STAFF

Leadership

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  Kevin Martone, L.S.W.

  Executive Director

Kevin Martone, L.S.W.

Executive Director





Kevin has 20 years of experience in executive leadership at the national, state government and nonprofit levels, with expertise in public mental health and human services administration. He specializes in a range of issues related to behavioral health, including policy strategy, system financing and design, Olmstead and community integration, health reform, and the design and delivery of permanent supportive housing. He incorporates his knowledge of complex and related systems issues, including healthcare, homelessness, social services/welfare, community development, public health and criminal justice, and their intersection with the political environment into his work. Kevin joined TAC in 2011 as Director of Behavioral Health before taking over as Executive Director in September 2012. Prior to joining TAC, Kevin served as President of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), where he advanced key policy issues on behalf of the nation’s public mental health systems before Congress, and federal agencies including the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and other stakeholder groups. Kevin served as Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services overseeing the state authority for mental health and substance abuse. There, he led a statewide systemic transformation of the public behavioral health system that advanced recovery, expanded peer-delivered services, improved access to community-based programs, and decreased reliance on acute care. Kevin negotiated the State’s Olmstead Settlement Agreement upon his arrival, resulting in a plan to create over 1,000 new units of supportive housing for people leaving psychiatric hospitals or who were homeless. Kevin’s experience also includes serving as President and CEO of a statewide supportive housing provider in New Jersey that extensively utilized federal, state and local housing development and rental assistance programs to design, implement, and operate supportive housing for people receiving services from the public behavioral health system.



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  Ann O'Hara

  Associate Director & Director of TAC's Housing Group

Ann O'Hara

Co-Founder, Associate Director & Director of TAC's Housing Group





Ann is nationally known for her public policy work to expand affordable and permanent supportive housing opportunities for people with disabilities and for her expertise in housing programs for people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. She has over 30 years of experience in federal, state and local affordable housing policy and is an expert in the use of federal affordable and subsidized housing programs to meet the needs of vulnerable low-income populations. At TAC, Ann has provided consultation on permanent supportive housing in more than 30 states, and led major and successful technical assistance initiatives in 15 states to create interagency partnerships between housing and human services systems to expand permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities. Working with the Washington, DC-based Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force (CCD), Ann has successfully advocated for national housing policy initiatives and developed legislative proposals leading to the creation of more than 100,000 new subsidized housing opportunities for people with disabilities. Recently, Ann led a successful effort to modernize and reform the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program through enactment of the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010. She has testified before Congress, and authored numerous publications and studies on expanding affordable and permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities. Ann has served as an expert consultant on these issues for federal agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), HUD, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the White House Domestic Policy Council. She was lead author of the Homeless and Housing Background Paper published by the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, and led TAC’s consulting team which provided expert technical assistance on SAMHSA’s Permanent Supportive Housing Evidence-Based Practice kit. Prior to founding TAC in 1992, Ms. O'Hara served as Assistant Secretary for Housing and Director of Rental Assistance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.



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  Marie Herb

  Managing Director & Director of TAC's HUD Homeless Technical Assistance

Marie Herb

Managing Director & Director of TAC's HUD Homeless Technical Assistance





Marie has over 23 years of experience working with systems and communities to solve the housing needs of homeless individuals and families and other vulnerable populations. She is an expert in using federal, state, and local affordable and special needs housing programs to address these issues, and is nationally recognized for her expertise regarding U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs. Marie has worked with numerous states and communities to facilitate long-range strategic planning and partnerships to create systemic approaches to expand permanent supportive housing, adopt plans to end homelessness and chronic homelessness, develop effective homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing approaches, and more effectively allocate and use resources. In addition to serving as TAC’s Managing Director, with oversight responsibility for overall office management, personnel, and human resources, Marie has led TAC's technical assistance efforts funded by HUD which includes successful interventions in over 21 states in partnership with HUD Headquarters and 15 HUD Field offices across the country. In addition to conducting community and provider needs assessments, developing customized tools and training curricula, and delivering direct technical assistance, Marie has facilitated over 100 training workshops for housing and service providers, Public Housing Agencies, and state and local governments on topics related to homelessness, permanent supportive housing, linking mainstream housing and services resources, grant administration, reporting, and financial management. Prior to joining TAC, Marie was the Executive Director of the AIDS Housing Corporation where she assisted nonprofit organizations in developing and operating housing programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS and others experiencing homelessness, and advised local communities on developing their overall Continuum of Care strategies to address homelessness.



