Trainers

Michael BabcockMichael Babcock

Assistant Director, Capital Markets | Illinois Housing Development Authority

Michael Babcock is the Assistant Director of Capital Markets for the Illinois Housing Development Authority where he oversees all debt financing for the Authority. In his role, he has overseen more than $6 billion in bond issuances over the last five years for both multifamily and single-family programs. During his tenure, Illinois has implemented a volume cap recycling program, as well as dynamically structured best execution for leveraging MBS through taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances. Michael has worked in a variety of roles at the Authority over the last eight years, with five years in Capital Markets. Michael has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Sisera DanielSisera Daniel

Partner, Public Finance | Kutak Rock LLP

Sisera routinely advises state and local housing finance agencies on single-family and multifamily transaction structures’ compliance with relevant federal, state, and local securities, tax, and other laws. She also represents state and local issuers, and on occasion developers, on economic development, industrial development, nonprofit, and higher education transaction structures. She has more than 15 years of experience as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, and/or issuer’s counsel on hundreds of tax-exempt debt financings aggregating more than $11 billion.

Caitlin Gossens

Vice President, Capital Markets | Standard Communities

Caitlin Gossens is Vice President, Capital Markets for Standard Communities’ New Construction team, a national platform focused on leveraging 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing to build new affordable housing units. Based in Washington, DC, she leads capital-raising efforts, manages debt and investor relationships, and oversees all aspects of the financing process from project inception through construction, lease-up, and stabilized occupancy. Caitlin came to Standard Communities from JPMorgan Chase Bank’s Community Development Division, where she served as an Executive Director, covering both for-profit and nonprofit clients. From 2020 to 2025, she originated more than $1.5 billion of construction and permanent debt, supporting the development or preservation of more than 6,500 affordable housing units across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Before joining JPMorgan Chase, she worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is actively involved in the affordable housing industry, serving on the boards of CAHEC Capital, Inc., and the DMV Chapter of the Women in Affordable Housing Network.

Kent NeumannKent Neumann

Founding Member | Tiber Hudson LLC

Kent Neumann has been in the affordable housing and healthcare business for more than 20 years. Kent has served as underwriter’s counsel, purchaser’s counsel, bond counsel, lender’s counsel, and borrower’s counsel and has also advised issuers and other clients on the legal and financial aspects of a wide range of tax-exempt and taxable financings around the country. Kent has been one of the most innovative attorneys in his field, creating and developing many of the financial structures used today in both housing and healthcare industries. Many of these structures have created millions of dollars in savings while simultaneously providing efficiency in the execution. In addition, Kent has a unique level of experience in and knowledge of cashflow modeling, rating agency requirements, credit enhancement programs, financial structures used today, and other critical variables affecting bond financings.

Charles RhudaCharlie Rhuda

Partner | Novogradac & Company LLP

Charles A. Rhuda III, CPA, is a partner in the Boston, MA, office of Novogradac & Company LLP. He has more than 35 years of experience in the real estate industry, predominately in affordable housing transactions. Charlie works with tax credit developers, managers, syndicators, and investors on structuring, financing, and syndication of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, in addition to providing traditional audit and tax services. He is a frequent speaker at regional and national seminars on topics in the affordable housing industry and has published numerous articles in the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits.