Johnson Hall brings decades of affordable housing and community development experience

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) will get a new Executive Director, as Tiena Johnson Hall was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday.

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Tiena Johnson Hall was appointed Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) on July 19, 2021. (Photo: Business Wire)

Johnson Hall, who has been a member of CalHFA’s Board of Directors since November 2014, has served as a Senior Vice President and Manager of Community Development Finance for BBVA Compass Bancshares Inc. since October 2014. Prior to that, she has held various housing positions in both the private and public sectors.

“Tiena Johnson Hall brings a passion to helping people build community, and I am excited to have her at the helm at CalHFA,” said Lourdes Castro Ramírez, Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. “That commitment, coupled with her strong background in housing and finance, will galvanize the CalHFA team as it works to expand mortgage assistance, increase the number first-time homebuyers, and give greater access to financing for innovative housing programs, such as Accessory Dwelling Units.”

“Tiena’s background makes her the perfect person to lead a mission-driven agency like CalHFA that relies on partnerships with all levels of government, as well as the private sector,” said CalHFA Board Chair Michael Gunning. “As a longtime Board member, Tiena has already used her extensive experience and knowledge to help lead CalHFA through some of the most successful years in the history of the organization and we are excited about the future!”

That background includes stints as a Vice President and Community Development Manager at Bank of the West; a Senior VP and Relationship Manager in U.S. Bank’s Commercial Real Estate group; Director of Housing in the Major Projects Division of the Los Angeles Housing and Investment Department; Project Manager for Abode Communities and more.

For Johnson Hall, living in an affordable housing project a few years after graduating from college and organizing a group to work with the state-owned building to make improvements to the property was a formative experience that made her decide to work in the affordable housing industry.

“I believe CalHFA plays a critical role in the state’s efforts to help Californians find an affordable place to call home,” said Johnson Hall. “My time on the CalHFA board has given me an excellent overview of the organization and the opportunity to help shape some of the Agency’s most successful initiatives, such as the innovative partnership with Apple, the national award-winning Mixed-Income rental housing program, the widely used down payment assistance program and CalHFA’s commitment to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.”

Johnson Hall was selected after a nationwide search to replace Tia Boatman Patterson, who left the position of Executive Director in February to join President Biden’s Administration in the Office of Management and Budget. CalHFA’s Chief Deputy Director Don Cavier has been serving as the Agency’s Acting Executive Director.

“Between California’s housing affordability crisis, the pandemic’s disproportionate effect on lower-income residents and people of color, and the unprecedented amount of Federal and State resources going into housing, now is the time for organizations like CalHFA to make an even more meaningful impact,” Johnson Hall said.

The California Housing Finance Agency was created in 1975 with the goal of helping more Californians find a place to call home. CalHFA has helped more than 201,000 low- and moderate-income homebuyers with $32.6 billion in first mortgages and used $6.1 billion in financing for the construction and preservation of more than 70,000 affordable rental housing units throughout the state. CalHFA is a self-supported state agency that doesn't rely on taxpayer dollars for its operational costs. For more information on CalHFA programs, and how we are creating progressive financing solutions for affordable housing in California, visit www.calhfa.ca.gov or call toll free at 877.9.CalHFA (877.922.5432).

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