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  Stephen L. Day, M.S.W

  Co-founder & Senior Consultant

Stephen L. Day, M.S.W

Co-founder & Senior Consultant





Steve has over 40 years of experience specializing in service system improvement and financing strategies, organizational development and management, strategic planning, interagency service coordination and integration strategies, consumer-based outcome and performance measurement, and the implementation of best practice mental health, substance use, intellectual and developmental disabilities, aging and related human services. Steve has provided consultation and technical assistance to over 100 state and local jurisdictions, including his work on over 25 state-level service planning, implementation and financing initiatives, and on innovative and best practice financing strategies for community-based services for people with disabilities and chronic conditions, specifically with regard to Medicaid plan and waiver services financing and management. Steve has provided consultation to numerous national policy and advocacy organizations, and has contributed to major national policy initiatives related to state level system improvements. He was among the senior consultants providing technical input and support to the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, authoring a technical monograph on Medicaid's role in public mental health services, and assisting to draft recommendations related to state-level mental health system master planning and on linking mainstream service resources to supportive housing for people with mental illness. He has also published a monograph on the role of supportive housing in states’ Olmstead compliance, and a manual on understanding and implementing evidence-based practices for behavioral health administrators and practitioners. Steve served as TAC’s Executive Director for over 20 years before stepping down in September 2012. Prior to founding TAC, Steve was Deputy Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Steve also served as a Commissioner of a public housing authority, and participated in the development and management of HUD and state-funded housing programs for elders, families with children, and people with disabilities.

Housing & Human Services Staff

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  Francine Arienti, M.A.

  Senior Associate

Francine Arienti, M.A.

Sr Associate, Human Services Group





Francine has over 16 years of experience working to address the housing and service needs of people with disabilities through direct service, technical assistance and training, and policy support. Her experience includes managing and providing technical assistance for multiple federal and state initiatives designed to prevent and end homelessness through community-based affordable housing linked with mainstream services and supports for persons with disabilities. She manages TAC's permanent supportive housing technical assistance initiative in Louisiana, which is reducing homelessness and the state's reliance on high-cost restrictive care settings. Francine has also managed large technical assistance grants and contracts for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and has co-authored several publications on evidence-based and promising practices for people who are homeless and have behavioral health needs.



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  Emily Cooper, M.P.H.

  Senior Associate

Emily Cooper, M.P.H.

Sr Associate, Housing Group





Emily is a nationally recognized expert with over 20 years of experience helping organizations to access and improve the use of federal affordable housing programs to meet the needs of people who have disabilities and people who experience homelessness. She is an expert at using rental assistance resources, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, for low-income households with special needs. As a principal consultant for TAC's federal homeless technical assistance projects, Emily provides direct technical assistance and training support to hundreds of community-based providers and Continuum of Care homeless planning groups on a range of topics including grant administration and compliance, program design and the implementation of best practices, and effective coordination and use of resources. Emily has provided consultation to state and local governments on expanding access to mainstream housing and service resources for vulnerable populations, and has authored numerous publications on using affordable and supportive housing program resources to meet their needs.



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  Kelly English, M.S.W., Ph.D.

  Senior Associate

Kelly English, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Sr Associate, Human Services Group





Kelly's expertise and experience are in the areas of design and implementation of care management approaches, systems of care development, person-centered planning, quality improvement strategies, and program evaluation. Her focus is also on assisting states to leverage Medicaid to develop services to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to the services they need to be successful at home and in the community. Prior to joining TAC, Kelly served as a consultant to Massachusetts Medicaid on the implementation of new behavioral health services for youth developed to remediate a class-action EPSDT lawsuit. Kelly also worked for several years for the Massachusetts Medicaid behavioral health carve-out vendor, assuming key roles on child and adolescent issues with the provider network, state agencies, and stakeholder groups. While there she also led efforts to organize care management approaches for children with serious emotional disturbance and worked to ensure providers delivered high quality behavioral health services to Medicaid members.



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  Kristina Hals, M.A.

  Senior Associate

Kristina Hals, M.A.

Sr Associate, Housing Group





Kristina has 18 years of experience in the homelessness services and supportive housing fields working for direct service and intermediary capacity building organizations, and as an independent consultant. Her expertise includes providing strategic planning, technical assistance, program evaluation, and resource development, and has focused on a range of populations including people experiencing chronic homelessness, corrections populations, people with HIV/AIDS and serious mental illness, frail elders, families with children, and disconnected youth. Kristina rejoined TAC in 2012 as part of the team providing TA, training and consultation, and product development under TAC's grant with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for its Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. In her previous five years with TAC, Kristina was lead consultant with cities and counties across the U.S. developing 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness, and assisted the City of Boston in designing its Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP) Program. She also carried out national program evaluations and trained community-based organizations on fostering links between supportive housing, workforce development, and mainstream resources. More recently, as a private consultant, Kristina developed trainings on trauma-informed care for families experiencing housing instability, led a regional planning process for the Massachusetts Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (ICHH), and assisted the Massachusetts Office of Medicaid to design cross-sector partnerships for their Money Follows the Person (MFP) initiative.



