Meet our Board
The Housing Trust of Nova Scotia was founded in 2009 to address the increasing challenges low- to moderate-income households face in finding affordable housing in many HRM neighborhoods, especially near established and emerging business centers in walkable communities.
Since its founding, our board members have been leaders in the private real estate sector, with expertise in real estate finance, law, development, architecture, and property management. This depth of experience and knowledge is an advantage in building a strong non-profit housing provider. Over time, the board added expertise in environmental sustainability. It’s now actively engaged in succession planning to represent the community better and respond to emerging opportunities while maintaining its focus on skills and expertise.
Ross Cantwell
Founder & Director
President, HRM Apartments
Ross Cantwell brings over 30 years of experience as a real estate advisor, developer, and property manager to the Housing Trust. That experience includes the role that sparked his interest in affordable housing—working as a project manager for a San Francisco-based non-profit housing developer.
In 2004, now living in Nova Scotia, Cantwell co-authored the affordable housing report that HRM used as the basis of its regional plan. That report identified what became the genesis of the Housing Trust: the idea that a local non-profit housing group could build and manage a portfolio of affordable apartment units. Five years later, Cantwell helped establish the Housing Trust of Nova Scotia.
Cantwell is a former certified public accountant with a master’s degree in real estate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Brian Tabor
Chair & Director
Partner, Stewart McKelvey
As a commercial lawyer with extensive experience in real estate, Brian Tabor expertly navigates increasingly complex acquisitions and financing arrangements.
Brian has been included in the Real Estate Law’s Best Lawyers Listing every year since 2008 and the Lexpert® rating: Property Development each year since 2010.
Isaac Hashem
Treasurer & Director
Portfolio Manager, Infrastructure at Nova Scotia Pension Services Corporation
As treasurer, Isaac Hashem uses his 35 years of experience as a chartered professional accountant to ensure the Housing Trust is financially stable and flexible today and in the future.
His background includes a wide variety of industries, ranging from embedded systems and consumer packaged goods to technology and healthcare. Along with experience in commercial real estate, he was also the previous vice-president and chief financial officer at Southwest Properties Ltd, one of Halifax’s premier owners/operators of multifamily real estate.
Audrey Moritz
Secretary & Director
Housing Finance Professional
As a former vice-president, of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Audrey Moritz’s work focused on housing finance, market research and analytics, sustainability, social inclusion, and diversity. Her experiences include leading national teams, talent management, policy and program development, intergovernmental relations, program operations, and delivery.
Moritz brings a breadth of experience working with housing providers across the housing continuum, from private developers to cooperative and non-profit housing providers in Canada, and is pleased to now contribute directly to the Housing Trust.
Louie Lawen
Director
President & CEO Dexel Development, Co-Founder Paramount Management
Louie Lawen has 25 years of experience developing, designing, constructing, and managing some of Halifax’s signature buildings. His work, which focuses on urban multi-unit mixed-use projects, has been recognized with many awards, including the multi-unit development of the year award from the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia.
Lawen also founded the George Lawen / Dexel Scholarship to provide an award to a student entering the final year of the Master of Planning program who intends to pursue a career in the Maritimes.
Dan Goodspeed
Director
Founding Partner, Kassner/Goodspeed Architects
In his four decades of experience as an architect, Dan Goodspeed has designed and overseen projects ranging from high-rise residential projects to single-family homes.
Goodspeed’s firm has received numerous awards and citations for their work in Atlantic Canada, repeatedly demonstrating their ability to develop strong design solutions that integrate green principles. Goodspeed has also helped shape HRM’s policy landscape by contributing to bylaw design in the municipality.
Goodspeed has represented his profession on many committees, including the Halifax Heritage Advisory Committee, and has been active with Dalhousie Architecture and Planning.
Brian Lugar
Director
President, Novacorp Properties Ltd.
Brian Lugar has been in the real estate development and property management industry for over 40 years and is a licensed real estate broker specializing in the purchase and sale of investment properties on behalf of private, corporate, and institutional investors. In 2000 Brian and his business partner established Novacorp Properties Limited, providing property management and real estate intermediary services. Novacorp currently manages a portfolio comprised of approximately 3,000 residential units and several commercial properties in Nova Scotia, with an aggregate value of approximately $1.0 billion.
Brian is a trusted real estate advisor to several institutional clients, investors, and organizations and has been a strong advocate of social engagement throughout his career. He has a long history of donating his time and expertise to a variety of social agencies having served on the Board of several crown corporations and various social enterprises.
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Doug Raphael
Director
President & Co-Founder, Raphael & Steinberg Construction Inc.
