Our Team

Tapestry Development Group has over two decades of experience in affordable housing development.

Tapestry Development Group Staff

Jon Toppen

Jon Toppen

President

 

Jon has been in the affordable housing development field since 2002 and developed over 1,500 housing units in his career. In his current position, he administers Tapestry Development Group’s corporate affairs and works with the staff and Board of Directors to implement the goals of the organization. Jon’s responsibilities include the oversight and management of development projects, with specialties in permanent supportive housing and Low Income Housing Tax Credits. His current and past experience with project development also includes historic preservation, affordable housing preservation, and green building design. Jon is a certified C.P.A. in Virginia and held a variety of accounting positions prior to entering the affordable housing field. Prior to co-founding Tapestry, he served as a Project Manager and controller for other affordable housing development organizations. He has a B.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Richmond, Virginia, and a Masters of City Planning degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Supportive Housing Association. He is active as an officer at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Jon is a 2013 graduate of the Urban Land Institute-Atlanta’s Center for Leadership.

Avery W Smith

Avery W Smith

Project Manager

 

Since 2015 Avery W. Smith has been actively involved in the affordable housing industry. First working with Public Housing Authorities, she has helped convert over 1500 units from HUD’s Public Housing sector to the Section 8 platform via Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) for both Project Based Voucher and Project Based Rental Assistance transactions. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to
assist PHA’s in other opportunities of Asset Repositioning such as Section 18 Demo/Dispo applications as well as Section 22 Streamline Voluntary Conversions. Many of these transactions are also paired with
competitive sources of funding. She has been successful in obtaining funding through 9% and 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Now as a part of the Tapestry Team, she is actively gaining LIHTC experience in Georgia and South Carolina while providing
her experienced knowledge on Alabama and PHA-partnered deals. Within her role as Project Manager, she works closely with development partners, driving developments from start to finish. She is HCCP certified and has a degree in Geography from Auburn University.

Outside General Counsel

 

John E Taylor

Attorney, FisherBroyles LLP

John was a member of Tapestry’s board of directors from its founding until 2021, when he became outside general counsel.  In that role he advises the board and staff on organizational and legal matters and coordinates with transaction counsel.   He is a partner at the law firm of FisherBroyles LLP, where he specializes in commercial real estate investment, lending, development, and leasing.

He received a B.A., magna cum laude, in Political Science from Valdosta State College (now University) and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served on the law review and was selected to Order of the Coif.  He began his legal career as a clerk to the Honorable Lewis R. Morgan of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and has subsequently practiced in Atlanta both solo and with prominent Atlanta law firms. 

John is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Florida Bar. He formerly served on the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia and as co-chair of the Legislative Subcommittee. 

John has lectured at various programs sponsored by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia on topics such as professionalism, ethics, Georgia land bank authority legislation and tax lien enforcement; is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Florida Bar (currently inactive) and serves on the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia and as co-chair of the Legislative Subcommittee. 

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Tapestry Development Group is comprised of innovative leaders in the community with diverse expertise and backgrounds. They each bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide Tapestry’s efforts to fulfill its mission.

Kathleen Brownlee

Realtor, Board Chair, Executive Committee Investment Committee

Kathleen Brownlee is an experienced realtor with Coldwell Banker and has expertise in helping sellers, buyers, and renters.  She is certified as a Senior Real Estate Specialist and much more.

Prior she was affiliated with Purpose Built Communities since its inception in 2009, Kathleen Brownlee has extensive experience in affordable real estate financing, development, and asset management. For two years prior to joining Purpose Built Communities, she led the C.F. Foundation’s real estate initiatives in Atlanta, focusing primarily on planning and developing mixed-use, mixed-income developments in and around the East Lake community.

Before joining the C.F. Foundation, Kathleen was the first President of Mercy Housing Southeast, a subsidiary of Mercy Housing, Inc., a national not-for-profit affordable housing developer and manager, and lender to affordable housing initiatives. She initiated and administered a community development information program to introduce the Mercy Housing System in the southeastern region, the first such venture by the corporation east of the Mississippi. She led a team of developers, and in less than five years, successfully secured the financing for over $40 million in affordable housing for low-income families and seniors.

Before her appointment as President of Mercy Housing Southeast, Kathleen served as Mercy Housing, Inc.’s Director of Portfolio Risk Management. She was responsible for underwriting housing developments and portfolio asset management for the entire Mercy Housing system. Additionally, she supervised Mercy Housing’ audit and tax management services, responsible for insurance oversight of corporate assets in excess of $500 million.

Kathleen chairs the Tapestry Development Group Board and serves on the Board of Hope Atlanta and the Low Income Investment Fund’s New Market Tax Credit Advisory.  She is a member of CREW Atlanta, has served on boards of several community and national organizations. Kathleen graduated with honors from Agnes Scott College.

Katie Delp

Senior Vice President of Network Development and Engagement at Purpose Built Communities Treasurer Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Committee

Katie Delp has committed her career to developing communities into thriving socially, economically and racially equitable neighborhoods. As Senior Vice President of Network Development and Engagement at Purpose Built Communities, she supports place-based leaders across the nation to improve equity and opportunities for high-priority neighborhoods. Katie previously served as Executive Director of Focused Community Strategies (FCS) and led multiple initiatives creating mixed-income housing, economic development, job creation, youth development and food security in neighborhoods on Atlanta’s south side. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Texas Tech University, and is a candidate for an MBA in Real Estate from Georgia State University. In addition to Tapestry, she actively gives back to her community by serving on the boards of organizations such Carver Cluster Foundation, Wesley International Academy, and Friends of South Atlanta Parks. Katie and her husband, Jeff, are parents to Sam and Maya and have been residents of Historic South Atlanta since 2001.

