President

Hope Rutter

Hope Rutter has over 16 years in affordable housing and is passionate about helping all obtain affordable, safe housing. She has experience in property and asset management, Tax Credit allocation, HCVP, LIHTC compliance, servicing, and department management. With many certifications to show for it. She is currently the Director of Rental Servicing for Virginia Housing. Hope has a B.S. from East Carolina University and a master’s from Virginia Commonwealth University. Hope is passionate about supporting women in their aspirations and bringing more women leaders into affordable housing at the same time spotlighting to the need for affordable housing in Virginia and nationwide.

Vice President

Theresa DeBoer

Theresa DeBoer is a certified Interior Designer from Richmond, VA who graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. Upon graduation, Theresa worked in Washington, D.C. and Boston where she was an Associate Interior Designer for workplace and hospitality clients. Theresa joined DNA Workshop – Baton Rouge in 2019; lending her talents to a variety of multi-family (LIHTC and new construction), hospitality, and historical renovation projects. In Spring 2022, Theresa helped launch DNA Workshop – Richmond and is currently the Managing Director for their Richmond office. When she’s not in the office, she can be found thrifting, enjoying live music with her husband Jacob, or playing with her two huskies, Qba and Roo.

Secretary

Janei Lofty

As a Community Gerontologist, Janei Lofty, is committed to promoting safe, affordable, and accessible housing for all. With 6 years of experience working in the housing sector, she has developed a deep understanding of the challenges facing individuals and families in securing and maintaining stable housing.

Throughout her career she has worked to secure supportive services aiming to alleviate the survival fatigue of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities especially the elderly. Her goal is for all older adults to have the ability to age in place through the preservation of affordable housing. To support this goal, She has been involved in community organizing efforts to develop a continuum of service options that meet the needs of low-income households.

Her work as a housing advocate, includes assisting with eviction prevention efforts, providing counseling, and education on tenant rights and responsibilities, while helping individuals navigate the complex housing system to secure safe and affordable housing options.

She is a passionate and dedicated advocate, with a proven track record of building strong partnerships to advance housing justice. She is deeply devoted to social justice and equity, and committed to advancing policies and practices that promote fair and equitable access to housing for all.

As a two time graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University she enjoys going to events and connecting with students both locally and nationally.

Treasurer

Suzanne Armstrong

Suzanne “Sue” Armstrong is an energetic, big picture, problem solver that is focused on advantageous outcomes. She currently works as an Field Grants Management Specialist for HUD Policy and Community Programs Department. In this position, her knowledge provides partners across multiple states high quality implementation support to develop affordable housing a deploy high quality grant programs for all populations. She frequently presents and speaks at events inspiring new thoughts in the housing arena. Sue began her career in the medical field which allowed her to branch out into other areas and 18 plus years ago she landed in affordable housing. She has also taught collegially for over 15 years. She has developed multitudes of various programs, such as the nationally recognized Wounded Warrior program with the department of Veteran Services. She has received many awards for her work including the Housing Warrior Excellence Award for her work developing housing and programs for vulnerable populations and the Synergy Team award for her work on Covid 19 Rent Relief Program. Sue is an avid traveler, creator, and gardener. She lives in Richmond with her husband Kevin and her 4 legged child Josie.

Vice President of Marketing

Claire O’Connor

Claire O’Connor has 14 years of real estate experience and is the business development manager for IMEG’s Richmond office. Her passions are cultivating relationships, strategic thinking, and being a connector.

Board Member

Elizabeth Steele

Elizabeth G. Steele is Vice President of Business Development with Kensington Vanguard National Land Services LLC, in Richmond, Virginia.  Liz received her J.D. from Seton Hall School of Law in Newark, New Jersey and was in private practice for several years before going in-house with the claims division of AIG Environmental in New York, New York.  She relocated to Richmond Virginia where she has worked in title in the commercial real estate industry for more than 25 years. She is mom to three, an avid marathon runner and skier and a self-proclaimed “cranky yankee”.

Board Member

Twylla Lozada

Twylla Lozada is a licensed real estate agent operating under her brand For the Love of Housing, brokered through 1st Class Real Estate Flagship. She serves the Newport News and Hampton Roads markets with a focus on residential sales and first-time homebuyer education. She is also the Founder and President of Charity Means Love Foundation, Newport News’s first independent Community Land Trust, a 501(c)3 nonprofit she launched in 2023 to build a permanently affordable homeownership pipeline for working families.

Twylla brings a cross-sector background that spans HR leadership and recruitment operations at the corporate level, community advocacy through the Newport News NAACP, grant strategy, and public speaking on housing equity and community wealth-building. Her work is rooted in lived experience and a deep understanding of the systemic barriers families face in accessing stable housing. She holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Florida International University.

Twylla is driven by the belief that safe, stable housing is not a privilege – it belongs to everyone.

Board Member

Kayla Smith

Kayla has spent the past 5 years strategically engaging donors and community members to nonprofit missions in Richmond, VA. She currently works at Better Housing Coalition as Director of Community Engagement where she volunteered on the Young Professionals Board Committee for 5 years prior to joining the staff full-time in 2024. This volunteer leadership best captures her passion for the need for affordable housing in the Richmond region. She enjoys connecting community members to BHC’s mission and telling the story of how affordable housing positively impacts our neighbors. Kayla also serves on the Board of Directors for AFP’s Central VA Chapter and in her free time enjoys spending time with her husband, exploring Richmond (there’s always something new to see, even after 10 years of living here), traveling, and coaching group fitness classes at locally owned gym, PureFitness.”

Board Member

Nicole Storm

Nicole is the Senior Director of Advancement at project:HOMES, where she leads fundraising, marketing, and community engagement efforts in support of affordable housing. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector in early 2021, she held roles in community and public relations for state and local government agencies. Nicole is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond’s 2024 class and currently serves on the board of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives. Nicole received her MPA from Virginia Tech and a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Board Member

Dr. Mae Worthey-Thomas

Dr. Mae Worthey-Thomas, is a strategic-minded public servant who currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer for the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust. In this role she champions the provision of permanently affordable housing through the community land trust model, selling homes at a reduced cost to income-qualified individuals, while maintaining ownership of the land. Dr. Worthey-Thomas’ career path encompasses varied trajectories, spanning journalism, healthcare, marketing/public relations, the legal field, higher education, workforce development and housing. Her other passions include rooting for her alma mater’s team, the Crimson Tide, her family, including her husband, son, grandchildren and bonus children and serving the community through the alumni chapter of her beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where she has held numerous leadership positions. An organizational leadership enthusiast, Dr. Worthey-Thomas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Alabama, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne. Dr. Worthey-Thomas is a highly-adept communicator whose passion lies in creative writing and serving others. Her mantra is we realize peace-filled joy when we allow our lights to shine on others’ paths to help them find their way.