Who We Are
Our Board of Directors
Rising Tide Partners relies on the depth of experience of our board of directors, and the diverse expertise of our staff.
Tammy Thompson
Executive Director
Circles of Greater Pittsburgh
Fred Brown
CEO
The Forbes Funds
Bill Krahe
President
Grand View Development Company
Ray Garofalo
VP of Community Development
Dollar Bank
Irene McLaughlin Clark
J.D., Attorney at Law
Pam Collier
Founder
Lord Marketing Group
Ray Baum
Attorney at Law
Clark Hill PLC
Thomas J. Yargo
Associate Broker and Manager Shadyside Office
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Sarah Dieleman Perry
Director of Economic Opportunity
Neighborhood Allies
Staff
Our staff brings the diverse skill set necessary to undertake complicated land transactions, build honest relationships in neighborhoods, while navigating sometimes complicated community processes. Our expertise includes real estate financing, urban design and planning, facilitation and mediation, and a breadth of knowledge about the various financing tools and policy to available to create and preserve affordable housing.
Executive Director
Kendall has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in non-profit/public/organizational management from Carnegie Mellon University.
-Coro Fellow 2001
Real Estate Project Manager
-As the director of development, Joe oversees all Rising Tide’s real estate interventions and operations.
-Joe brings over a decade of experience in community development across a variety of sectors in Cleveland, Columbus, and now Pittsburgh. Before his role at Rising Tide, Joe was a program manager for Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh and was charged with managing the community’s real estate review process, filing conservatorship actions, managing community improvement projects, and working with governmental partners to acquire vacant properties.
-Joe holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in urban planning from Miami University and Ohio State, respectively, and has acquired AICP certification (American Institute of Certified Planners).
Nicolas Jaramillo
Finance and Administration Director
-As the Director of Finance, Nic is responsible for the overall financial function and operation of Rising Tide. Nic is tasked with general business operations and management, inter-organization collaboration, recognizing under-utilized community and organizational assets, fiscal transparency, and program development.
-Nic brings over 20 years of experience in sustainable development, systems design, and organizational finance.
-Nic has dual bachelor’s degrees from Cornell College and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. Nic was also a volunteer in the Peace Corps.
Debbie Banton
HR and Operations Manager
-As the HR and Operations Manager, Debbie is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as all personnel considerations. She is responsible for facilities management, interagency operations, and all human resources functions.
-Debbie began her career in the hospitality industry where she worked for over 18 years in this sector eventually serving as the General Manager of an 85-room hotel in Harrisburg, PA. She relocated to Pittsburgh in 2019 to begin her career in the non-profit sector.
-Debbie joined Rising Tide Partners in 2022 and has been crucial in building
a diverse and impactful staff and enhancing operational efficiency to drive
organizational growth and excellence.
Chris Bromley
Construction Project Manager
-As the construction program manager; Chris oversees all construction and property management components of Rising Tide’s operation.
Chris has 15 years of real estate and residential construction experience through his own firm in which he served as both a contractor and consultant.
-Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance, an artist diploma in music performance, and a master’s degree in educational studies, all from Duquesne University.
Construction Manager
-As the construction manager, Ross specializes in bringing Rising Tide controlled properties to a safe and healthy standard.
-Ross began his journey in community development when he purchased a Garfield
home from the City of Pittsburgh in 1990 and began working with the Bloomfield-Garfield
Corporation on community events. Ross previously coordinated home repairs at The Pittsburgh Project and was a construction coordinator at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh.
-Ross has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University, an OSHA 30 certification and a certified lead safe contractor certification.
Taylor Williams
Acquisition and Conservatorship Manager
-As the acquisition and conservatorship manager, Taylor is responsible for the management and assessment of all Rising Tide acquisitions. In addition, she evaluates target properties, formulates scopes of work, and develops budgets for prospective acquisitions.
-Taylor brings over seven years’ experience as a licensed Pennsylvania real estate agent.
-Taylor is a wife to a first responder, mother of three, Christian, and avid foodie.
Jennifer DiNardo
Real Estate Project Manager
-As a Senior Real Estate Project Manager, Jennifer is generally responsible for preparing applications and securing funding through public and private sources for Rising Tide. She also focuses on general development activities and moving construction and development projects to completion. She is currently working on projects in Wilkinsburg, Hazelwood, East Hills, Northside and Oakland.
-Jennifer brings over 40 years of experience working in affordable housing finance, development, construction and property management. Her efforts have helped create over 60 developments, 3,100 units, and securing $455 Million in financing through multiple organizational entities.
-Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh, an associate’s degree in building construction technology from the Community College of Allegheny County and is a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design + Construction.
Pierce Robinson
Project Manager
-As a project manager, Pierce is responsible for real estate activities on the Northside as well as board and community relations.
-Pierce brings over 18 years’ experience in the private and public sector with focuses on mixed use development, construction, and affordable housing initiatives.
-Pierce has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Howard University and a specialization in management and leadership from Harvard Business School.
Nathan Van Patter
Project Manager
-As a project manager, Nathan is responsible for helping Rising Tide tenants start towards their home ownership goals. He develops and fosters partnerships and grants to help serve the tenant population which helps support long term decision making about health and housing.
-Nathan brings over 10 years’ experience in social work and social work administration.
-Nathan has a bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University
Andrea Bourguett
Finance Administrator
-As the financial assistant, Andrea is responsible for the day-to-day financial
transactions of the organization. She handles company ledgers to ensure accuracy and compliance, compiles reports, and reviews company records.
-Andrea has 7 years’ experience in the consulting and healthcare industries focused on policy and process improvement, strategic analysis, and data driven problem solving.
-Andrea holds a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from National University of Mexico (UNAM) and a master’s degree in finance from EGADE Business School ITESM, with a specialty in corporate finance.
Whitney Silbaugh
Finance Administrative Assistant
-As an account administrator, Whitney is responsible for the management of payable accounts at the organization.
-Whitney brings over a decade of administrative experience with focuses on organizational management, process and procedure enhancement, as well as software implementation.
-Whitney studied journalism and communications at Penn State University