Leadership

Susan Friedland has had the honor of serving as SAHA’s Chief Executive Officer since 2013, when Satellite Housing merged with Affordable Housing Associates, where she was the Executive Director since 2005. Previously, Susan was the Director of Housing Development with Fifth Avenue Committee, a community-based development corporation in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a Masters of City Planning degree from U.C. Berkeley and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Urban Studies from Brown University. She received the National Award for Women in Planning from the American Planning Association and was honored by the Girl Scouts for her work promoting green building. Susan was a member of the Board of Directors of the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH), and currently serves on the Board of Directors of National Housing Partnership and chairs the Membership Committee. She is also the board treasurer for the California Housing Consortium. She supports her local community as Chair of the Albany Music Fund and formerly as a Planning Commissioner.

Tom Earley joined SAHA in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer, bringing more than 23 years of experience in nonprofit management and community design, planning and development to the organization. As COO, Tom
oversees Asset Management & Compliance, Risk Management, Human Resources, and the Business Systems and Operations departments for SAHA.  Tom is President of SAHA’s affiliated property management company, SAHA PM, and oversees daily operations, regulatory compliance, and business development.  During his 13 years at BRIDGE Housing, Tom worked on a diverse portfolio of mixed-use and mixed-income projects on urban infill sites in the greater Bay Area. In his most recent BRIDGE role as Officer and Senior Vice President his focus included divisional and organizational platform building and collaborative interdepartmental work models. Tom’s early career included work for national homebuilder Richmond American Homes, infill developer Panoramic Interests, and the Office of the City Architect for San Francisco. He holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering/Construction Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree, both from the University of California at Berkeley.

Miriam provides strategic leadership to the organization, which has been gained through her 15 years of thoughtful lived leadership experience in the field of affordable housing. Miriam oversees SAHA’s Human Resources and Risk Management departments.

Miriam began her career at SAHA in 2013 as the Director of Human Resources and Operations. Prior to SAHA, Miriam served as the Director of Human Resources and Administration of Satellite Housing, and began her career in the non-profit field of HR at The Unity Council.

Eve Stewart has over 20 years experience in real estate finance and development and has been with SAHA since 2003. During her tenure, Eve has directly managed or overseen the completion of more than 2,000 housing units, primarily using tax credit financing combined with additional State and local funding programs. Currently, Eve is responsible for nearly 1,000 units in SAHA’s pipeline with total development costs over $600 million. Eve is a former board member of East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO), a nonprofit advocacy and policy group and previously served on the leadership Board of EveryOne Home, Alameda County’s initiative to end homelessness. Eve holds a Masters degree in City & Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University.

Jose L. Sanchez, Vice President of Finance, has extensive management experience in all aspects of accounting, finance, asset management, strategic planning and risk management with direct expertise in residential and commercial real estate, specifically multi-family housing. Sanchez began his career in accounting and prior to joining SAHA served as the CFO for Tutelian & Company, a market-rate commercial real estate developer. He was previously Vice President-Asset Management at Jamboree, an affordable housing developer. He holds an MBA from Chapman University and was a Riordan Fellow at the UCLA School of Management and is COS-certified by the National Center for Housing Management. Sanchez is active in community service and adaptive sports and is passionate about affordable housing. He joined SAHA in 2023.

Angela Cavanaugh has worked in the affordable housing industry for over 20 years. She began on the construction and maintenance team of Affordable Housing Associates, and quickly became proficient in all aspects of construction rehabilitation. She was then promoted to Property Manager, a position she held for three years. For the next thirteen years, Angela was Director of Property Management, where she oversaw the operations of the entire Property Management department. Currently she holds the position of Vice President of Property Management for SAHA, and leads the management of 65 buildings in the SAHA portfolio.

Angela has experience with multiple funding programs such as TCAC, HUD, MHSA and CalHFA, and has extensive knowledge of Berkeley and Oakland rent board regulations and laws. Throughout her tenure with SAHA, she has developed a keen sense for fair housing practices and works to uphold the mission of Satellite Affordable Housing Associates. Furthermore, Angela has mastered the management of affordable housing with all of its intricate human issues and has developed an intuitive sense of which policies and procedures work to maintain livable and desirable housing in diverse communities.

Cristi Ritschel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years’ experience in the social services field. She holds a Masters of Social Work degree from CSU Long Beach with a specialization in Adulthood and Aging, and a BA in Human Development from UC San Diego. Before joining SAHA in 2014, Cristi worked as a therapist, victim advocate, and program supervisor for Human Options, Inc., a non-profit leader in the field of family violence prevention and intervention. She has worked in various social service settings from group homes, university mental health systems, family violence centers, interdisciplinary coalitions, and community based mental health clinics.  Cristi volunteers on the board of Building Futures for Women and Children and presently serves as the Board President. She brings her clinical lens and diverse direct service experience to inform the design of service coordination and community engagement programs, staff development, and partnerships to ensure SAHA’s Resident Services department delivers services that are person-centered, inclusive, trauma-informed, and impactful.

Sara Abramowitz-Hill has been in the affordable housing industry since she joined SAHA in 2000.  She has a broad understanding of our industry, having held leadership positions in SAHA’s compliance, property management and asset management groups. Sara led the expansion of SAHA’s Asset Management & Compliance Department, providing comprehensive, long-term oversight and stewardship of SAHA’s properties.  In addition to asset management, Sara oversees SAHA’s compliance and regulatory group and energy management program.

Sara has experience with multiple funding programs such as TCAC, HUD, MHSA and CalHFA, and has extensive knowledge of Berkeley and Oakland rent board regulations and laws.

Sara earned her bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies at UC Berkeley.