Board of Commissioners

ebraun@rhanc.gov
919-306-4455

Prior to retirement, Mr. Braun focused his law practice in the areas of land use regulation, zoning, litigation and municipal law. He represented developers and property owners in a wide range of land use matters, including wetlands permitting, vested rights, rezoning, special use permitting and historic preservation, variance proceedings and related litigation.

Mr. Braun also taught municipal law and land use planning for NC State’s Master of Public Administration program. He continues to volunteer with local boards, committees and nonprofits dedicated to solving social and economic issues vital to maintaining healthy and viable communities. Mr. Braun has been on the Raleigh Housing Authority Board since 2019.

amorris@rhanc.gov

Arne Morris, CPA, PFS, currently works for Townsend Asset Management Corp. and has over 25 years of experience in the areas of taxation, estate planning, investment management, governance, and succession planning. As a wealth management specialist, he spends most of his time serving in the planning areas of investments, cash flow, income tax, estate and gift, and retirement.

Mr. Morris has used his extensive accounting background to assist in the continued improvement of RHA’s financial condition. In addition to his financial expertise, Mr. Morris gives valuable insight to the RHA Board with his experience as a landlord and an investor. During his Board tenure, he has been instrumental in assisting RHA as it moved to a HUD-mandated asset management model, improving the curb appeal of RHA properties, developing a contingency plan for the redevelopment of Walnut Terrace, improving customer service, and ensuring that RHA’s HOPE VI grants were completed in record-breaking time.

echavez@rhanc.gov

Evan Covington Chavez is the Director of Government and External Partnerships at Capitol Broadcasting Company. Most recently, she led the redevelopment of the Rocky Mount Mills campus which is home to breweries and restaurants as well as office space and loft apartments. Prior to joining Capitol Broadcasting, she was Vice President of Program Operations at Habitat for Humanity of Wake County where she oversaw ReStore, Construction, Volunteers, Land Acquisition and DeConstruction activities.

Before working for Habitat, Evan was the Director of Real Estate at Self-Help, based in Durham for nine years where she led the team in the renovation and redevelopment of buildings and neighborhoods across NC. She got her start working with Habitat for Humanity International in Latin America and spent eight years guiding the establishment of Habitat organizations in Bolivia, Paraguay, Mexico and Venezuela. She has been working in affordable housing, residential and commercial real estate development for 30 years in North Carolina and Latin America. Evan and her husband, Edwin have two children, and she likes to spend her free time outdoors whenever possible!

vcrutchfield@rhanc.gov

sellinger@rhanc.gov

Susan Ellinger has more than 30 years in the affordable housing field, including subsidized housing, community development, and municipal law matters. Prior to law school, she worked for public housing agencies and authorities in Greenville, South Carolina, and Raleigh and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Ms. Ellinger has served on the boards of regional and national housing professional associations. She frequently speaks on affordable housing issues and has served on the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Tenant-Landlord Law in North Carolina. She has also served as a board member on the North Carolina Low Income Housing Coalition.

Ms. Ellinger administered the largest Section 8 programs in North and South Carolina and established experimental voucher programs, Project Self Sufficiency programs, new construction, substantial rehabilitation and moderate rehabilitation programs. She now advises authorities, non-profits and other developers in construction and administration of housing programs of all types throughout the Southeast. She is also counsel for several financial institutions, particularly focusing on their community development lending components, including tax credit equity, debt and historic rehabilitation efforts. Ms. Ellinger has been on the Raleigh Housing Authority Board of Commissioners since 2021.

jgoodwin@rhanc.gov

Dr. Jeronica Goodwin is a seasoned healthcare human resources professional with more than twenty years of experience. She has worked in both large and mid-size hospitals and healthcare organizations. Dr. Goodwin started her career in human resources at WakeMed Health and Hospitals. She has returned after several years and is their Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Officer overseeing all human capital functions.

Dr. Goodwin is a frequent presenter at national conferences, speaking about healthcare and human resources-related topics. She also participates in dissertations and advisory committees. Besides her work as a full-time executive, she occasionally teaches healthcare and human resources subjects as an adjunct professor. Dr. Goodwin is very active in her community, serving on various boards and councils, and she was appointed to the City of Raleigh’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC).

bmutisya@rhanc.gov

Bahati Mutisya is a Raleigh native and healthcare attorney who represents health care providers in legal proceedings and helps them navigate complex regulatory requirements. Outside of health care, Ms. Mutisya has counseled private businesses and local governments in regulatory issues and civil litigation. She has assisted municipalities with land use regulation, advised real estate developers on compliance with local zoning laws, and defended developers in real property litigation. Her pro bono work has included advocating for and advising tenants on their rights through the Lawyer on the Line Program.

Ms. Mutisya earned her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy, president of the Immigration Law Society, and secretary and mock trial team member for the Black Law Students Association. She earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration with honors from Carnegie Mellon University.

gwarren@rhanc.gov

Gregg Warren joined the RHA Board in 2019. Gregg recently retired after serving over 34 years as President of DHIC, Inc. DHIC is a Raleigh based non-profit that develops affordable housing and provides financial capability training to potential first-time homebuyers. Under Gregg’s leadership, DHIC developed 45 rental communities with over 2,400 apartments DHIC established its reputation as an innovative, leading developer (and largest owner) of affordable housing in the Triangle area.

On a limited basis, Mr. Warren currently does consulting work to clients who he believes are making significant changes to the Triangle’s affordable housing ecosystem. Early in his career, he was the first Executive Director of the Chatham County Housing Authority.

jwhitehouse@rhanc.gov

Joe Whitehouse is the VP of Development and Construction for Kisco Senior Living. He manages the design and construction of all new real estate projects and works closely with the operation team leaders on new community offerings, experiences and innovation for Kisco’s residents.

Prior to Kisco, Mr. Whitehouse was President of Creative Urban Environments, a fee-based development company, and has worked for both private and public companies in 27 states. He is a graduate of the College of Design at North Carolina State University. Over the past thirty years, his experience has been across most product types: commercial, hospitality, mixed-use, multi-family, senior housing, retail, warehouse, and resort development sectors. He is active in ULI and often can be found working with many other community organizations. Mr.Whitehouse has been on the RHA Board since 2021.