City of Raleigh 2026 Affordable Housing Forum

Keynote Speaker

Justine Underhill

Justine Underhill serves on the Falls Church City Council in Virginia and is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and nationally recognized voice on housing affordability.

Through her YouTube channel, Underhill uses storytelling, data, and on-the-ground reporting to explain why housing has become so expensive and how communities can create more housing opportunities. Her videos on housing affordability, zoning, homelessness, and local government have reached audiences across the country and helped bring complex policy discussions to a broader public.

Before serving on City Council, Underhill was a member of the Falls Church Housing Commission, where she worked on local housing policy and affordability initiatives. As an elected official, she continues to focus on housing, transportation, economic development, and building strong, financially resilient communities.

Prior to entering public office, Underhill worked as a reporter, producer, and on-air host for major media organizations including Yahoo Finance and created the award-winning documentary series “Discoveries.” Her work has been recognized by multiple organizations, including the Telly Awards.

Emila Sutton

Emila Sutton is the Director of Housing and Community Development for the City of Raleigh, where she oversees a range of affordable housing and homelessness programs. With more than 20 years of experience in housing, her expertise includes affordable housing policy and finance, homeownership programs, and evidence-based homelessness response. Sutton designed and led Raleigh’s recent unsheltered response pilot, which successfully ended homelessness for 90 percent of individuals formerly living in an encampment. Previously, she served on the HUD Emergency Housing Voucher leadership team and directed the Orange County, N.C. Housing Department and Public Housing Authority. Her earlier work includes leading policy at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and coordinating the Balance of State Continuum of Care at the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness. She holds degrees in Political Science, History, and Law. 

Pat Young

Patrick “Pat” Young is the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Raleigh since July of 2020. Prior to coming to Raleigh, Pat was with the City of Durham for 12 years, first as assistant director and later as planning director. In Durham, Pat led efforts to help promote housing accessibility and affordability through zoning reform and to make the development process more customer oriented, timely and predictable, and he is now leading similar efforts in Raleigh. Pat is a proud member of ULI, the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Pat lives in Raleigh and has one teenager at UNC-Asheville and one at American University in Washington.
 

Yolanda Winstead

Yolanda Winstead, President/CEO, DHIC, Inc. has three decades of experience in affordable housing development, financing, and related services. Her prior roles include vice-president of finance at Greystone Affordable Development, where she was responsible for underwriting and sourcing financing tools, including tax exempt bonds, and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, and providing support and technical assistance to developer clients. She spent 15 years at Community Affordable Housing Equity Corporation. Ms. Winstead began her housing career at DHIC in 1994, where she started as housing services coordinator, before transitioning to real estate development as a project manager. She holds a BS in Business Administration from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) and received her Nonprofit Management Certification from Duke University. Ms. Winstead serves on the Enterprise Community Leadership Council, National NeighborWorks Association Advisory Board, and the boards of Community Housing Capital and American Community Capital.

Yvette Holmes

Yvette is the CEO for Southeast Raleigh Promise, the first non-profit Purpose Built Communities organization in Raleigh/Wake County, and the 16th of more than 25 in the country. As a thoughtful leader and long-term resident of southeast Raleigh, Yvette has more than 30 years of experience as a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, and public and civic engagement professional. In her role leading a placed-based partnership model, Yvette shapes and leads strategies, attracts and leverages investment, builds relationships with residents and the community, and cultivates cross-sector partnerships to improve the quality of life in the areas of mixed income housing, economic mobility, cradle-to-career education, and health and community wellness, creating opportunities for Southeast Raleigh residents, small businesses and nonprofits. Yvette is a 2023 Leadership Triangle Goodmon Fellow and an inaugural honoree of the Triangle Business Journal’s Peak 25. In leadership, Yvette believes in hopeful possibilities and in the undeniable promise we hold individually and as a community.

Mark Shelburne 

Mark Shelburne is a housing policy consultant with Novogradac. His work includes consulting with state agencies, local governments, and developers. He also develops educational/training material and writes for various publications. Additionally, he has been recognized as a professor of practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shelburne previously served as counsel and policy coordinator at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency.

