The INHS Board of Directors has appointed Kate G. de la Garza as Executive Director, effective January 2, 2024. Their appointment follows the resignation of previous Executive Director Johanna Anderson and the appointment of Patricia Paolangeli as Acting Executive Director.
A seasoned community development professional with over 20 years of community-based affordable housing development and finance experience, Kate most recently served as Vice President & Senior Relationship Manager at KeyBank, working across the upstate New York region in its Community Development Lending & Investment Division. They were previously a senior project manager at US Bank Impact Finance and an affordable housing developer and development consultant in Washington state.
Founded in 1976 as a partnership between residents, funders, and local government, INHS is a nonprofit community development corporation affiliated with NeighborWorks® America. The INHS mission is to help people of modest incomes obtain affordable housing on a long-term basis. INHS is committed to creating energy-efficient housing and sustainable communities that benefit residents of all income levels and occupations. Its service area includes Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties.
Kate holds a Master of Urban Planning & Public Administration degree with a concentration in Real Estate Development from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College.
“I am honored to be chosen as INHS’s next leader and thrilled to join such a longstanding and impactful organization whose mission and values align with mine,” they say about their new endeavor.
The Board extended its thanks to Acting Executive Director Patricia Paolangeli. With over 26 years of service to INHS, Patricia’s expertise and knowledge proved critical in ensuring a smooth transition of leadership.
Patricia says, “It’s been an honor to lead the organization over the past few months as we’ve searched for a permanent Executive Director. I feel confident that Kate’s experience and knowledge will continue to lead the organization to further success, and I look forward to working with them.”
“The board and search committee were unanimously impressed with Kate’s skillset and experience and were equally impressed with their leadership perspective and communication style. We are confident in their ability to work closely and collaboratively with INHS staff and stakeholders, as well as the clients we serve in the region. We are excited to enter this next stage of INHS growth with Kate as our Executive Director,” says INHS Board of Director President Jeremy Thomas.
