Affordable Housing Advisory Council
Homes with Hope Doubles Down on Efforts to Address the Affordable Housing Crisis
The Affordable Housing Advisory Council will advocate for and participate in developing affordable housing initiatives as Homes with Hope continues its mission to prevent and end homelessness in Fairfield County.
The Council will advocate for and participate in developing affordable supportive housing initiatives in keeping with Homes with Hope's mission to prevent and end homelessness. As an organization, Homes with Hope has always understood that the only way to truly deal with homelessness is to provide homes. As our town and state delve more deeply into the affordable housing crisis, our board has established an Affordable Housing Advisory Council. The council’s goal is to continue collaborating with local partners and the Town of Westport to further increase efforts to help close the deficit in affordable homes.
The council includes Jim Marpe, former First Selectman of Westport, Ross Burkhardt, former CEO of New Neighborhoods, Inc, David McCarthy, founder of Heritage Housing, Inc, Jonathan Plotkin, an accomplished real estate executive and Norman Trepner, who has spent his career in the banking and financial services industry. In addition, Homes with Hope board members participating on the Council would include Brian Baxendale, Becky Martin, Kate Weber, Ralph Yearwood. and Will Haskell will also be a member of the Council. (see press release)
COUNCIL MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES:
BRIAN BAXENDALE lives with his wife, Marjolijn in Westport and his sons, daughters, and grandkids are spread between Europe, the Caribbean, and America. Brian has worked for Ford, Mars, and ran a global Pitney Bowes business for the ten years prior to retirement. Since then he has worked with Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, Homes with Hope, and SCORE as a volunteer. Brian enjoys traveling, pursuing business interests, his extended family, and helping people realize their dream of starting and growing their businesses. Brian graduated from Cambridge and Bradford Universities in the UK.
JENNIFER FERRANTE is an attorney with over 25 years' experience in both the private and non-profit legal sectors. She started her legal career in policy work in Washington, DC and then moved to New York City where she served as a law clerk with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then had a ten-year tenure in the litigation department at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. During her time at Skadden, she maintained a pro bono practice in the areas of housing and family law. Today, she oversees the civil legal services program at the Center for Family Justice, Inc., a community-based agency providing crisis and post-crisis services to individuals in the Greater Bridgeport area. Jennifer proudly served on the Homes with Hope Board for eight years. Prior to that time, she volunteered with and was on the board of Project Return, now a HwH program. She and her family have been residents of Westport for over 20 years.
WILL HASKELL spent two terms in the Connecticut State Senate representing the 26th District, which includes his hometown of Westport. He is a Westport Public Schools and Georgetown University graduate and is currently pursuing his law degree at New York University. During his time in the legislature, Will was a vocal advocate for housing affordability and was proud to be the only renter in the state senate. He previously worked on the staff of Congressman Jim Himes. Will is the author of Simon & Schuster’s 100,000 First Bosses.
BECKY MARTIN worked in the political and non-profit sectors, where she was engaged primarily in development and coalition-building on campaigns and within institutions, including the Democratic National Committee, the United Nations Foundation, and the Yale Law School. Since having three children, she has continued that work as a volunteer, as President of the Board of the Children’s Community Development Center for four years and as a leader in local political organizations, while establishing a freelance writing career. Her work has been published in the New York Times, BrainChild, and Literary Mama, among other publications. Rebecca attended Bryn Mawr College and earned a law degree at Georgetown University.
JONATHAN PLOTKIN is an accomplished real estate executive, board member and philanthropist with over 20 years of high-level experience in transaction management and charitable giving. Expertise includes the ability to source, underwrite and execute highly complex transactions with a diverse set of clients within commercial leasing and investment sales, as well as facilitate meaningful charitable contributions through service and leadership at the board level. Instrumental in the creation of hundreds of affordable housing units on behalf of clients including The Salvation Army, The Boys and Girls Club and many private developers. Current and previous board affiliations include, The Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF), The NY Landmarks Conservancy, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, The Salvation Army and others.
NORMAN TREPNER has spent his career in the banking and financial services industry. For the past decade, he has focused on affordable and supportive housing finance and community development, first at Bank of America and currently at the non-profit organization Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Norman served on the Westport Public Library’s Board of Trustees, including being its Treasurer and Secretary, and for the past few years he has been a volunteer reader in a public school in Bridgeport. Norman has an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a BA from Rutgers University. He and his wife, Susan Thomsen, have lived in Westport for more than thirty years.
KATE WEBER spent her career in investment banking at S.G. Warburg and Lehman Brothers and is a founder and co-owner of Cambridge International Securities since 1995. She grew up in England and graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages. She is passionate about health and wellness and taught Anatomy and Physiology for many years at CCMT in Westport. She returned to academia in 2018 to earn an MS in Clinical Nutrition from NYU. Kate and her husband Bill have lived in Westport since 1988 and have two children.
RALPH YEARWOOD moved to Westport with his spouse, Claire in 1984. They have three children, Katherine, Anne, and Steven who benefitted from the Westport public school system. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, Ralph started his career in finance in investment banking; then ended his career in institutional asset management. Ralph is currently on the Finance Committee of the Episcopal Church in CT; on the board of the St. John Family Center located in Bridgeport which runs a food pantry and an after-school learning program; and a mentor in the Norwalk Public School system.