Prior to joining Novogradac & Company, Mr. Lawrence was the senior director of public policy and government affairs for Enterprise Community Partners where he led the execution of Enterprise’s policy and advocacy agenda. His primary issue responsibilities were tax (including advocacy on the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and the new markets tax credit programs as well as tax incentives to promote green and sustainable building), affordable housing preservation and rental housing policy. While at Enterprise, he helped found the Affordable Rental Housing A.C.T.I.O.N. (A Call To Invest in Our Neighborhoods) Campaign, the big tent industry coalition bringing investors, syndicators, for-profit and nonprofit developers, and other LIHTC professionals in all 50 states together to advocate for the credit.

He has served on the board of directors of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, as well as the board of directors of the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition. Mr. Lawrence was also previously a legislative and policy associate at the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), focusing on the LIHTC, tax-exempt housing private activity bond programs, and government sponsored enterprises. Mr. Lawrence also was a housing policy analyst for the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities, where he worked on the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, a congressional fellow for Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island in his capacity as the Ranking Member of the Senate Housing and Transportation Subcommittee, and a presidential management fellow for the Office of Policy Development & Research at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. In addition to his federal experience, he has served as an analyst for the affordable housing group of Chicago Metropolis 2020, and as an appointed member of the Interagency Task Force on Homelessness of the city of Berkeley, Calif. Novogradac & Company LLP was founded in 1989, and has since grown to more than 500 employees and partners in offices in San Francisco and Long Beach, Calif.; the Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Ga., Detroit, Mich., Kansas City, Mo. and Seattle Wash. metro areas; Boston, Mass.; St. Louis, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Dover, Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; New York, N.Y.; and Portland, Ore. Specialty practice areas include tax, audit and consulting services for tax-credit-assisted multifamily and affordable housing, community revitalization and rehabilitation of historic properties. Other areas of expertise include military base redevelopment, preparation and analysis of market studies and appraisals of multifamily housing investments and renewable energy tax credits.

Orlando Cabrera advises clients including financial institutions, investors, syndicators, developers, public housing authorities, housing finance agencies, community development agencies, cities and counties on successfully navigating complex affordable housing matters. Mr. Cabrera has significant experience with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulatory matters (including Native American housing issues), housing finance agency issues, low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), private activity bonds, debt financing, non-federal state financing programs, tribal financing programs and general real estate. Mr. Cabrera’s experience includes serving as the president and CEO of a major affordable housing developer that operated in six states. He raised more than $50 million for capital improvements for the company and $100 million in general equity investment for new and rehabilitation construction, restructuring of the company’s finances and successfully developing or rehabbing more than 2,500 units during his four-year tenure as CEO. From his Senate confirmation in late 2005 through early 2008, he served as assistant secretary for Public and Indian Housing at HUD. As assistant secretary, Mr. Cabrera oversaw the administration of a $24 billion program, which included public housing, Section 8 vouchers, moderate rehabilitation (Mod Rehab) and most federal housing programs for Native American tribes nationwide. He is one of three recipients of the Office of Inspector General’s Golden Eagle Award for Public Integrity. Before his role at HUD, Mr. Cabrera served as executive director and CEO of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, the nation’s fourth-largest housing finance agency, where he developed policies for managing the allocation of the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), private activity bonds, HOME Investment Partnership Fund, State Housing Trust Fund and Local Government Housing Trust Fund. During his tenure at Florida Housing, he also served on the board of the National Council of State Housing Agencies. Mr. Cabrera also has extensive experience in the area of disaster recovery. Before heading Florida Housing, Mr. Cabrera was the chairman and vice chairman of Florida Housing’s board of directors and a partner in the real estate department of a major Florida-based law firm. He has acted as developer, investor or lender’s counsel for hundreds of real estate transactions throughout his career. Mr. Cabrera has extensive experience in most areas of real estate law, including airport, office, commercial, and single and multifamily residential development. He has been a frequent speaker and presenter before various committees in the U.S. Congress, the Florida legislature, many state and local governments, and many affordable housing and real estate industry trade groups. He has served, and still serves, on the board of directors for a variety of industry-related groups. Mr. Cabrera is a member of the American Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, The Florida Bar, the Illinois State Bar Association and the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Michael J. Gaber is chief operating officer and executive vice president of WNC. He has been involved in real estate acquisition, valuation and investment activities for more than 26 years and has been with WNC since 1997. Mr. Gaber oversees WNC’s asset management, fund management and syndications departments, which originates, underwrites, structures and asset manages low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) developments throughout the United States for WNC’s national, regional and proprietary funds. Before joining WNC, he was involved in the valuation and classification of major assets, restructuring of debt and analysis of real estate taxes with a large financial institution. Mr. Gaber is a member of the board of directors of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC), the board of governors of the California Housing Consortium (CHC) and the National Housing and Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA). Mr. Gaber graduated from California State University, Fullerton, in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration–finance.