Executive Director

As Executive Director, Dina spends her time on board matters, strategic planning, search processes, fundraising, and advocacy on preservation and expansion of affordable housing resources and opportunities. 

Dina has worked extensively in real estate law, mostly in community development and economic development initiatives. As former Deputy Director and the Senior Attorney for Multi-Family, Dina worked with many nonprofit organizations that developed affordable housing.  She has a deep expertise in representing both for-profit and nonprofit developers, institutional lenders, and community financial institutions in matters of affordable housing tax credit transactions, homeownership and moderate-income housing initiatives, commercial economic development initiatives, including those that involve the use of New Market Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits.

Dina is a former Associate Practice Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Visiting Associate Professor of Law at the Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law. Dina graduated from Miami University and earned her law degree in 1985 from the Temple University Beasley School of Law. She lives in Philadelphia with her partner and a dog. She enjoys traveling and dining out. 

Senior Counsel

Director of Housing Development Legal Services

Kim started at RHLS as a staff attorney in 2005 and now oversees all of RHLS’s development legal work. In her career at RHLS, she has closed deals involving a wide variety of public financing, including LIHTC, HOME, CDBG, RAD, PBV, NSP2, PHARE and many other federal, state and local loan and grant programs.

Kim has worked with a number of organizations on their first LIHTC deal, many of whom become repeat players in the LIHTC space. She also specializes in the intersection of health and housing and has assisted clients with disabilities to develop independent living options.

Kim was a partner at the Philadelphia firm White and Williams LLP before joining RHLS. Kim earned her undergraduate degree at Bryn Mawr College and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Cheltenham, PA and in her spare time enjoys playing violin, viola and golf.

Supervising Attorney

Jack is a Supervising Attorney in the organization's Housing Development Legal Services work and lead for the organization's Delaware office.  

Jack focuses his work on supportive housing initiatives.  He represents nonprofit developers in Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and other housing transactions with a focus on serving individuals exiting homelessness or who may otherwise benefit from social supportive services.  Having previously served as General Counsel for Delaware’s LIHTC allocating agency, Delaware State Housing Authority, Jack brings a deep understanding of government financing perspectives to his work.  He excels at providing strategic counsel to clients navigating multiple systems to develop, preserve, and operate supportive housing. 

Outside of the office, Jack enjoys Star Trek, reading, and exploring with his daughter. He has a passion for learning and education, and serves as President of the Board of St. Michael’s School and Nursery, has taught a Justice Lawyering Seminar, and teaches Real Estate Transactions with an emphasis on affordable housing at Delaware Law School. 

Jack lives in Wilmington, Delaware, with his wife and daughter.  He earned his J.D. from Drexel University and his B.A. from the University of Delaware where he majored in Philosophy and Sociology.  He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Staff Attorney

Esteban has experience helping clients navigate complex real estate transactions to build and preserve affordable housing in the communities they serve. He has a special interest in social housing models and policies that address housing inequities and promote responsible development.

Esteban holds a J.D. from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and a B.A. in both Psychology and Brain & Cognitive Sciences from the University of Rochester. Prior to law school, he worked in higher education development for a national top ten university and in zoo volunteer management.

Esteban lives in East Germantown with his spouse, two very demanding cats, and one easygoing bearded dragon. Outside of work, you can find him knitting/crocheting, reading something nerdy, or looking up new restaurants to check out.

Staff Attorney

Kathryn has expertise in affordable housing development, nonprofit real estate structuring, and public funding compliance. She advises mission-driven developers on transactions involving LIHTC, RAD, supportive housing, and layered public-private financing.

Kathryn has deep knowledge of HUD programs, including Housing Choice Vouchers, RAD, and project-based assistance. Her prior asset management role at a large public housing agency informs her strategic approach to regulatory compliance, financial sustainability, and long-term oversight of subsidized housing portfolios.

She also has extensive experience drafting and negotiating pre-development contracts, including architect, construction, and development services agreements. She supports clients in mitigating risk, structuring equitable partnerships, and preserving long-term affordability through mission-aligned governance.

Kathryn is licensed in Pennsylvania and California and is a Fellow of the ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law. She holds a J.D. from Rutgers Law School and a B.A. from SUNY Purchase. Outside of work, she enjoys long-distance bike touring and exploring the outdoors with her partner.

Outreach Specialist

Ife is an outreach specialist committed to advancing housing equity and inclusive development across Pennsylvania. At Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS), she supports legal and policy work through the lens of community experience, designing and implementing outreach strategies that ensure residents, especially those in historically underserved communities, are informed, represented, and empowered to engage in housing justice efforts.

