Executive Bios

RONAY MENSCHEL

Ronay Menschel is Chairman of Phipps Houses, a non-profit owner and developer of low- and moderate-income housing in New York City. She previously served as Phipps’ President/CEO and is a trustee of its affiliate, Phipps Community Development Corporation.
 
The Phipps Houses Group of companies owns and manages over 4100 apartments for homeless, low- and moderate-income New Yorkers and manages an additional 8000 apartments for other nonprofits, including major hospitals. The Phipps Houses mission is to create and sustain enduring communities through housing development, attentive property management, and residentially and community based human services.  The Phipps Houses Group’s ownership and community development investments are located in the South Bronx, Manhattan and Sunnyside, Queens.
 
Prior to joining Phipps Houses, Ms. Menschel was Deputy Mayor, and subsequently Executive Administrator, of New York City from 1978 to 1982. She served on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from 1979 to 1990, focusing on consumer issues and the transit system’s station environment. Ms. Menschel served as chair of the New York City Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs from 1984 to 1989. From 1991 to 1992, she headed the New York City Public Schools Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Arts Education. From 1998 to 2004 she served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
 
Ronay Menschel is a Mayoral appointee on the Board of Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation.  She serves on the boards of The Museum of the City of New York, Public Art Fund, Municipal Art Society, Citizens Housing and Planning Council, National Housing Conference, New York Academy of Sciences, and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.  She is a Trustee Emerita of Cornell University, having served on its board for twelve years.
 
She is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Program in After school Education and Research at the Harvard Medical College and the Dean’s Council of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
 
She is married to Richard L. Menschel and is the mother of their three daughters.

ADAM WEINSTEIN
President and CEO, The Phipps Houses Group
Chair, Phipps Community Development Corporation

Mr. Weinstein joined Phipps Houses in 1989 as Assistant to the President, becoming a Vice President in 1992, Chief Operating Officer in 1993, and its President and CEO in 2001.  The Phipps Houses Group is the nation’s oldest and one of its largest not-for-profit organizations committed to developing, acquiring, owning and managing affordable housing.  The Phipps Houses Group has developed over 6,000 apartments, maintaining a controlling interest in over 4,300 of these, with another 2,000 units of affordable and mixed-income housing currently in its pipeline as of April 2007.  Phipps’ property management affiliate oversees more than 12,500 affordable and mixed-income apartments throughout New York City, along with appurtenant retail and professional space.  Its affiliate Phipps Community Development Corporation serves over 5,500 lower-income New Yorkers annually through extensive educational, vocational, child care, and support programs for households of all ages principally in neighborhoods where Phipps has a substantial housing presence.

During his career at Phipps, Mr. Weinstein has at various times headed each of Phipps’ operating entities: real estate development and asset management, property management, and community development.  He oversees more than 50 corporate entities employing a staff of approximately 850, an asset base nearing $2 billion in value and stewardship of more than $225 million in annual operating revenues.

Early in his career Mr. Weinstein served as Assistant to the Commissioner of the New York City Office of Business Development,  and as a Summer Associate in public finance at Goldman Sachs & Co.  He is on the boards of Citizens Housing and Planning Council, the New York Housing Conference, Target Margin Theater, and is a trustee of the Village of Pelham, New York.  He is married with two young children.

Mr. Weinstein holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Yale University.

OWEN STEMMER, CPA
Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer

• Phipps Houses
• Phipps Houses Services, Inc.
• Phipps Community Development Corporation

Owen Stemmer is in charge of financial and accounting operations for the Phipps Houses group of companies. His responsibilities include cash management, Management Information Systems and property management accounting for properties managed by Phipps Houses Services, Inc.

Prior to joining the Phipps Houses organization in 1987, Mr. Stemmer was Controller of Kennan Research and Consulting, Inc., an internationally renowned market research and consulting firm, where he was in charge of all financial and administrative operations. Before that, Mr. Stemmer was the Controller of Omnia Properties, Inc., a real estate management firm with holdings and clients in the northeast and southwest.

Mr. Stemmer has been employed by Tomen (America) Inc. (TMI), the American subsidiary of a major Japanese trading company, where he was responsible for the financial operations of TMI's American subsidiaries, with special emphasis on real estate.

A graduate of Syracuse University (B.S.), Mr. Stemmer is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

JOSEPHINE A. PERRELLA
Senior Vice President/General Manager - Phipps Houses Services, Inc.

Ms. Perrella joined Phipps Houses Services, Inc. ("PHSI") in January 1996 as Vice President/General Manager. She is responsible for all facets of the property management division for Phipps Houses, its parent company. PHSI manages over 10,000 rental units and 300 commercial spaces through out New York City. With a total annual rent collection rate of over $100 million, PHSI has grown to be one of the most active management companies specializing in government assisted and distressed housing in the tri-state area.

