Kent Attainable Housing Hires Key Leaders

The Board of Directors of Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Terwana Brown and Dylan Grimes to key leadership positions. Grimes and Brown will work with KAH Board and Volunteer Leaders to scale the organization’s impact.

Terwana Brown joined the KAH staff as a full-time Program Manager in July, vacating her former role as Vice-President of the KAH Board. In her new position, Brown is responsible for the organization’s Future Homeowner Program, which helps income-limited, working families attain home ownership. Brown is a former small-business owner and most recently worked as an administrator with the Kent County Health Department, helping lead the local response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Leon Frison, a former President of Kent County’s Local Management Board, and a retired Kent County Middle School Teacher, has been elected to replace Brown as Board Vice-President and President-Elect.

Dylan Grimes, who currently serves as Director of Development for Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity, has been appointed to serve as KAH’s first Chief Development and Community Engagement Officer. In this role, Grimes will advance the mission of KAH through fundraising, corporate partnerships, volunteer engagement, and community events. Grimes will partner with KAH Board Member and Grant Director Ronnie Edelman to identify, pursue, and steward grant funding. Grimes will start her new role on September 12th.

To further support KAH, Board Member Kathy Kuhmerker Appel, a twenty-five-year veteran of New York State’s Division of the Budget who served as Medicaid Director for New York State from 1999 until 2005, has agreed to continue serving as the organization’s volunteer Chief Financial Officer. Bob Ingersoll, who has led the construction and related functions for KAH since 2021, will continue in his current role as the organization’s Agent and Construction Director. Ingersoll, a seasoned community leader, has held board and volunteer roles at Shore Rivers, Kent Cultural Alliance, and The Sultana Education Foundation.

With Brown, Grimes, Appel, and Ingersoll in place, the KAH Board has chosen to pause its search for an Executive Director. Taylor Frey, KAH Board President, will supervise KAH staff and work with the organization’s Board to guide strategy and ensure community impact. Frey is an HR and Change Management Professional with a global company. He served a two-year term on Habitat for Humanity’s U.S. Advisory Council and interned with the Obama White House in 2015. “This is an exciting moment for KAH and Kent County. We have an exceptional team that will help accelerate our work to support working families in Kent County. KAH will be actively seeking community support and partners who can help further our important mission,” said Frey.

Co-Founders Jonathan Chace and Lani Seikaly will also continue in their leadership roles on the Board. Chace and Seikaly, along with late Co-Founder Ed Minch, launched KAH in 2019 to reduce the cycle of poverty by creating opportunities for working families to become homeowners in Kent County.

Kent Attainable Housing can be reached at KentAttainableHousing@gmail.com. Donations to Kent Attainable Housing can be made at KentAttainableHousing.org.