Ife specializes in strategic communications, stakeholder relationship-building, and qualitative research design. Her work spans everything from writing and shaping public-facing materials to coordinating with community partners and supporting initiatives that amplify local voices in broader housing policy conversations, in a bid to ensure that RHLS's work resonates with the people they serve.

Ife holds a master's in social work with a concentration in Community, Organization, and Social Action from the University of Pittsburgh. She is based in Pittsburgh, where she enjoys sewing and exploring creativity through design.

Senior Staff Attorney

Kelly joined the RHLS team in 2023 and is based in the Pittsburgh office. She represents nonprofit developers throughout Pennsylvania in LIHTC and other affordable housing transactions. She also represents and provides legal advice to several community land trusts that create, preserve, and steward permanently affordable housing in their communities.

Kelly has deep ties to the Pittsburgh region. She received her undergraduate degrees at the University of Pittsburgh before attending Wake Forest University School of Law – the only three years she has spent living outside of Western Pennsylvania.

Following law school, Kelly worked for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS). Her work there included advising the County on HIPAA and related privacy laws, working on projects at the intersection of human services and the criminal legal system, and overseeing the competitive process to award County funds to human services agencies and other contractors. Her time and varied work at DHS gave her a bird’s-eye view of the governmental, philanthropic, and nonprofit landscapes in the region, which she uses to provide unique insight to RHLS’s clients.

Kelly’s work experience also includes serving as the Operations Director for Prevention Point Pittsburgh, a community-based harm reduction organization. This nonprofit leadership experience, as well as experience serving on nonprofit boards, give her valuable perspective that allows her to relate to and better serve her nonprofit clients.

Kelly provides pro bono representation in the Court of Common Pleas for plaintiffs seeking protection from abuse orders. She lives in Etna with her husband, Jake Phillips, and their cats, Momo and Horses. She can often be found at the library or a brewery, spending time with her large local family, playing board games with friends, or performing with Timbeleza, a Brazilian percussion group.

Senior Staff Attorney

Bob Damewood joined RHLS in 1997 and works primarily on affordable housing and community development policies. His areas of expertise include local housing policy, Pennsylvania home rule powers and landlord-tenant law. Prior to becoming a legal aid attorney in 1990, Bob worked dozens of low-wage jobs, lived in some of the most severely distressed communities in the country, occasionally depended upon public assistance to make ends meet, and experienced homelessness. Bob’s passion is providing legal support to the collective self-activity of poor and working people in their efforts to improve their communities, gain greater control over their living situations and build their power to achieve fundamental change. Bob is a 1990 graduate of the University of Akron School of Law.

Of Counsel

Mark Schwartz led Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS) as its Executive Director for nearly forty years – most of the organization’s existence. He currently serves as Of Counsel at RHLS, continuing to provide support to the organization. Throughout his career, Mark’s amazing vision and leadership were critical to helping RHLS create affordable housing in Pennsylvania and he remains active in advocacy for affordable housing. During his tenure at RHLS, Mark built an incredibly strong and well-staffed organization that continues to serve a vital role in Pennsylvania.

Mark joined the staff of RHLS as a staff attorney in 1974, only a year after the organization was formed. Since then, RHLS has helped thousands of Pennsylvanians find and keep a place to call home and has assisted in the revitalization of many communities across the Commonwealth.

Under Mark’s leadership, RHLS grew from a staff of three attorneys based only in Bucks County to a staff of twenty-three, with offices in the Philadelphia area, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. RHLS attorneys have represented nonprofit clients developing and maintaining affordable housing resulting in the creation or preservation of 9,145 units of affordable rental housing or homeownership units and over $1.4 billion in financing, while building out policy advocacy for affordable housing and access to utilities.

Mark was heavily involved with the creation and implementation of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit in Pennsylvania, which is currently the central source of financing for new affordable housing. Mark has worked with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and many partners to optimize the Credit to serve the lowest income and most vulnerable.

Mark’s work has also been instrumental in the establishment of resources for organizations serving low-income and vulnerable Pennsylvanians, advocating for programs such as the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP), which has leveraged tax credit contributions to support charitable organizations across Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE), which has provided almost $90 million in funding for housing and related programs. He also brought the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project (PULP) to RHLS, seeing the potential synergies between housing and utility advocacy.Most recently, Mark advocated for $175 million of rental and mortgage assistance for those affected by COVID-19, as well as funding for legal services agencies to provide civil legal representation and advocacy for those who need it most.

Perhaps most impactful but least calculable of Mark’s contributions includes his work connecting the affordable housing and legal aid sectors in Pennsylvania. Mark has been a connector of change-makers and his ability to do so has made a difference in the lives of many. Mark was instrumental in the creation of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania as well as the Pennsylvania Health Law Project and has served on the boards of many organizations serving low-income Pennsylvanians.