Doug Raphael is President and co-founder of Raphael & Steinberg Construction Inc. Established in 1999 Raphael & Steinberg Construction Inc. is a commercial real estate investment firm and landlord that successfully assembled a portfolio of over 750,000 square feet of retail and office space in Quebec and Halifax.
With a Master’s in Architecture from Dalhousie’s School of Architecture and Planning, Mr. Raphael has over 25 years of experience in the construction and design industry. He was awarded the prestigious Gold Seal Certification in Project Management by the Canadian Construction Association. Previously as a Senior Project Manager / Construction Manager at Mayhew and Associates, a Toronto-based design/build consulting firm, Mr. Raphael represented numerous Fortune 500 companies, leading clients through the planning, construction, and management build-out of their commercial office space.
Giselle Kakamousias
Director
Vice-President, Turner Drake & Partners Ltd.
Giselle joined Turner Drake in 1993 after graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce and a major in accounting from Dalhousie University, Halifax. She was granted a Diploma in Urban Land Economics with first-class standing, from the University of British Columbia in 1997, the first person to gain this distinction in Atlantic Canada. Giselle gained accreditation with the Appraisal Institute of Canada in 1999. She was admitted to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 2005.
Giselle was appointed Manager of the Property Tax Division in 1999 and Vice President in 2006. She has negotiated reductions in assessments and conducted appeals in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia, on all types of property.
Giselle has appeared as an expert witness before the New Brunswick Assessment and Planning Appeal Board, the Nova Scotia Regional Assessment Appeal Court, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, and the British Columbia Property Assessment Appeal Board.
Joel Westin
Director
President & Owner, Bridgewater Ready Mix
Joel moved back to the South Shore and Lunenburg in the fall of 2021 and is now the President and owner of Bridgewater Ready Mix, after pivoting to become a concrete producer following a successful career in telecoms. He is passionate about the climate and holds a P.Eng. in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia, and an Executive MBA in Information Technology from the Stockholm School of Economics.
In addition to his role with The Housing Trust, Joel serves as a board member of Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce and is the Chair of the Atlantic Concrete Association’s Environmental Committee.
Ross Drake
Director
CFO, Summit II REIT
Ross Drake is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Summit Industrial Income REIT, a Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia, and is also the Chief Financial Officer at Sigma Asset Management Ltd.
In the past, he was a Director at Summit Real Estate Investment Trust and Senior Vice President-Research & Analysis at ING Real Estate Canada LP.
Mr. Drake holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and an undergraduate degree from St. Francis Xavier University.
Matt Pendlebury
Director
Vice-President, CBRE
Matthew Pendlebury joined CBRE in September 2017 as Vice President within the Debt & Structured Finance Group based in Halifax. Matthew is responsible for client relations and delivering financing solutions for borrower clients with a focus on CMHC and Conventional mortgage financing. Matthew also specializes in construction financing for all property classes.
Prior to joining CBRE, Matthew was employed for 18 years with a well-established mortgage banking firm specializing in the placement of commercial real estate financing throughout Atlantic Canada. Matthew is well known throughout the Canadian mortgage lending community
Members:
Cameron Bell Harding
Commercial Real-Estate Advisor, Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic
Glenn Umlah
Senior Vice-President, CBRE
Aaron Kisel
Director, Bank of Montreal
Peter Bigelow
Vice President, Develop Nova Scotia
Gregory Kerry
Director, Realty Tax
Matthew Newell
Partner, Stewart McKelvey
Lara Ryan
President, Lara Ryan Consulting
Charity Carr
Business Development Manager, EfficencyOne
Ian Stanley
Broker & Principle, Partners Global Corporate Real Estate Inc.
Jenna Williams
Underwriting Analyst, CBRE
Committees:
Executive Committee:
Brian Tabor, Audrey Moritz, & Isaac Hashem.
Building Committee:
Doug Raphael, Dan Goodspeed, Louie Lawen, Charity Carr, & Ross Cantwell.
Property Strategies Committee:
Brian Lugar, Kristy Martell, Louie Lawen, Giselle Kakamousias, & Greg Kerry.
Modular Committee:
Brian Tabor, Joel Westin, Peter Bigelow, Ross Cantwell, Audrey Moritz, & Dan Goodspeed.
Finance and Audit Committee:
Isaac Hashem, Ross Drake, Aaron Kisel, & Ian Stanley.
Opportunities Committee:
Audrey Moritz, Glenn Umlah, Jenna Williams, Matt Pendlebury, Greg Kerry, and Cameron Harding.