Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago

	Mission Accomplishments Executive Staff & Board of Directors FY2009 Top Donors



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Executive Staff & Board of Directors

Access a current listing of our Central Board of Directors.

Jim Wheaton
Interim Executive Director
Mr. Wheaton has been with NHS since 1984. In December 2009, he took over the leadership of Chicago's largest neighborhood revitalization organization following the retirement of Bruce Gottschall. Prior to this role, he served as Deputy Director and was responsible for NHS' lending and homeownership departments, as well as for the oversight of all NHS programs and strategies. In response to the growing need for creative and flexible loan products, Mr. Wheaton led the creation of Neighborhood Lending Services (NLS), an Illinois Residential Mortgage licensee, in 1987. NLS supports neighborhood-based lending and directly provides home improvement, purchase and home ownership preservation financing throughout the City of Chicago and in the City of Elgin for low- to moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners.

Mr. Wheaton is respected nationally for the development of innovative lending strategies and loan products for low- and moderate-income families and neighborhoods. He has consulted for community organizations throughout the country and the national NeighborWorks® America network, and has been a featured speaker on community development issues for the Federal Reserve Board of Philadelphia. He has been a trainer in community lending products and strategies, first mortgage origination, and home improvement/rehab lending at national Neighborhood Reinvestment Training Institutes. Mr. Wheaton received his B.A. from Loyola University in Chicago and a M.A. from the University of St. Mary of the Lake.

Kathleen T. Walsh
Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Administration

Ms. Walsh joined NHS in September 2007. In her role as Chief Financial Officer, she is the primary point person responsible for assisting senior management and the board of directors in developing the financial vision for the organization, seeking to effectively manage resources toward the achievement of NHS' goals and objectives. This includes administering the organization's financial strategy, financial reporting and disclosure, accounting, budgetary, grant and contract compliance, investor relations, loan servicing, and information technology system operations.

Ms. Walsh has held a variety of senior level management positions, including the chief financial officer of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, a Director in KPMG LLP's Public Sector practice and an Audit Supervisor in the Cook County Auditor's Office. In her 11 years with KPMG, she managed a variety of audit and risk advisory engagements for local municipalities, school districts, housing authorities, transit and state agencies, and nonprofit organizations, including financial, A-133 and other compliance audits, business process and program reviews, risk assessments, costing studies, and technology systems implementations.

Ms. Walsh holds a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce-Accounting from DePaul University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois CPA Society. Ms. Walsh is a board member and chair of the finance committee for Resurrection High School and serves on DePaul's Accountancy Advisory Board.

John Groene

Associate Director, Neighborhood Strategy and Planning

Mr. Groene joined NHS in 1997 as a loan officer in Back of the Yards. In 2000, Mr. Groene was promoted to Neighborhood Director in Back of the Yards. In this position, Mr. Groene was involved in forming NHS’s response to predatory lending – initiating foreclosure pattern studies in Back of the Yards, testifying on predatory lending before the state legislature and assisting in the creation of the NORMAL loan strategy as part of the Homeownership Preservation Initiative.

In April 2004, Mr. Groene was promoted to Associate Director, Neighborhood Strategy and Planning, which is responsible for providing direction and support to the NHS neighborhood programs. NHS currently serves eight neighborhoods through seven local offices. Day-to-day neighborhood strategy is managed by neighborhood directors and managers, with guidance from local boards. This position also manages Innovation activities. Mr. Groene also serves as a staff person to the Central Planning and Central Operations committees.

Before coming to NHS, Mr. Groene served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Volunteer Coordinator and Volunteer Trainer for the Cooperative and Small Business Development Program of Peace Corps Paraguay and Uruguay. Mr. Groene has a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from the University of Dayton.

Debbie Dixon
Associate Director for NHS Redevelopment Corporation

Ms. Dixon is responsible for the planning and implementation of real estate development activities undertaken by NHS. NHS Redevelopment Corporation (NHSRC) undertakes a variety of development projects in NHS neighborhoods, including the rehabilitation and sale of single-family (one- to four-unit) properties, construction of new single-family properties, and rehabilitation/and or construction of multi-family buildings. NHSRC also has a full service property management division that manages its portfolio of 289 rental properties. NHSRC utilizes a variety of City subsidy programs to ensure that it can develop quality, affordable housing for NHS neighborhoods.

Ms. Dixon joined NHSRC in 1990 and has developed over 200 units of affordable rental housing for low- to moderate-income families requiring funding of over $23 million. Ms. Dixon oversaw the development of the award-winning Roseland Ridge, a 40-unit multi-family project on Michigan Avenue. She is also overseeing the development of New Homes for Roseland Phase II, consisting of 37 stylish and affordable homes (16 single-family homes and 21 brick two-flats) along Michigan and Edbrooke (between 105th and 107th streets.) In partnership with Pathway Senior Living, Ms. Dixon also managed the development of an 124-unit Senior Supportive Living Center, Victory Centre of Roseland, which opened in December 2006. She oversaw a similar development in South Chicago, which opened in fall 2009.

Linda Anderson

Director, Human Resources

Ms. Anderson joined NHS in July 2003. As Director, she is responsible for administering human resource policies, plans and programs that ensure and support a fully qualified, committed and high-performing staff, and that support NHS in the achievement of its mission and goals. She has oversight responsibility for all Human Resources functional areas including, compensation, benefit policies and programs, selection/placement, training and development, employee relations and management practices.

Prior to joining NHS, Ms. Anderson was the Director of Human Resources at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and worked as an independent human resource consultant. She worked for A T & T Corporation for 31 years in various positions, the last of which was the Human Resources and Learning Manager. Ms. Anderson has a B.S. in Psychology from DePaul University and a Masters of Science Human Resource Management from Roosevelt University.

Bill Eisentraut
Director of Resource Development & Public Affairs
Bill joined NHS in early April 2006 from several years as Development Director at Vital Bridges. As Resource Development Director, Bill serves as the principal strategist for maintaining, developing, and implementing creative methods for supporting NHS through increased philanthropy and promoting a strong public image.

With more than 17 years of professional development and marketing management experience, Bill has worked as Director of Development in the nonprofit healthcare and academic arenas. His background includes planning multifaceted fundraising strategies such as large-scale events, annual funds, grants, individual donor development, and other project-based campaigns. He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing.

This page updated 01-13-2010