Miguel Garcia
VP of Real Estate Development
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As the Vice President of Real Estate Development at Housing on Merit (HOM), a role he stepped into on May 15, 2023, Miguel Garcia brings an extensive background in real estate development, portfolio management, and architecture. Miguel Garcia is motivated by HOM’s commitment to preserving and developing affordable housing, which perfectly aligns with his experience in managing high-economic impact projects and implementing strategies to maximize policy objectives.
Prior to his role at HOM, Miguel Garcia excelled as the Portfolio Manager at the DC Department of General Services. His expertise in entitlements, budget management, and government proposal writing, combined with a deep understanding of architecture and construction, made significant contributions to the department.
Miguel Garcia’s impressive career includes a position as a Real Estate Project Manager at the Maryland Department of Transportation, where he honed his skills in transit-oriented development. He previously held a similar role at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, supervising significant transfers of District-owned real property and advising executive leadership on strategic real estate projects.
The span of his career extends to the Department of Defense, where he monitored technically advanced construction projects at the Pentagon as a Project Manager for AECOM. His robust contract negotiation skills, acquired from extensive training, enabled him to make strategic acquisitions, ensuring the smooth execution of various projects.
His international experience is also notable, managing the fit-out for a five-star hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, while coordinating with diverse teams. He also held a role as an Owner’s Representative in Lima, Peru, upholding international quality control protocols for Class A offices and hospitality buildings.
Throughout his career, Miguel Garcia has demonstrated a commitment to safety, illustrated by his certificates in Adult First Aid/CPR/AED from the Red Cross and training in OSHA Hazardous Communication.
In his role at HOM, Miguel Garcia applies his vast experience and skills to develop strategies that align with the organization’s mission to create a bridge to permanent affordable housing. Leveraging his mastery in overseeing complex building processes and his keen understanding of local regulations and environmental issues, Miguel Garcia is set to drive impactful initiatives at HOM.
Joining fellow executive staff members like Jennifer Litwak and David Cottingham, Miguel Garcia is thrilled to further the cause of Housing on Merit. Given his extensive background and track record of success, Miguel Garcia is poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of affordable housing, and he looks forward to making a tangible impact on the community.
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Charly Ligety
Director of Research & Development
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Charly Ligety leads Housing on Merit’s research and development initiatives forming new and collaborative ways to build more affordable housing across the U.S. In addition, Charly is the Managing Director of The Housing Innovation Collaborative (or “HICo”), a global housing development research platform, sponsored by HOM, that showcases the latest design, finance, and policy solutions to address the housing affordability crisis across the world.
Prior to joining HOM, Charly worked in the commercial real estate finance industry for over 10 years, working for a boutique real estate private equity firm as an analyst prior to joining Wells Fargo’s Commercial Real Estate Group as a Relationship Manager in Los Angeles. In that role, Charly developed new business relationships with large investment firms and developers and managed a $400 million loan portfolio, which included underwriting and managing value-add and construction loans on a range of property types throughout the U.S.
Charly graduated with honors from the full-time MBA program at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business in 2018. While in graduate school, Charly became a published author of “Let’s Do Us”, an interactive conversation guidebook for couples, which he co-authored with a former colleague. Charly earned his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, majoring in Geography and Economics. At Dartmouth, Charly was a varsity member of the nationally ranked Division 1 Dartmouth Ski Team. As a native of Park City, Utah, Charly is still a passionate skier and mountain biker. Charly enjoys exploring his adopted city of Los Angeles, along with biking, hiking, and long walks on the beach with his wife and son.
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Kaelor Finch
Rental Assistance Navigator
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Kaelor was born and raised in South Carolina. She took interest in helping vulnerable populations at an early age when she began volunteering for an assisted living facility in the 6th grade. The volunteering did not stop there, as she went on to volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club, Soup Kitchens, Churches, Recreational Parks, and many other organizations to help the community. Kaelor studied Social Work and obtained her BSW from South Carolina State University. Go Bulldogs! She then went and obtained her MSW in an accelerated 10-month program at the University of South Carolina. Go Cocks! She has a passion for working with children and families and has a heart for assisting vulnerable populations, no matter the age or social background. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, being a wife and mother, traveling, volunteering within the community, and cooking.
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