Board of Trustees
The Trustees of Atlantic Housing Foundation were asked to serve because of their skills and experience in real estate, law, business, and philanthropic activities. Several of the members are real estate professionals with over 200 years of combined experience in development, acquisition, finance, and management. The common thread among these trustees is their understanding that a nonprofit corporation, like Atlantic Housing Foundation, must operate under a higher standard of professionalism and strict accountability. They also understand the social purpose and nature of a non-profit organization, its position within society and law, and know that it will not succeed unless it is properly managed.
Alan Naul
Alan Naul joined Atlantic Housing Foundation, Inc. as a member of the Board of Trustees in January 2019. Alan is the founder and President of the Javelin Group in Dallas, Texas, and has the primary responsibility for its strategic direction. Javelin develops and invests in cutting edge housing and healthcare real estate to serve the burgeoning senior population. Prior to Javelin, Alan worked as a Managing Director for the Hampstead Group, where he was active in all aspects of the firm’s real estate and corporate investments. He serves as a board member of an East Texas Municipal District and is a proud graduate of the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.
Michael Duffy
Michael Duffy joined Atlantic Housing Foundation, Inc. as a member of the Board of Trustees in January 2019. Michael has a 37-year career in commercial real estate investment and development, the last 18 with Trammell Crow Company, the nation’s largest commercial developer, where he serves as Chief Operating Officer. Previously, Michael worked with Principal Real Estate Investors, The Balcor Company, and Urban Investment and Development Company. He is a current partner and past Board member of Social Venture Partners – Dallas and serves on the Board of Directors of St. Mary’s of Carmel School. Michael holds a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and an MM from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Dan French
Dan French, was Founder of Atlantic Housing Foundation, served as its President and CEO until 2008 and continues to serve as Chairman of its Board of Trustees. He has been involved in the Affordable Housing field since 1990 when he was made head of the Affordable Housing Department of the San Antonio office of the Resolution Trust Corporation. He went on to serve the San Antonio Housing Authority as Director of Development. He has also served as Housing Commissioner of the Town of Hilton Head Island, SC and Chairman of the greater Hilton Head Community Development Corp.
He has 40 years of experience in the areas of development, finance, operation, appraisal and brokerage of real estate. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas, San Antonio.
Richard Whaley
Richard Whaley has 40 years of experience developing or acquiring real estate throughout most regions of the United States. He has been or is currently involved in a number of professional and civic associations, including Founding Trustee, Dalhberg Center; Founding Member, Ohio State Advocates; Former Director, Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition and Former Board Director National Housing and Rehabilitation Association, Board of Trustee – Nightingale Home Care Inc., member of NAIOP – National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Central Florida Chapter, member of FIABCI – The International Real Estate Federation. As a Founding Trustee, Mr. Whaley is also passionately involved with Atlantic Housing Foundation.
Rich is a widower with three grown children and four grandchildren and resides in the Metro Washington D.C. area.
Michael Nguyen
Michael Nguyen, joined Atlantic Housing Foundation, Inc. in April 2008 as President and Chief Executive Officer. Michael has over 20 years of experience as an executive in multifamily acquisition, development, rehabilitation, disposition, and asset management. Prior to joining Atlantic Housing Foundation, Michael founded Cima Advisors, a real estate structured finance and asset management firm. Previously, Michael was a Partner at the Utley Group, a private equity firm with a key focus on multifamily acquisition and development. Before the real estate business, Michael was an investment banker specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, debt, and equity placements. He was also a Principal with First Southwest Company in its corporate finance department and a Financial Analyst at Banque Paribas and Prudential-Bache in New York. Michael holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and an MBA from Texas.
Amanda Popken
Amanda Popken joined Atlantic Housing Foundation, Inc. as a member of the Board of Trustees in September 2021. As CEO of the award-winning firm Popken Development, Amanda leads community engagement, planning and placemaking projects through the real estate zoning and design process.
Building sustainable & equitable cities is the intersection where Amanda’s passion and job have become interchangeable. She is a Congress for New Urbanism Accredited (CNU-A) professional and is Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED-AP) accredited, bringing tools for sustainability and complete neighborhoods to every community conversation. Her projects have won awards from the Texas Downtown Association and the Greater Dallas Planning Council. She has lectured to University classes and at conferences across the country including American Planning Association, Architecture for Humanity, Keep Texas Beautiful, Congress for the New Urbanism, and Texas Downtown Association. Amanda holds a Masters in City and Regional Planning (MCRP) and has served for two years as Board President for Congress for the New Urbanism North Texas Chapter and on the Board of her neighborhood’s Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, as well as a Council Member Appointee to the City of Dallas Strategic Mobility Plan Citizen Advisory Committee
Rachel Hayden
Rachel Hayden joined Atlantic Housing Foundation as a board member in 2019. She is a licensed professional engineer and Vice President/Regional Growth Leader of GEI Consultants, a national civil engineering consulting firm. In 2018 GEI acquired Hayden Consultants, Inc., the firm Rachel founded in March of 2000. Rachel launched Hayden Consultants as a sole proprietor. Her goal was to provide a great place for people to work toward a common mission: to make a difference in our quality of life by designing public infrastructure with the future in mind. Today the company employs over 40 employees, with a focus on transportation, water resources, transit, and construction services. Hayden Consultants was a five-time Aggie 100 honoree, two-time Dallas 100 honoree, and has been awarded the national Civil Engineering Entrepreneur of the Year from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Rachel has served in leadership and board positions for numerous professional organizations, including state Chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Texas, President of the ASCE Dallas Branch and President of ACEC Dallas Chapter. She currently serves on the Texas A&M University Civil Engineering Advisory Council. A fifth-generation Texan, Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and currently lives in Dallas with her husband. She has two grown children (also Aggies).
Ruben Gomez
Ruben joined the AHF Board of Trustees in 2023. He recently retired after more than 45 years in new construction, rehab, remodeling, and repairs in all aspects of construction as a Construction Superintendent/Project Manager in New York, Chicago, and Florida. He was also active as a Community Organizer in Chicago for over 15 years as Director of a Neighborhood Community Organization (NCO).
Born in New York City, he moved to Puerto Rico as a child, where he graduated High School. He relocated back to New York at 20 where he worked as an Ornamental Ironworker for 5 years then moved to Chicago where he gained most of his Construction experience rehabbing abandoned properties for over 20 years.
He then relocated to Florida where he was Project Manager for new construction with Park Square Homes. He was also the Project Manager for rehabbing apartment complexes to convert them into condominiums with Paramount Companies in Florida.
For the last 12 years of his career, he was employed by the local Housing Authority as an Inspector and resides in AHF Windover Oaks Apartments in Titusville.
Stephanie Laxton
Stephanie joins us with over 25 years of nonprofit board experience in Environmental, Education & Healthcare, Affordable Housing & Community Development & Cultural Indigenous issues from the Northern Pacific Island Region – Hawaii County, Big Island Hawaii. Her 20-year private sector & state government careers in Physiotherapy, Social Services & Pre-School Education brought her to the State of Texas in January 2013. She is employed as a Workforce Development Specialist III with the Texas Workforce Commission. Her background in Business Management studies from the University of Oregon also establishes her leadership qualities as a CEO/President & Founder of a Native Hawaiian grassroots 501(c)(3) organization officed in the County of Hawaii. She is also a mother of four and grandmother.