Prior to joining PHSI, Ms. Perrella was a Vice President of Grenadier Realty Corporation. As deputy general manager of Starrett at Spring Creek, Ms. Perrella was responsible for the day- to- day operation of a 5,881-unit complex with a total annual budget of $60 million.

Ms. Perrella has held a variety of positions both in the private and public sectors of real estate. Her experience includes marketing and rent ups of assisted, "80/20" and market rate rental units. She began her career as a housing organizer in the South Bronx.

Ms. Perrella graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She received her MBA in management from New York University.

STEPHEN TOSH
Executive Director/CEO - Phipps Community Development Corporation

Stephen Tosh joined Phipps Community Development Corporation (Phipps CDC) in 2000 as Executive Director/CEO. He is responsible for overall fiscal and program management of this comprehensive multi-site human service agency serving low-income children, youth, families and senior citizens. Specific programs run by Phipps CDC include: Head Start, youth development, summer camp, family assistance unit, senior citizens centers, and education and employment training.

Prior to joining Phipps CDC, from 1995 to 2000, Mr. Tosh was a Vice President of Justice Resource Institute in Boston Massachusetts, where he developed and managed prevention, assessment, education, and treatment programs for delinquent, mentally ill and emotionally disturbed adolescents. From 1989 to 1995, he was the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Albany, where he was the chief executive responsible for overall management of the youth development agency that provides comprehensive education, delinquency prevention, cultural, recreation and mental health and family support services to youth ages 5 to 18 years old at eleven locations in Albany County. From 1987 to 1989, he worked at the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice as the Director of Non-Secure Detention. He was the Director of Community Care and Program Manager, Residential Services Unit, in the Office of the Mayor, New York City Youth Bureau from 1984 to 1987.

Mr. Tosh also has extensive experience teaching troubled youth at the New York University Sociology Department and Manhattan Childrens Psychiatric Center. He also worked as a Residential Supervisor at the Mountain Road Group Home, and as a rehabilitation therapist at the Brandon Training School in Brandon, Vermont.

Mr. Tosh is a Ph.D. candidate (Sociology) at New York University. He received his MA, Sociology at New York University and his BA, with High Distinction from Dartmouth College.

MATTHEW KELLY
Vice President - Phipps Houses

Matthew Kelly joined Phipps Houses in 2002 as a Vice President in its real estate development department.

Prior to joining Phipps Houses, Mr. Kelly was director of the New York office of The Low-Income Housing Fund, a national community development financial institution. Previously, he was a vice president in the real estate section of Chase Manhattan's Community Development Group. He was also the Director of Program Development at the NYC Housing Development Coalition and a program manager at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Mr. Kelly holds an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business and a BA from Haverford College.

RICH HILL
Vice President - Phipps Houses

Rich Hill joined Phipps Houses in 1990 as Vice President, Construction and Technical Services. His responsibilities include: field office staff management; project planning and evaluation; monitoring development cash flow; design development and working drawing oversight; bid administration and contractor selection; contract negotiation and close outs; construction project administration; daily supervision of contractors, architects and other consultants; and government agency and tenant association interface. Since joining Phipps Houses, Mr. Hill has overseen the development and renovation of more than 1,500 units, representing total construction costs of nearly $150 million.

Prior to joining Phipps Houses, from 1986 to 1989, Mr. Hill was involved in acquisition, syndication and property management at Colonial Realty/Cheshire Management. He acquired and financed commercial and residential properties located throughout the United States, and had management responsibility for 2,000 apartment units and 500,000 square feet of office space. From 1981 to 1985, he was a Managing Director at United Gulf Services, where he was in charge of the acquisition, financing and renovation of construction projects in New York City.

From 1978 to 1980, Mr. Hill was the United States Director of Real Estate at Transol USA. He was responsible for real estate investment and development opportunities throughout the United States. From 1970 to 1977, he was a partner at Greater Sierra Construction, where he built more than 6,000 garden apartments and 500 single family homes in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Mr. Hill holds a Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Stanford University.

CARLYLE BURKE
Vice President, Management Information Systems - Phipps Houses Services, Inc.

Mr. Carlyle Burke joined Phipps Houses Services, Inc. as a Computer Systems Support Specialist in 1992 and was promoted to Director of M.I.S. in 1998.  In January 2005 Mr. Burke was promoted to Vice President and is primarily responsible for the overall operation of the Phipps Houses Group technology infrastructure including the administration of a vast network of computers, telecommunications and security systems.

