Building Opportunities with LISC NY and HPD

Join us for a networking event featuring Monica Dean, Director of Housing Programs at LISC NY and Ahmed Tigani, Acting Commissioner at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development about the future of affordable housing in New York City. Gain firsthand insights into policy developments, funding opportunities, and innovative approaches to housing preservation and development. This event offers a unique opportunity to connect with leaders in the field, ask questions, and collaborate on solutions that shape the city's housing landscape. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a vital conversation impacting our communities.

About Monica Dean, Director of Housing Programs, LISC NY

Monica Dean, Director of Housing, is responsible for developing and implementing programs to build capacity and expand opportunities for underrepresented firms owned by people of color; or nonprofit mission based institutions in the real estate industry. She will develop affordable housing policy and goals, establish programs to grow capacity in the affordable housing industry, and position LISC as a premier lender in the affordable housing space, statewide.

Prior to joining LISC NYC, Monica served as Senior Vice President of Resident Services at Opportunity Communities in Boston, MA, and before that, she was the Director of Resident Services for Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation, a community development corporation in Roxbury, MA.

Monica began her professional career in mental health counseling and very quickly transitioned to politics where she was a Chief of Staff for a Massachusetts State Senator. During her ten-year tenure in the Massachusetts state legislature, she assisted hundreds of residents in accessing crucial resources and opportunities, helping many find affordable housing and others avoid foreclosure. She helped broker agreements to build affordable housing, to revitalize commercial properties and to address crucial issues such as CORI reform and environmental justice.

Monica has decades of experience working with low-income residents and property management companies to ensure residents have the resources and services they need to live self-sufficient. Monica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Johnson C. Smith University, a Master’s of Education degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Tufts University.

About Ahmed Tigani, Acting Commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

Ahmed Tigani is HPD's Acting Commissioner and oversees all aspects of the agency. As Acting Commissioner, Ahmed works across divisions to foster new areas of collaboration and ensure operational and programmatic alignment; as well as working to strengthen ties with external stakeholders to advance the agency’s priorities.

Prior to joining HPD, first as Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Neighborhood Strategies and then as First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Diversity Officer, Ahmed served as Chief of Staff to the Commissioner for the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) and while there was charged with streamlining operations, accelerating project review, establishing more transparency, and developing new tools to promote construction and tenant safety. Before joining DOB, Ahmed was Senior Advisor for Housing, Economic Development, and Labor in the Mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs during the De Blasio Administration, working closely with the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development on various neighborhood rezonings, legislative agendas and priority projects. Before joining the De Blasio Administration, Ahmed served as Community Development Officer and then later as Assistant Director of Land Use, Planning and Development in the Office of the Manhattan Borough President (MBPO). In those roles Ahmed oversaw planning initiatives and community engagement operations, leading and co-leading various working groups within the office on a variety of subject areas. Before coming to the MBPO, Ahmed served as Director of Housing Policy and Advocacy and then Legislative Director for the Office of NYC Council Member Helen Rosenthal.

Ahmed’s started his career in public service as Director of Donations for Materials for the Arts at the Department of Cultural Affairs. Ahmed received a Bachelor of Arts and Science and a Master's in Urban Planning with a focus on Community Development from CUNY-Hunter College.