Ryan Fleming

Senior Loan Officer, Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Investment Committee

Ryan is a Senior Loan Officer at Enterprise Community Loan Fund (ECLF), a Community Development Financial Institution which meets the critical capital needs of communities across the country. ECLF provides community developers access to financing, which may otherwise be unavailable for local projects such as affordable housing (both multifamily and single family), charter schools and community health centers. In this role, Ryan underwrites loans for the acquisition and construction of affordable housing and community development initiatives, with a focus on development opportunities in the Southeast region.

Prior to joining ECLF, Ryan worked as the Director of the Office of Housing Finance at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, administering the state’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program (LIHTC) along with other HUD-funded programs such as HOME, NHTF, TCAP, CDBG-DR. The 30-person team which he managed reviewed all 9% and 4% LIHTC applications in Georgia.

Ryan was selected as one of the 30 National Housing Conference (NHC) Emerging Leaders in 2019 and received his Masters of City & Regional Planning (MCRP) from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2017.

Howard L. Robinson, Jr.

President, Redclay-Hill Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Investment Committee

Howard is an Atlanta native and founder of Redclay-Hill, a full service communications firm that connects individuals and organizations to their audiences for increased impact and sustainable results.

Redclay-Hill delivers training, media, and community engagement services to a diverse roster of clients that include Westside Future Fund, The Construction Education Foundation of Georgia, Emmaus House, The Annie E. Casey Foundation @ Pittsburgh Yards, and The City of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning.

Prior to Redclay-Hill, Howard worked as Digital Media and Organizing Director for the State of Georgia at Obama for America in 2012. Currently, he serves as a member of the Advisory Board at ATL: Advance The Lives, a charitable trust founded by Matt and Sarah Ryan in 2020 with the mission to alleviate structural barriers to Black youth success by working with after school programs to increase the social capital of Black youth and their families.

Henrietta Snipes

Board Chair of Opelika (Alabama) Housing Authority Former Vice President of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Investment Committee

Henrietta has been involved in the affordable housing industry for more than twenty five years. She briefly served as interim CEO for the Opelika Housing Authority in Opelika, Alabama.  She has served as a Commissioner of the Opelika Housing Authority since 1997 where she has served as board chair since 2002.  She serves as the Alabama State Chair of Commissioners and Chair of the International Research & Global Exchange for the Southeastern Region of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. She is the past Vice President of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) as well as the Southeastern Region of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Commissioners 2017-19. She made history as the first person ever to serve all three positions simultaneously.  She has also been an active member of the Public Housing Directors Association (PHADA) for over twenty-five years.   Henrietta was Alabama’s 2016 Commissioner of the Year. She is a Certified Train the Trainer for Commissioners, a NAHRO Certified Commissioner with additional Certifications in Ethics, Agency Operations, Strategic Planning and Commissioners Fundamentals. She most recently led to the latest upgrade of the Commissioners Handbook being the first in over ten years. Serving as Track Chair for Commissioners she created several training sessions. Henrietta represented the United Stated in Global Exchanges to Mexico, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

She has extensive leadership training as well as in-depth experience in the day-to-day operations of a public housing authority from Asset Management to RAD. She has participated in several housing transitions from public housing to Section 22 and Section 48. Henrietta completed the Low Housing Income Tax Credit Course in 2005. She has completed all the Certifications Course offered through NAHRO making her one of the most credentialed commissioners in the country.

She brings a wealth of experience from both, the public and private sector. Having been responsible for a twenty plus billion dollar property tax office in addition to supervising and coaching profitability for two of the largest corporations in the world makes her management experience second to none. She has experience in title search and real estate management.  She has facilitated corporate trainings throughout the United States.

Henrietta has completed studies at several college and universities to include Southern Union Community College, Auburn University, Troy University, and Point University with an emphasis on History, Real Estate, Tax Management and Organizational Leadership. She has an overwhelming wealth of training in her repertory to include CEU’s from NAHRO and various Executive Leadership courses.

James Winston

Project Executive, AHS Residential 
Vice Chair Executive Committee Investment Committee

James works with AHS’s development team to oversee the construction of approximately 2,000 multifamily housing units in Metro Atlanta. He has 17 years of experience in real estate development.

Previously, James managed construction and design of multi-family developments for RangeWater Real Estate (formerly PollackShores Real Estate Group).  James worked on the development and construction of more than 2,500 multi-family units throughout the Southeast.  His experience also includes development and construction management roles with a variety of product types including retail, hospitality, educational, municipal, and mixed-use projects. 

Prior to Pollack Shores, James served as Principal of Roark Management Group (RMG).  At RMG he provided consulting services to asset management groups for retail and residential projects as well as construction management services for commercial and non-profit development groups.  Before RMG, James worked with Lane Investment and Development, LLC as a construction manager where he also managed the construction and design of multi-family development projects.  At Lane James was responsible for construction activity that represented $250 million of investments in Atlanta, Alabama, and South Florida.  James is able to provide insight on project schedules, budgets, constructability and is effective at coordinating with Architects, Engineers, and municipal organizations.

James received a degree in Economics from Morehouse College and a Masters in Real Estate Development from Auburn University.

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