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  Patti Holland, M.S., C.R.C.

  Senior Associate

Patti Holland, M.S., C.R.C.

Sr Associate, Human Services Group





Patti has over 25 years of experience working to advance recovery-oriented services and systems, with an emphasis on supportive housing, rehabilitation and evidence-based mental health service delivery practices. Her areas of interest and expertise include the design and delivery of services that promote recovery, wellness, community inclusion and self-determination, facilitating organizational and systems transformation that result in desired outcomes including housing, increased income, employment/ career development, and supportive relationships, and promoting workforce development strategies to ensure the most effective services and interventions are accessible and available to as many as possible. Patti's work experience reflects a comprehensive approach to systems change and service delivery, and includes positions held in nonprofit administration, academia and state government.



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  Amy Horton

  TA & Training Coordinator

Amy Horton

TA & Training Coordinator





Amy is responsible for the administration of over $5 million in federal grant funding for TAC’s HUD McKinney-Vento and OneCPD technical assistance initiatives. In this role, she oversees all marketing, registration and logistics for trainings and conferences, and communicates with HUD staff, subcontractors and consultants on TAC’s HUD-funded TA and training activities. She also assists with the preparation of all HUD billing and reporting. Amy similarly managed grant administration for TAC’s TA grant for the VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program. Prior to joining TAC, Amy worked at a Community Development Corporation, overseeing a First-Time Homebuyer Program funded with HOME program funds, as well a neighborhood revitalization initiative paid for with CDBG funds.



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  Martha Knisley, M.A.

  Director, National Community Support Initiative

Martha Knisley, M.A.

Director of the National Community Support Initiative





Marti is a nationally recognized leader in the development of permanent supportive housing and community support systems for people with mental illness and other behavioral health needs. Marti assists state and local behavioral health systems to assure the highest priority individuals are provided with best practice community support services necessary for them to live successfully in the community. She is an expert in the use of federal Medicaid and state financing to ensure high quality, sustainable services for people with disabilities living in permanent supportive housing, and serves as lead consultant for several TAC projects aimed at redesigning state and local service systems to adopt the evidence-based permanent supportive housing model liked with sustainable supportive services. Marti has served as an appointed Court Monitor in an Olmstead class action suit ordering the development of 6,000 supportive housing slots for people with mental illness in New York City, and serves as New Jersey’s Expert Consultant in their Olmstead suit requiring 800 people to be discharged from state psychiatric hospitals into community settings with an emphasis on supportive housing and changes to the state’s Medicaid program. Marti led important community-based mental health systems reforms as the first Director of the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health, a post she served in for over four years. Prior to this appointment, she led TAC's project to create a long-term plan to reform mental health services in the District. Marti's three decades as a mental health clinician and administrator include heading up the Departments of Mental Health in the States of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and serving as past President of the North Carolina Low Income Housing Coalition.



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  Melany Mondello

  Associate

Melany Mondello

Associate, Housing Group





Melany has over 15 years of experience working with nonprofit agencies and government entities to build partnerships and develop housing and supportive services for people with disabilities. Her expertise is in HUD’s Continuum of Care process, the Shelter Plus Care program, supportive housing, veteran’s homelessness and housing programs, and developing quality improvement systems. She currently manages TAC's Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) TA initiative, supporting community providers in implementing prevention and rapid re-housing programs to serve veterans who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Prior to joining TAC, Melany was the Statewide Grant Coordinator for Maine’s Shelter Plus Care and Bridging Rental Assistance subsidy programs. She also served as the Co-Chair for the Maine Balance of State Continuum of Care and the Data/HMIS sub-committee for 7 years.



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  Gina Schaak

  Associate

Gina Schaak

Associate, Housing Group





Gina has over 10 years experience helping nonprofit housing and service agencies navigating federal, state and local programs in order to access an create more permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable populations. In addition to being a skilled TA and training provider with extensive experience providing support and consultation to numerous nonprofit homeless and housing organizations, Gina serves as TAC's national policy researcher and public liaison. In this role, she tracks federal congressional activity related to relevant homeless and housing legislation and disseminates information to the public, both via TAC's website and through partnerships with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force. Prior to joining TAC, Gina worked for the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development managing multiple federal homeless Supportive Housing Programs.



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  Lisa Sloane, M.A.

  Senior Associate

Lisa Sloane, M.A.

