Our Team

Vlada Kenniff, Ph.D.

President

Vlada Kenniff, Ph.D., is a climate leader and advocate for affordable housing and community development, currently serving as the President of the Public Housing Preservation Trust. With over a decade of experience overseeing and building capital programs, Vlada brings a wealth of expertise, passion, and commitment to fostering positive change and enhancing the quality of life for NYCHA residents. In her capacity as President, Vlada oversees critical initiatives, strategic decision-making, and partnerships essential to the success of the Public Housing Preservation Trust.

Before assuming the role of President, Vlada served as the Senior Vice President for Sustainability in NYCHA’s Asset and Capital Management Division. In this role, she led NYCHA’s comprehensive Sustainability Agenda, steering the nation's largest public housing authority towards a decarbonized future and healthier homes.

Vlada previously worked at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where she rose to become Managing Director. In this role, she led capital programs and initiatives related to water conservation, demand management, rate studies, green infrastructure, and climate resiliency projects, through her multifaceted expertise in environmental sustainability.

Dr. Kenniff holds a Ph.D. in information studies from LIU Post, an M.S. in city and regional planning from the Pratt Institute, and a B.A. in environmental studies from Pace University.

Jenny Gillette, RA

Chief Project Officer

Jenny Gillette, RA
Jenny Gillette is a registered architect in New York and New Jersey with 20 years of strategic project delivery expertise in both the public and private sectors. Balancing subject matter expertise with sensitivity toward community impact, she has delivered a diverse range of projects on behalf of public owners including community and recreation centers, streetscapes and public plazas, regional transportation facilities, and below-ground infrastructure. She has also developed in-house programs for government agencies such as the NYC Department of Design and Construction and the Port Authority of NY & NJ, building internal capacity for new and alternative project delivery methods. Prior to joining the public sector, she worked at several private design firms on a wide range of projects including custom façade systems, single and multi-family residential buildings, and healthcare facilities in under-resourced environments. She has served on the Historic Preservation Commission in Montclair, NJ, and taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College, a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a LEED and DBIA accredited professional.

Lisa Lim

General Counsel

Lisa Lim has over thirty years of legal practice in real estate finance and development, economic development, public housing, and affordable housing. Lisa has held numerous positions in state and city agencies, including the New York City Housing Authority, the State of New York Office of the Attorney General, the New York State Housing Finance Agency, and Empire State Development. Most recently, Lisa was a real estate partner at Akerman LLP. Lisa has been honored by the New York Real Estate Journal 2019, the America China Hotel Association, the Chinese and United States Outstanding Chinese Selection Committee and Taishanese in America magazine, and Sokol Media and NYCREW.
Lisa is a graduate of Wellesley College and Fordham Law School.

Debora Lopes

Senior Policy Advisor

Debora (Deb) Lopes is a sustainability advocate for affordable housing, with years of experience in public housing and renewable energy project management. Before joining the Trust, Deb worked in NYCHA’s Sustainability Department, spearheading the development of NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda and managing various other initiatives related to waste and energy programs. Additionally, Deb led efforts in pursuing various federal grants for sustainability programs, most notably, a $25 million grant awarded for electric micro-mobility charging and storage. Prior to her role at NYCHA, Deb worked at Mott MacDonald as a project manager on renewable energy projects, primarily offshore wind projects in NYC.
Deb holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Jillian McLaughlin

Chief Operating Officer

Jillian McLaughlin has over a decade of experience in public policy, operations, and real estate in the public and private sectors. She previously worked in several leadership positions across the City of New York, including as the Chief of Staff to the NYC Parks Commissioner, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Chair and CEO at NYCHA, and on the real estate team at NYCEDC. She most recently worked in the private sector leading real estate transactions for a life sciences company.
Jillian is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Kalamazoo College.

Yakima Pena Perez

Head of Resident Partnerships

Yakima brings 15 years of experience working with governments, non-profit organizations, and the private sector in the USA and internationally. His expertise spans city and regional planning, participatory planning and design processes, urban design, real estate development, neighborhood revitalization, and affordable housing.
Prior to joining the Trust, Yakima served in NYCHA’s Real Estate Development Department, where he contributed to initiatives such as the Senior First Program and the PACT Program.
Additionally, Yakima was the Project Director at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and Senior Development Project Manager at Hester Street.
Yakima holds a master's degree in Urban Planning from Harvard Graduate School of Design, an M.S. in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo.

Keesha Smartt-Butler

Procurement & Operations Manager

Keesha has over 20 years of dedicated civil service in the City of New York. Throughout her career, she has contributed to several prominent agencies, including the Department of Building, the Department of Design and Construction, the Department of Homeless Services, and the Department of Correction. Her extensive experience encompasses roles as a Contract Manager, Project Manager and Director, where she honed her skills in overseeing priority projects and managing critical contracts.
In her previous roles, Keesha has been instrumental in advancing minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE), reflecting her commitment to inclusivity and equitable practices. Notably, she has facilitated the permanent housing of homeless individuals and played a key role in establishing warming centers during extreme weather conditions, demonstrating her dedication to public welfare and community support.
Holding a Master’s degree in Urban Studies from Queens College, Keesha is known for her compassion and commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Her work has always been driven by a deep sense of gratification and purpose.

Stacey Tyson

Chief Procurement Officer

Stacey comes to us with 15 years public sector procurement experience, and was appointed the Chief Contracting Officer for the New York City School Construction Authority in October 2021. She has also been involved in a number of innovative MWBE initiatives and is an active member of the City's Capital Reform Task Force. Stacey joins the Public Housing Preservation Trust as Chief Procurement Officer and will be overseeing all elements of the Trust's third party contracting opportunities. She is a graduate of Hofstra University, and holds a joint JD/MBA from Fordham University.

Drake Washington

Attorney

Drake Washington is a native New Yorker and has practiced real estate law for boutique law firms, including his own practice. He earned his bachelor degree (B.S.) from Howard University in Washington D.C, and his juris doctorate (J.D.) at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. During law school, Drake worked as an intern for the New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center assisting attorneys with housing violations and protecting tenant rights. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, New York City Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Meet Our Board

Elizabeth Propp

Managing Director, Project Finance

Elizabeth Propp is a real estate finance and investment professional with extensive experience in institutional, public/private and affordable housing transactions. Prior to joining the Trust, she was most recently Senior Vice President, Investments and Acquisitions, at The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), where she established an impact investing platform that acquired over 3,500 affordable units. Previously, Elizabeth was at JP Morgan Investment Management for 15 years, in a series of roles with increasing transaction, people-management, and client responsibility. As Managing Director and Team Leader, Northeast Acquisitions from 2007 – 2013, and prior to that as an Acquisitions Officer, Elizabeth was responsible for the origination, structuring and closing of equity real estate investments on behalf of pension fund clients. Her transaction experience includes multi-family, office, retail and industrial property acquisitions and ground-up developments, across core, value-add and opportunistic strategies. Elizabeth also worked for the Moynihan Train Hall redevelopment and the NYC Economic Development Corporation.
Elizabeth is a graduate of Harvard University (B.A.) and Yale School of Management (M.A.). Her professional affiliations include the Urban Land Institute and WX – New York Women Executives in Real Estate. She is a Trustees of the Hudson Guild.