Eve B. Lee, Board Chair
President, Eve B. Lee & Associates
Eve is excited about leading the CPAH Board. Formerly the Chair of the Lake County Residential Development Corporation and a founding Board member of Affordable Housing Corporation, Eve continues to dedicate herself to improving lives and communities through affordable housing. She is President and Managing Broker of Eve B. Lee & Associates which specializes in land acquisition, planning, development entitlements, and marketing in Lake County, IL. She lives in Antioch with her beloved therapy dog Charity– a favorite in libraries and nursing homes– and Dakota, her Papillion.
Lee Smith, Vice Chair
Retired Senior Planner, City of Highland Park
Lee is thrilled to be CPAH’s Vice Chair after having spent much of his career working on planning issues, including affordable housing, most recently as the City of Highland Park’s Senior Planner for 17 years. Lee was instrumental in establishing the Community Land Trust. Lee lives in Evanston with his wife Wendy and their two very enthusiastic dogs, Duchess and Polly.
Gregg Handrich, Treasurer
Principal, FIDES Capital Partners, LLC
Gregg brings an extensive background as a real estate developer and investor to CPAH’s Board. He is a principal with TLP/FIDES where he founded the multifamily investment platform which has resulted in over $200 million of apartment investments. Prior to FIDES, Gregg was a founding officer of Pritzker Residential Equities (“Centergate”). Gregg has a BBA in Real Estate and Urban Land Economics and an MS in Real Estate Appraisal and Investment Analysis from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and lives in Libertyville with his wife and family which includes Libby, the 8-year old Golden Doodle.
Nadine Johnson, Secretary
Senior Vice President, First Midwest Bank
Nadine is delighted to bring her finance expertise and her passion for service to CPAH’s Board. She has more than 25 years of banking experience, joining First Midwest Bank in May 1995. Nadine is a graduate of Columbia College of Missouri, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and earned her MBA from Webster University. She received her Certified Treasury Professional Certification in 2007. In addition to serving on CPAH’s board, Nadine sits on the Executive Advisory Council of Governors State University Foundation and the Finance Committee of the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County, where she was a former Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee.
Beth Alberts
Realtor, Baird & Warner
Beth is excited to continue her work on the Board of Directors because, as a realtor for Compass in Highland Park, she sees the impact of housing on her clients, and understands the importance of access to safe, affordable housing in the community. Before becoming a realtor, Beth worked in television advertising sales for The Weather Channel. She lives in Highland Park with her husband and two kids.
Jessie Carmona
Amazon Employee, Rideshare Driver
Jessie is a husband and proud father of five children between the ages of 2 and 18. He works for Amazon and rideshares for Lyft and Uber. His passion and purpose in life is his family. They love spending time together watching movies, shopping, playing basketball, video games, and watching or attending WWE events.
Candance Chow
CEO and CoFounder, NextGroup
Candance has long been an advocate for affordable housing, and joined the CPAH Board after serving on CPAH’s Evanston Advisory Board. She served seven years on the District 65 School Board in Evanston/Skokie and is a founding member of Caring Outreach by Parents of Evanston (COPE). Early in her career, Candance worked as an advocate for educational and workplace equity for women and girls, and since receiving her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, has consulted with nonprofits and early-stage businesses. Currently, Candance is CEO and Co-Founder of NextGroup, a firm that supports women returning to the workforce and matches them with the companies and nonprofits who need their talent. Candance lives in Evanston with her husband Dan and their three daughters.
Gillian Derbyshire
President, Acorn Homes
Gillian Derbyshire has long been devoted to the cause of affordable housing. Gillian founded Acorn Homes to provide high-quality rental housing for lower income tenants in Chicago’s far north suburbs. Prior to her foray into housing, Gillian was the Senior VP and General Manager of Plastic and Metal Container Packaging at US Can Corp. She received her BA from Wellesley College, an MA from University of Illinois and an MBA from The Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern University . She lives in North Chicago with her dog Butch who, much to her fellow Board members delight, often accompanies her to Board meetings.
Carl Evans
Alderman, City of North Chicago
Carl Evans is the third ward Alderman for the City of North Chicago, and the chairperson of the Public Safety Committee. He was a significant catalyst for the city’s neighborhood revitalization program, bringing vacant and abandon buildings into productive use, and won two American Public Works Association awards.
