President
President
Palatine resident
Kathy has served on the HODC board since 2019. She previously served as Vice President of Operations for a number of subsequently purchased start-up and early-stage ventures in the healthcare and health insurance industry with a concentration in Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs. Since retiring in 2019, Kathy has worked to support fair and affordable housing in Illinois as an Issues and Advocacy Specialist with the League of Women Voters where she also participates in voter registration and chairs the Candidate Forums subcommittee for her local league. She also supports housing and social services through her work at Northwest Compass in Mount Prospect, IL. Kathy graduated with a Master of Management from Northwestern University in Marketing and Finance and has her Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois. She is a 32 year resident Palatine, IL.
Vice President
Vice President
Wilmette resident
Bill Sholten has been a director at HODC since 2017 although his involvement emanated from the basic human need giving program at Winnetka Congregational Church in 2007. Bill retired from JPMorgan in 2020 where he was responsible for corporate banking coverage for specialty finance clients. Bill has a B.A. in economics from The University of the South, Sewanee, TN and an MBA from the Arizona State University. Bill grew up on the North Shore and resides in Wilmette, IL.
Secretary
Secretary
Niles resident
Sarah Homan has served on the board since April 2023, bringing a professional background in business and project management, marketing and strategic planning. She also has a personal interest in housing equity and opportunity, growing up with parents deeply involved with Habitat for Humanity, and more personally after becoming a first-time homeowner at the start of the pandemic, learning first-hand of the importance of access to housing resources and safety nets in maintaining one’s housing stability. She lives with her pit bull (aka “house hippo”) Melo and enjoys volunteering, mentoring, travel, and golf.
Treasurer
Treasurer
Palatine resident
Nancy joined the HODC board in 2022. She is a principal, and past partner, of ECS Financial Services, Inc., a 45 person CPA firm in Northbrook, where she has spent her 39-year accounting career advancing from staff accountant to partner/shareholder. Nancy’s role at ECS has included responsibility for daily operations, marketing and new business generation, staff recruiting and training, client management and client services. She was integral in the development of a business niche in the equipment leasing industry, has served in various capacities on the boards of multiple leasing industry trade associations and has been active as an instructor on accounting and other lease management topics within the equipment leasing industry. Nancy graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Illinois and, along with her husband Bob, is a 37-year resident of Palatine, IL.
Park Ridge resident
Kristin has served on the board of directors for HODC since 2014. Kristin’s housing career includes 23 years with Freddie Mac where she directed a national team performing loss mitigation work for high risk loan and bond portfolios. Prior to Freddie Mac, Kristin started a property management company. Kristin now enjoys an encore career as Property Development Manager for Sarah’s Circle, a Chicago nonprofit serving women who are homeless. Kristin grew up in the Minneapolis area, moving to Chicago to attend and earn a BA from the University of Chicago. Kristin is an active advocate for affordable housing and currently resides in Park Ridge.
Wilmette resident
Michael has been a director at HODC since 2018. His involvement as a director stems from the workplace: as a Vice President with Brinshore Development, a national developer of multifamily affordable housing, and President of BCM, LLC, Brinshore’s construction arm, Michael is committed to the mission of bringing safe, healthy and intelligent affordable housing to every community. Michael has a B.A. in anthropology from DePauw University, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Growing up in Evanston, IL, and Santa Fe, NM, Michael has enjoyed living in different parts of the country. He currently lives in Wilmette, IL, with his wife and two daughters, and enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends.
Bolingbrook resident
Otis Gatlin joined the board of Housing Opportunity Development Corporation in 2019. He is a father, husband, and proud 15-year resident of Bolingbrook. Otis has worked in mortgage banking for nearly 20 years helping thousands of families achieve their dreams of homeownership. He has a passion for affordable housing, economic justice, and local government. Growing up in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Otis saw how the devastation of poverty impacted his family and his neighbors. He saw his mother get involved locally to make positive changes for the benefit of his community which showed him the impact of local government and civic engagement. In addition to his service on the board of HODC, Otis volunteers at his local church and the DuPage Township Democrats. Just as his mother instilled in him the value of civic participation, Otis is hoping to do the same for his three children, two of which are enrolled in Bolingbrook Schools and involved in several community activities.
Lakewood resident
Lakeysha D Gilbert has been a HODC director since 2023. Most recently, Lakeysha served as a Director of Operations for Walmart where she launched the first fully automated e-commerce fulfillment center. Lakeysha has a B.S in Chemical Engineering and Minor in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an Executive MBA from Quantic. She was born and raised in Connecticut and now happily lives in the far west suburbs with her 5-year-old daughter Reagan and husband Jasen.
Glenview resident
Phalecia, a resident of one of HODC’s properties, joined the board of directors in 2023. Born and raised on the Westside of Chicago, Phalecia understands the unique needs and challenges facing our residents, especially those living with a disability. For years, Phalecia served as a frontline healthcare worker as a Unit Secretary in the Intensive Care Unit at Our Lady of Resurrection Hospital and at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office under Dr. Edmund R. Donahue as an Administrative Assistant. After becoming disabled, Phalecia moved into HODC’s Axley Place where she lives with her fur-baby, Charlie Brown. She is a proud mother of 3 and devoted grandmother of 6.
Chicago resident
Joe Kaczmarski has served on the board since February 2024, to further his belief that affordable housing is a key component to all communities. Joe has over 17 years of experience in the energy and utilities industries including business development, project management, change management, union labor management, construction management, process mapping, corporate strategy and growth, systems implementations, compliance, and auditing. Joe earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical-mechanical engineering from Loras College, his MBA from DePaul University, and a graduate degree in strategic decision making and risk management from Stanford University. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife (Katie) and two small dogs (Miley & Huey).
Evanston resident
Jack Kaplan has been a director at HODC since 2003. He is an attorney with a long history of involvement with not-for-profit organizations. He served as Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for United Way of Illinois and United Way of Metro Chicago for 10 years before retiring in 2018. Jack received a BA in Political Science from Drake University and a JD from IITChicago Kent. Jack grew up on the North Shore and lives in Evanston.
Kenilworth resident
Deerfield resident
Rob joined the HODC board in September 2021 board because he believes affordable housing is a critical step for household stability which allows for proper nutrition, education and family priorities to be accomplished. Rob has been married to his wife for over 27 years and has two sons. For the last 12 years, Rob and his family has lived in Deerfield, IL. In addition to living in the Chicagoland area, Rob and his family have lived in Madison, WI and Weston, FL. Rob has over 30 years of experience working in large and middle sized public and private corporations as a Finance/Accounting professional. Rob’s career included over 18 years in the food industry as well as additional experience in the automotive/heavy duty truck and medical products industries. His roles included Vice President leading functions of Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Procurement. Rob graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s of Science, concentration in Accounting.
Skokie resident
Evanston resident
Sydney is a Director on the Work Dynamics Strategy Consulting team at Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). She currently consults on Portfolio Optimization, Workplace Strategy and Transformation initiatives for primarily Fortune 500 companies. She earned her Master of City and Regional Planning with a focus on Real Estate Design/Development and Public-Private Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. Sydney also holds a BA in American Culture and Racial and Ethnic Studies from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Sydney grew up in Deerfield and currently resides in Evanston with her husband and two crazy dogs, Crosby and Maslow. Sydney joined HODC’s board to maintain involvement within the affordable housing world (really, a community) and contribute to an area of immense interest and passion in a collaborative fashion.
HODC expresses appreciation and gratitude for the support these individuals have shown toward our organization and affordable housing.