Our Team
Duvernay + Brooks was founded in 1999 by Joni L. Brooks and the late Terrence R. Duvernay, a former HUD Deputy Secretary. D+B is a New York State Certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE).
Managing Member
Joni Brooks
Joni Brooks directs D+B’s consulting and development practice. Joni has worked in the field of affordable housing for more than 30 years, serving as an executive in state housing agencies, as a developer of affordable housing, and as a consultant to a wide range of public- and private-sector clients. Over her career in the affordable housing and urban revitalization field, Joni has established an extensive network of personal contacts, and she regularly consults with executives of public housing authorities and other agencies, helping them address problems, craft innovative solutions, and develop sound and workable policies.
Managing Director
Emily Allison
Emily Allison is involved at every stage of the development process, from inception and predevelopment through applications for funding and financial closing. As a developer and consultant, she collaborates with clients and team members to create and implement overall development strategies. Emily also creates program budgets and complex funding applications, negotiates business terms, and works with various governmental entities to secure necessary approvals. She has extensive experience in providing advisory services to public housing authorities as well as significant experience converting conventional public housing to project-based Section 8 vouchers under HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.
Managing Director
Brian Heeger
Brian Heeger has 25 years of experience in affordable and mixed income housing finance, development and consulting. Brian is responsible for acquisition of new development opportunities in New York and nationally. He is D+B project manager for several ongoing projects for which D+B is co-developer, including Amaryllis Park Place, an 84-unit new construction development in Sarasota, FL; Georgetown Square, a 90-unit new construction senior development in Sanford, FL; Hogan Creek Apartments, a 183-unit preservation project in Jacksonville, FL; Queen City RAD Preservation, a 203-unit senior preservation project in New Rochelle, NY; Yates Village, a 300-unit mixed-income, new construction, and substantial rehabilitation project in Schenectady, NY; and Yonkers Preservation, an 853-unit preservation project for families and seniors in Yonkers, NY. Brian is also a member of the development team for Prospect Plaza, a 394-unit new construction, mixed-use development in Brooklyn for which D+B is a lead developer.
Managing Director for Development
Gale Kaufman
Gale Kaufman is responsible for managing all aspects of residential and mixed-used development activity in New York City. Gale oversees the firm’s project management work; directs the work of all third-party consultants, including architects, general contractors, environmental firms, owner’s representatives, brokers, attorneys, and property management and marketing firms; and serves as the primary contact with public agencies, investors, and not-for-profit partners. Working closely with the NYC Housing Authority, Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and Housing Development Corporation, Gale recently oversaw all three phases of the 394-unit redevelopment of NYCHA’s Prospect Plaza site in Brooklyn. Gale also offers similar services for the firm’s consulting clients. A seasoned real estate and development professional with over 30 years of affordable housing development experience, Gale previously served as a senior executive at the New York City Housing Partnership, where she oversaw the development and financing of 21,000 units of rental and for-sale housing for more than a decade.
Managing Director
Olusegun Obasanjo
Olusegun (“Segun”) Obasanjo has extensive experience in providing project management and affordable housing finance advisory services to housing authorities and to for-profit and non-profit private developers. Segun has over two decades of experience in housing development and revitalization efforts. He has assisted in the development of projects from initial conception and planning to transaction closing and post-closing activities. He has served as lead grant writer and project coordinator or financial advisor on numerous HOPE VI and Choice Neighborhood proposals and has advised on several RAD development projects in Philadelphia, Durham, and Port Arthur. Since 2012, Segun has been providing financial advisory services to the Mutual Housing Association of New York for a variety of development initiatives.
Email::oobasanjo@duvernaybrooks.com
Office Manager
Geraldine Maudsley
Geraldine (“Jeb”) Maudsley assists with D+B’s asset management and project management work and works with outside professionals on the lease-up, sales, and marketing of D+B’s development projects. Her responsibilities include monthly billings, accounts payable, and general office management.