Carl holds an Associates Degree from Robert Morris College, and is the current President of the North Chicago Exchange Club. Carl is also a veteran, having served in the United States Army. He serves as Chairman of the Church Deacon Board and Finance Clerk at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Waukegan. He is the proud father of daughter, Abriale, and is the proud grandfather to grandson Cameron.
Bob Helle
Principal, Woodland Development
Bob is delighted to bring his extensive experience and passion for affordable housing to CPAH’s Board. Bob is a principal of Woodlane Development, a developer of senior and affordable housing. Prior to Woodlane, Bob was a principal and chief development officer of Pathway Senior Living. Bob received an MBA from Northwestern, a Master of Architecture from UIC, and an undergraduate degree from Notre Dame. He is also an adjunct professor at DePaul’s graduate business school.
Joe Kinsella
Softball Coach, Lake Forest College
Joe Kinsella is passionate about working to provide opportunities for affordable housing and is thrilled to be serving on the CPAH Board. Joe is the Coach of the Lake Forest College Womens Softball team, and lives with his 5 children in a CPAH home. During his 12 years as coach, Joe’s teams have won 2 conference championships, and he was name Midwest Conference South Division Coach of the Year three times.
Bernina Marberry
VH Main/ECA Helpdesk, CDW
Bernina works full-time at CDW while also pursuing a dual major in Social Work and Business Management. She is a mother of six, life coach and mentor, and is actively involved in the community and her church. Her greatest passion is helping those who have been through traumatic and stressful experiences.
Laurence Marks
Paraprofessional, School District 112
Laurence joined the CPAH Board in 2016 as a resident representative and, knowing first hand the impact of having affordable housing. When not working to help others secure affordable housing, Laurence is a paraprofessional in Highland Park School District 112. Laurence lives in a CPAH apartment along with three of his children, and they all love living in Highland Park, where Laurence grew up.
Nia Montoute
Social Worker, Legacy Reentry Foundation
Nia holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and a Master of Social Work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Nia is currently a Licensed Social Worker and Adult Case Manager at the Legacy Reentry Foundation where she provides clients with employment assistance, group therapy, referrals to community resources, and aids with social service applications. She has a passion for helping and serving individuals in underserved communities. Nia is also a United States Army Veteran and an active member of the Lambda Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, incorporated in Lake County, IL. She lives in North Chicago and is a devout member of North Shore Church of Christ.
Bill Powers
President, RTO Property LLC
Bill brings extensive experience to the CPAH board, including having been president of the board of the Affordable Housing Corporation. Bill is a partner at RTO Property where he manages sales and marketing, and owns and manages over 100 properties. Prior to working in real estate, Bill was a sales and marketing executive in the publishing industry for a Fortune 500 company. He attended Arizona State and Clemson University. Bill, his wife Roseann and their 3 children have lived in Gurnee for over 15 years.
Kim Stone
Councilwoman, Highland Park
Kim embraces public service, from her dedication to serving on CPAH’s Board to serving as a member of the Highland Park City Council. Prior to Kim’s election to the Council, she served on the Highland Park Transportation Commission and the Active Transportation Alliance. Kim has over 20 years of environmental and management experience, including as Associate Director of the Midwest Pesticide Action Center. She also serves on the National Advisory Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists and is passionate about environmental issues. Kim graduated from Middlebury College and received an MA in Population Planning and Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She lives in Highland Park with her husband Ken and their two sons.
Chris Truax
Vice President, First Merit Bank
Chris is committed to providing affordable housing in our communities. Chris has over 10 years of experience in commercial lending and works to support companies in growing their business and assisting with their financing needs. His primary focus is new business development with an emphasis on companies ranging from $10 million to $250 million in revenues. Chris grew up in Lake County and currently lives in Gurnee with his wife and two children.
Fred Wilson
Principal, Morgante Wilson Architects
Fred, an architect, is a longtime supporter of affordable housing. He is a Principal at Morgante Wilson Architects, a firm he co-founded in 1987 with his wife, Elissa Morgante. Fred was named a National Finalist in the “40 Under 40” architect’s award sponsored by The Architectural League of New York, and was the winner of the “Young Architect Award” from the American Institute of Architecture Chicago Chapter in 1988. He received his BS degree in Architecture from The Ohio State University and his Master of Architecture from UIC, where he has served on the Alumni Advisory Board.