Sr Associate, Housing Group





Lisa has over 25 years of experience working with federal, state and local governments as well as nonprofit agencies, to address the supportive housing needs of people with disabilities, including homeless individuals and their families. Her work in the area of ending homelessness includes the development and implementation of training as well as technical assistance to Continuums of Care and individual programs. She has also worked with the States of Pennsylvania and Louisiana to develop and implement Permanent Supportive Housing programs. In Massachusetts, she played a key role in the development of innovative cross disability housing programs, including a housing locator system, a state housing bond fund and a state home modification loan program. She has expertise in the area of fair housing. Prior to joining TAC, Lisa was principal of Sloane Associates, a woman-owned business that provided affordable housing and human services consultation, specializing in the development of housing programs and policies for persons with disabilities, including homeless persons with disabilities.



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  Elizabeth Stewart

  Associate

Elizabeth Stewart

Associate, Housing Group





Liz has over seven years experience providing support and assistance to nonprofits and government agencies providing services and housing to low-income persons and other vulnerable populations. She is an experienced trainer and has played a major role in the creation of multiple housing needs assessments. She also has extensive knowledge of affordable housing development using a wide range of financing strategies and resources such as HUD 202, HOPE IV, CDBG, LIHTC, tax-exempt bonds, and HOME. Prior to joining TAC, Liz worked for Victory Programs Inc. providing HOPWA-funded TA to local HIV/AIDS agencies, and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, where she was responsible for overseeing the administration of multiple state-funded bond programs which provided funding to developers of affordable housing.



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  Kyia Watkins

  TA & Training Coordinator

Kyia Watkins

TA & Training Coordinator





Kyia has over 10 years of experience organizing meetings, managing schedules, providing technical assistance to peers and colleagues and coordinating and facilitating trainings. At TAC, Kyia is responsible for the administration of a multi-year federal grant with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for its Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) TA program. She coordinates all logistics for SSVF meetings and webinars and provides support to TAC and its partners in the provision of TA to grantees. Prior to joining TAC, Kyia worked as an administrative coordinator for one of Boston's leading Medical Centers where she ensured proposed research and personnel compliance with government regulations as well as the Medical Center's guidelines and concerns. She also assisted research personnel with the submission of projects to the Institutional Review Board to ensure protection of human subjects.



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  James M. Yates

  Senior Associate

James M. Yates

Sr Associate, Housing Group





Jim has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors advocating and supporting the development of housing and programs for low-income, homeless and disabled individuals and families. Jim’s expertise is in housing development, real estate finance, community planning, federal programs and regulations, program development and grant writing. Mr. Yates has demonstrated expertise in effectively utilizing and layering a wide array of federal housing programs, and has extensive expertise in veterans housing issues. Jim provides TA and consultation to community organizations and state and local governments regarding the development and financing of permanent supportive housing for low-income disabled persons and other vulnerable populations. Jim's work at TAC has included assisting numerous communities to develop and implement strategic housing plans to create a sustained permanent supportive housing (PSH) pipeline, assisting Louisiana State Officials with design of the Shelter Plus Care component of their 3,000 unit PSH initiative, and TA to veterans homeless service providers through the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and Grant and Per Diem programs. He is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard.

TAC Support Team

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  Jenny Chan

  Communications Specialist

Jenny Chan

Communications Specialist





Jenny has 10 years experience in graphic design and production. As TAC’s Communications Specialist and Website Coordinator, she oversees the design and production of TAC’s publications, proposals, training curriculum, and marketing materials. Jenny also manages the company website and coordinates listserv announcements with news updates and relevant information for TAC’s email list subscribers.



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  Aggie Douglas

  Office Manager

Aggie Douglas

Office Manager





Aggie has 15 years experience with office administration and accounting, with extensive knowledge of accounting principles. As TAC’s Office Manager, she assumes overall responsibility for general office administration and staff support, accounts payable and receivable, banking, purchasing, and time and expense reporting management. Aggie is also responsible for database development and logistical coordination of training workshops under several of TAC’s federally-funded projects with the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs (VA). Before joining TAC, Aggie worked as a Junior Accountant at William P. Owens, CPA.



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  Ruthanne James

  Manager of Operations

Ruthanne James

Manager of Operations





Ruthanne has over 35 years experience in business and financial management for nonprofit and for profit organizations. As Manager of Operations at TAC, she directs day-to-day operations, including financial management, contract administration, client liaison, facilities management, asset management, compliance, purchasing, human resources and benefits management, and general administration. She provides executive assistance and support to all TAC staff members and the Board of Directors. She is also the liaison with the company’s IT provider, CPA firm, and building management group. Ms. James prepares TAC’s annual A133 audit. Prior to joining TAC, Ruthanne was Corporate Manager of Operations of a 50-person CPA firm, U.S. Administration Manager for a 10,000-person international IT consulting firm, and Vice President of Business Development and Administration for an environmental consulting firm.