BOSTON (February 23, 2022) – WinnCompanies, an award-winning national multifamily development and management company, announced today an expansion of its social impact and community development team with three new appointments in the company’s Connected Communities Department.

Launched in 2017 as an innovative, new model for housing-based collective impact in resident services, Connected Communities works with resident leaders, community organizations and service providers to support WinnResidential and WinnDevelopment in driving positive outcomes for 62,000 households living in affordable and mixed-income housing in 16 states and Washington, DC. Its innovations have included first-in-the-nation programming milestones, connecting a nationwide network of service partners through technology and a national housing stability strategy that has earned praise from local, state and national policymakers.

“These stellar new team members will strengthen our continued commitment to delivering measurable, positive and lasting opportunity to multifamily residents,” said Trevor Samios, Senior Vice President of Connected Communities. “Their proven expertise and passion for community development will support our growing team in executing collaborative strategies that yield measurable outcomes for the children, seniors, and families who call our communities home nationwide.”

Added WinnCompanies CEO Gilbert Winn:“Residents are at the heart of what we do. By investing in innovative and supportive programs, services and partnerships and giving residents sense of agency over community outcomes, we are creating more inclusive, equitable and sustainable properties.”

Named to the Connected Communities team are:

Vice President: Mai Dang - Appointed to a newly created role, Dang will lead Connected Communities’ growing regional teams in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of community-based strategic plans for each WinnResidential community. Reporting to Samios, Dang joins WinnCompanies from Urban Strategies, Inc., a St. Louis-based planning and community-development non-profit that works with stakeholders to build and implement comprehensive plans around the neighborhood and human service needs. Prior to joining USI, Mai worked in affordable housing development and supported regional efforts around neighborhood transformation initiatives with The Community Builders Inc. and also spent several years supporting Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans. As a community organizer for the Mary Queen of Viet Nam Community Development Corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from The George Washington University and earned a master’s degree in City Planning with a focus on Housing and Community Economic Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Regional Manager, Mid-Atlantic: Saudah Ahmad - Ahmad will lead a team of community coordinators and partners working to expand opportunities for residents in WinnResidential’s managed communities in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. She will also support community development and planning efforts for acquisitions and new developments to ensure Connected Communities programs and services connect these future communities to real program outcomes. Ahmad also joins WinnCompanies from Urban Strategies, Inc. She earned her master’s degree from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis with a concentration in Domestic Social and Economic Development, and her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Morgan State University.

Operations Analyst: Toviyah Williams - In a newly created role, Williams oversees the administration of the Connected Communities CONNECT 360 platform, the department’s community data and analytics system. She works closely with regional managers and community coordinators to understand and interpret data that allows the team to improve their service delivery model and measurable outcomes. Prior to joining WinnCompanies, Williams worked in a UX role at Apple; as a Senior Community Life Specialist with The Community Builders’ HUD Choice Neighborhoods revitalization in Cincinnati; and, led the community analytics team at the Urban League of Southwestern Ohio.