In 1994 Mr. Burke implemented a database tracking system of all computer inventory, and hardware related issues that increased the M.I.S. department’s ability to detect problem trends and provide better support services to our client base.  In 1998 Mr. Burke and his staff re-networked the entire Phipps Main Office and installed the e-mail system and high speed Internet access.  Shortly after, he networked each of the Phipps site offices and linked each network together implementing the Phipps wide area network that is in place today.  In 1999 Mr. Burke managed the successful transition of Phipps’ entire computer infrastructure into Y2K compliancy replacing or upgrading all non-compliant items.  Currently Mr. Burke is involved in streamlining and reducing the cost of telecommunications for all of the Phipps Houses Group office locations, in addition to being actively involved with upgrading the central property management, accounting, and purchasing database system.

Prior to joining Phipps Houses Services, Inc., Mr. Burke was a Systems Support Specialist at the worldwide headquarters of General Instrument.  At General Instrument he helped to setup and administer a wide area network connecting the company’s headquarters to offices with networks around the world located in cities such as Dublin, Munich, and Taiwan.

Mr. Burke attended Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York and has earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Computer Information Systems. 

EDWARD F. ROGERS
Corporate Vice President - Phipps Houses Services Inc.

Edward F. Rogers joined Phipps Houses Services, Inc. in 1983 and oversees operations of its Financial Services Departments, comprised of accounts payable, accounts receivable, voucher production, and purchasing.

When he joined the company, he was responsible for creating and implementing a company-wide centralized purchasing system to ensure economical procurement of goods and services with the highest degree of internal control and integrity. In 1988 he was promoted to Director of Financial Services, assuming the additional responsibility of supervising accounts payable and receivable for all Phipps Houses Services, Inc. clients and captive companies. His departments' responsibilities include all billing and bill processing for all the Phipps owned and managed clients totaling approximately $100 million, monthly submittal of vouchers to multiple governmental funding sources and procurement of over $15 million per year in goods and services.

Prior to joining Phipps Houses, Mr. Rogers was a Purchasing Manager for seven years with Diamond International Corporation. He was primarily responsible for all capital improvement and maintenance projects for the company throughout the United States. Prior to that, he was a Purchasing Agent with Chemico Construction Corporation.

He is a graduate of Bernard M. Baruch College from which he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

ECHO WONG
Vice President/Deputy General Manger - Phipps Houses Services, Inc.

Ms. Echo Wong joined Phipps Houses Services, Inc. as the Property Manager in 1992 and was promoted to Area Manager in 1998 and to Assistant Vice President in 2002. In January 2003, Ms. Wong was promoted to Deputy General Manager / Vice President overseeing a portfolio of over 3,000-residential-unit and 50-commercial-unit with an annual operating budget of over $30 million. These properties involved various government subsidy programs and private funds ranging from Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Project-Base Section 8, HUD Section 202, Rent Controlled, Rent Stabilized and hospital staff residency. She supervises 10 managers and approximately 75 maintenance staff.

Ms. Wong's primary responsibilities are to ensure all properties are in compliance with all government and regulated agencies, financial planning and management for each property in accordance with its income streams. In addition to her administrative tasks, Ms. Wong handles and supervises all capital improvement projects within her portfolio. She holds various technical licenses and certificates, which include Certificates of Fitness on standpipe system, #6 fuel oil burner operation, scaffold operation, etc.

Prior to joining Phipps Houses Services, Inc., Ms. Wong was the property manager for the Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc., the largest Chinese-American non-profit organization in New York City, for 10 years. From 1996 to 1998, she was also a Court Appointed 7A Administrator managing distressed buildings for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Ms. Wong attended Bernard M. Baruch College earning a Bachelor of Business Administration. Ms. Wong is also a graduate of the Pratt Community Economic Development Internship Program, which is a master's level program specializing in community-based real estate housing and commercial real estate developments.

BRIAN S. BRICKER, CPA
Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Controller - Phipps Houses Services, Inc.

Brian S. Bricker joined Phipps Houses Services, Inc. in 1993 as Controller. As such, he is responsible for the oversight of the Accounting Department of Phipps Houses Services, Inc. Additionally, he is responsible for the coordination and supervision of the production of financial statements for all Phipps Houses owned properties and the consolidated financial statements of the Phipps Houses Group. Mr. Bricker also interfaces with various clientele of Phipps Houses Services, Inc. as well as with the finance and management departments of various governmental housing agencies and provides supervision over the audits performed by Phipps independent auditors.

Prior to joining Phipps Houses Services, Inc., Mr. Bricker served as Controller at Insignia/ESG, Inc. and as a Supervisor at Price Waterhouse Coopers.

A graduate of CUNY at Queens College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting, Mr. Bricker is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in the State of New York. He is also an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.