Mark was one of the founders and longtime President of the Junior Jewish Basketball League in the Philadelphia area, as well as one of the founders of the Delaware Valley Synagogue League (softball), and the Eric Zucker Memorial Scholarship Fund. Mark was a Vice-President of East Abington Little League and is an active member of Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Elkins Park.

Mark graduated from Temple University and Villanova University Law School. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Andrew Hamilton Award for exemplary service in the public interest, from the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Public Interest Section. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Good Deed Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Real Property Section. In 2008, Mark was the recipient of the Donald W. Dowd Alumni Association Award for Public Service from Villanova Law School. In 2013 Mark was given Community Legal Service’s Equal Justice Award.

Mark and his wife, Bernice, a pre-school professional, reside in Abington Township. They have two sons, Jon and Andy, and three granddaughters Lily, Josie and Jackson.

Dechert Impact Fellow

Blayne is the 2025 Dechert Impact Fellow. They came to RHLS with a passion for tax law and an interest in nonprofit corporations and taxation. At RHLS, they will be able to draw on lessons learned from an internship focused on nonprofit tax law.

Blayne graduated from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2025 with awards for outstanding performance in tax law, the highest grade in constitutional law, and an award for outstanding overall academic achievement. They also hold a degree in Linguistics from the University of Delaware, with minors in French and Legal Studies.

Blayne lives in Philadelphia with their partner and their cat, Moana. They are an avid knitter, starting a knitting-based wellness initiative at Temple Law. They love to bake and play Board games.

CFO/Director of Administration

Sadé Hinton-Morris is an experienced finance professional with a passion for working with nonprofit organizations focused on social justice. This Philadelphia native is a California licensed CPA with over 15 years of experience in the field. Throughout her career, she has led several financial system implementations and built/mentored teams from the ground up. She also holds a MS in Business Analytics from American University and a BS in Accounting from South Carolina State University. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and playing with her two dogs, October Tuesday and Django Christoph.

Director, Strategic Organizational Advancement

Anabel has over a decade of experience in resource development, program design/evaluation, and communications, as well as several years of experience in medical and clinical social work. Anabel applies her background as a social worker to help RHLS translate the often “wonky” and complex aspects of the organization’s work to the wider community, funders, and partners.

Anabel roots the organization’s fundraising and communications plans in principles of equity and justice, seeking to center communities and their experiences in the stories the organization tells. She prides herself on her instinctive ability to create order out of chaos, improve processes, and build consensus among diverse, cross-functional teams. She is committed to exceeding expectations utilizing lifelong learning, clear and concise communications, a focus on quality, and a relentless work ethic.

Anabel graduated with her B.A. in Sociology from Arcadia University in 2013 and her MSW from Temple University in 2016. She is a Licensed Social Worker in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition to her role at RHLS, Anabel teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Arcadia University in their Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.

Director of Policy

Communications & Administrative Specialist

Nora handles communications and office management for RHLS. In her communications role, she weaves together the information about unit numbers and sizes, funding sources, partners and numerous abbreviations to tell the best story of all, new homes for families. As office manager, she keeps her coworkers organized and relentlessly bullies them about office supplies.

Nora holds a master’s degree in linguistic anthropology and a bachelor’s in Spanish literature and linguistics, both from Temple University.

In her spare time, you will find her in flea markets, thrift stores, and Marshalls looking for interesting plant pots. She also enjoys swimming, biking, and skiing. Nora lives in Philadelphia with her family, three cats and an army of beautifully potted houseplants.

Compliance Specialist/IT Oversight and Interface/ Bookkeeper

Senior Policy Analyst

Vanessa is the Senior Policy Analyst with RHLS, with multiple years’ experience in advancing equitable public policy and systemic reform through rigorous research, strategic advocacy, and multi-stakeholder engagement. She designs and leads initiatives that prioritize justice, government accountability, and measurable impact.

A skilled policy translator and coalition builder, Vanessa distills complex legal and policy challenges into actionable strategies, bridging gaps between legislators, advocates, and impacted communities. Her approach combines legislative analysis, data-driven storytelling, and participatory policymaking to inform decision-making and drive evidence-based solutions. Specializing in policy drafting, regulatory analysis, program evaluation, and community-centered advocacy, she ensures marginalized people actively shape the policies that govern their lives.

Vanessa is a two-time graduate of Rutgers University, having earned her BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and an MPP from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. You can find her eating her way through Philadelphia’s food scene, hanging at a dog park with her dog Toby, or at a local dance studio.