Janneke Ratcliffe

Janneke Ratcliffe recently joined the Office of North Carolina Governor Josh Stein as Senior Advisor for Housing Policy, to shape and coordinate a statewide housing strategy. A long-time North Carolinian, Ratcliffe is a nationally recognized leader in housing policy and community development finance with a career spanning government, research, nonprofits, and private industry. Previously, Ratcliffe was VP of the Housing and Communities Division and the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute, leading impartial, timely data and analysis to strengthen public policy and advance equitable housing outcomes nationwide. Ratcliffe’s prior public service includes senior leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau overseeing national efforts to empower consumers with evidence-based financial education. Earlier, as Executive Director of UNC’s Center for Community Capital, she guided groundbreaking research on affordable homeownership and housing finance. Prior to that, she spent a decade at Self-Help, helping to implement a landmark affordable mortgage initiative that expanded sustainable homeownership for more than 40,000 households, as well as a New Markets Tax Credit program that expanded investment in underserved communities. Her early career in mortgage finance at GE Capital further deepened her expertise in housing markets, risk management, product development, and fair lending. Across sectors and roles, Ratcliffe has been a driving force in designing, analyzing, and implementing housing and financial policies that open the doors to stable, affordable homes, and economic opportunity.

Jess Brandes

Jess Brandes is an Assistant Director with the Housing and Community Development Department for the City of Raleigh. She oversees compliance, reporting, strategic planning, redevelopment work and fiscal operations for the Community Development Division, and also provides oversight of the Code Enforcement Division. Prior to joining the City in 2024, Jess worked at local affordable housing nonprofit, CASA, where she spent 16 years leading the Real Estate Development team. During her tenure at CASA, she oversaw the construction or preservation of 450 units of affordable housing in 16 different development projects. Jess earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Historic Preservation from Mary Washington College and a Master of City and Regional Planning with a specialization in Housing and Community Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Morgan Mansa 

Morgan Mansa is the Director of Housing Affordability and Community Revitalization for Wake County. In this role, she leads the county’s housing strategy, overseeing housing development and preservation, homelessness prevention services, permanent supportive housing, research and data, and veterans services. She works in partnership with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private sector partners to advance investments that have supported more than 5,000 units of affordable housing. Previously, Morgan served as Director of Housing and Community Partnerships for the Town of Cary; director of Nashville’s Housing Trust Fund, where she was appointed by Mayor Megan Barry; Senior Policy Advisor for the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; and Executive Director of the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance. She is known for aligning policy with practice, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and advancing scalable, community-driven housing solutions. Morgan is a 2024 Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree and a Cary Magazine 2024 Mover and Shaker. She also serves as Vice President of the North Carolina Women’s Affordable Housing Network. She holds a BA in Sociology and a Master of Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.

Liz Doherty

Liz Doherty is a Policy and Communications Supervisor with the Housing and Community Development Department for the City of Raleigh. She leads the interdisciplinary policy, communications, and data team. Prior to joining the City last year, Liz served as a policy advisor covering housing and homelessness in the Office of Governor Josh Stein. She previously held the same role in Governor Roy Cooper’s administration and served as communications director for his 2020 re-election campaign. Liz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College and a Master of Public Policy from the Duke University Sanford School.

Cari Boram

Cari Boram is the Chief Executive Officer of Triangle Family Services. She leads community-based programs in Family Safety, Financial Stability, Housing Security and Mental Health. After beginning her career as a public school teacher, Cari worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years before stepping into local non-profit leadership roles. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Spanish from Guilford College; a Juris Doctorate from NC Central University; and a Master’s in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb.

Jenn Truman

Jenn Truman is design principal at The Rocket Shop, a local residential infill design firm focused on building place through community design. With experience in architecture, civil engineering, and interior design, Jenn brings a breadth and depth of knowledge to her work as both a designer and housing advocate. She has been a leader in local conversations on housing, transportation, transit, and walkability across North Carolina. Jenn is the Founder of CITYBUILDER, the Triangle's pro-housing news and advocacy organization. She also serves on the boards of the Raleigh Transit Authority, Fertile Ground Food Cooperative, and Yes! in the Triangle, Raleigh-Durham's chapter of YIMBY Action. She is a co-host of YIMBYtown 2026, the national pro-housing conference coming to Raleigh this November.

Eileen Rosa

Eileen Rosa serves as the Lead Agency Director for the Wake County Continuum of Care, where they oversee system coordination, strategic planning, and countywide initiatives to reduce and ultimately end homelessness. Eileen brings more than twelve years of experience spanning coordinated entry, program development, CoC governance, and large‑scale systems change across Wake County and the District of Columbia. In their current role, Eileen leads Wake at Home, a multi‑year public‑private initiative designed to significantly reduce unsheltered and chronic homelessness in Wake County. Prior to joining Wake County in 2025, Eileen served as the Deputy Director of the District of Columbia’s CoC strategic planning body, the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness (DCICH) and Deputy Chief of Policy and Programs with the DC CoC lead agency, The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness. During her tenure in DC, Eileen led design and implementation of several key system‑level programs and initiatives, including coordinated entry improvements, the HUD Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, and collaborative work that contributed to major reductions in veteran homelessness.