented policies and innovative programs related to affordable housing and community services programs. Since 2017, she has overseen the investment of more than $34M in funding assisting to over 64,000 households. She serves on various boards, lending her expertise in program management, federal grant compliance, and affordable housing development to others in the field. She is a Certified Community Action Professional, holds a Housing Development Finance Professional designation, and is a trainer in CDBG and HOME with the National Community Development Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, and proudly shares her life with her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Treasurer

Julie Lawrence, CPA

Julie is a Principal at Novogradac & Company and lives and works in the Tampa/Clearwater area, where she relocated in 2019. Novogradac is a CPA firm that specializes in the affordable housing industry. Julie has more than 20 years of experience in public accounting and plays an integral role in her firm’s services provided to the affordable housing industry including HUD, Rural Development, and Section 42 low-income housing tax credit projects. She also has experience working in property management for a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis. Julie is a CPA and received her Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Secretary

Cassie Brown

Cassie Brown is a Partner at Coleman Talley and is in the firm’s Jacksonville, Florida office. Her practice centers on affordable housing and commercial real estate transactions. Prior to joining the firm, Cassie worked as Senior Claims Counsel, Vice President at Fidelity National Title Group and she has extensive real estate, title, and survey experience and knowledge. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Cassie graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Law and a minor in History. She received her Juris Doctor in 2016 from Florida Coastal School of Law, where she graduated ranked number one in her class. She was Executive Editor of the Florida Coastal Law Review and a national and state champion on the nationally-ranked Florida Coastal Moot Court Honor Board.

Director of Education

Celia Gunn-Zaboli

Celia Gunn-Zaboli is the Principal and Founder of CGZ Development, an affordable housing consulting firm serving Public Housing Authorities, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations throughout Florida and the Southeast. With over a decade of experience in LIHTC development, Celia has led the delivery of more than 3,000 affordable housing units across 25 projects, with a combined development cost exceeding $450 million. Celia is known for making the development process clearer and more achievable for partners, and for her ability to demystify LIHTC for developers and professionals in adjacent fields alike.

Prior to founding CGZ Development in 2025, Celia served as Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Development at Smith & Henzy Affordable Group, where she spearheaded the expansion of the Florida office, grew execution phase capacity by 50%, and placed over 2,600 units into service. Earlier in her career, she held development roles at The Michaels Development Company and the Potemkin-Magita Group, where she built expertise spanning entitlements, underwriting, equity and debt structuring, construction, compliance, and asset management.

Celia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies in Film and Theater Production from the University of Oklahoma.

Director of Sponsorship

Hannah Anderson

Hannah Anderson is an Associate attorney in the Jacksonville office of Coleman Talley. Her practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions with a focus on multifamily, mixed-use, and affordable housing development.

A native of Larimore, North Dakota, Hannah graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Dakota in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish. She received her Juris Doctor cum laude in 2017 from the University of Minnesota Law School with a concentration in Labor and Employment Law. She is licensed to practice law in Florida, and admitted (inactive) in Minnesota, and North Dakota.

In her spare time, Hannah enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and two gold labs. She also serves as the Judicial Reception Co-Director for the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association and is a member on several Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section committees.

Director of Membership

Isabelle McHugh

Isabelle McHugh is a Development Coordinator for Archway Partners. Archway Partners specializes in the development of high-quality affordable and workforce housing throughout the state of Florida. The Orlando-based company provides solutions that are tailored to meet the needs of communities by leveraging resources from local, state, and federal agencies.

In her role, she coordinates with the contractors and lenders to fund requisitions as well as supports the day-to-day activities of construction and special projects. Isabelle also handles compliance, project stabilization/conversion, and helps facilitate the transition to property management.

Isabelle obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a degree in Management from the University of Central Florida in 2020. She has an additional certification in Human Resources. In her spare time, she is an avid foodie, enjoys yoga, Legos, and spending time with her family, friends & cat.

Director of Events

Yvette Gallegos

Yvette Gallegos has worked in Property Management for 16 years and has been with Dominium for 11 years. Gallegos is a Regional Manager and covers a portfolio in Southwest FL and Central FL.