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02/21/2019 07:29 AMJan. 28, 2019: Beacon Communities, a national leader in affordable and mixed income housing development and management, has named Dara Kovel its new CEO. Kovel joined Beacon in 2015 as the President of Beacon Communities Development and succeeds Pam Goodman in a female-to-female leadership transition rare in the industry nationally.
Goodman is retiring after over 20 years of helping to grow Beacon Communities into a large, nationally recognized and diversified multifamily owner/developer, recognized for quality work, its commitment to employees and residents, and for creating a culture of engagement. She will continue to consult with Beacon on a part-time basis. "Obviously, we have worked exceptionally hard to create a great company and I am confident that Dara will continue to focus and expand on what has made us successful."
Kovel said she hopes to further Beacon's signature approach to creating quality living environments with programs and services that enrich residents' lives.
"Beacon has created an exceptional track record for improving the lives of residents through creation of quality housing and exceptional property management. I am thrilled to be leading the company into its next era," said Kovel.
Kovel, a native of New Haven, Connecticut, started her career in California with the non-profit Mercy Housing, led by Sisters of Mercy.
"At Mercy I developed my belief that housing is a human right, like food, health care and education," Kovel said. "This is where the policy and resource conversation should start."
Kovel came to Beacon from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, where she ran the multifamily and single-family lending and tax credit allocation divisions. She had returned to the East Coast to earn an MBA at Yale University, where she also earned her undergraduate degree in English. She also had worked for Jonathan Rose Companies, a New York real estate development and investment company. Kovel lives in Brookline, MA with her husband and 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son.
As President of Beacon's development company, Kovel has been overseeing the management of major development projects including the recent phases of the redevelopment of Old Colony with the Boston Housing Authority, under way in South Boston, now known as Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony; the rehabilitation of Quincy Tower in Boston; North Square, new construction on an old mill site in Amherst, Massachusetts; and Montgomery Mill, a historic rehabilitation in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
About Beacon Communities
Beacon Communities is a multi-family housing development, investment, and management company with developments throughout New England, New York, and the eastern seaboard. The company currently owns over 140 communities with more than 18,000 units of housing, from suburban new construction to urban historic rehabilitation. Beacon has over 50 years of history creating and maintaining award-winning residential communities that serve a diverse cross-section of society and make enduring contributions to the vitality of the cities and towns where they are located. Beacon prides itself on its willingness to undertake challenging and innovative developments, many within historic sites.
Its property management arm, which employs 387 employees in Massachusetts and 550 nationwide, was recently named in 2018 by the Boston Globe as one of the Top Places to Work in Boston.
Beacon Communities List of Connecticut Properties as of 8/31/2018: Montgomery Mill, Windsor Locks -- 160 total units, 82 affordable units; Monterey Place 1B, New Haven -- 236 total units, 229 affordable units; Monterey Place 1C, New Haven -- 61 total units, 56 affordable units; Monterey Place 2R New Haven; 42 total units, 42 affordable units; Southwood Square 1, Stamford -- 149 total units, 92 affordable units; Southwood Square 2, Stamford-- 110 total units, 94 affordable units; Southwood Square 3, Stamford -- 56 total units, 46 affordable units. TOTAL -- 814 total units; 641 affordable units.
Zip06 Reporter's Note: Beacon Communities Development LLC and Branford Housing Authority seek to redevelop Branford-based Parkside Village I from 50 affordable housing units, currently restricted to seniors and disabled adults, at 115 South Montowese St. The property would be redesignated as the Parkside Assisted Housing District guided by state statute 8-30g, allowing for multi-family use rather than the current age and ability restrictions in place at Parkside. Plans call for constructing 67 total units, with 60 affordable.