Who We Are

IHDA’s Executive Staff advances the Authority’s mission by implementing and managing the programs and policies approved by the IHDA Board.

Kristin Faust

Executive Director

Effective November 12, 2019, Director Faust was appointed Executive Director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), bringing more than 30 years of affordable housing industry experience to the Authority. As the state’s chief affordable housing official, Executive Director Faust provides leadership in state housing policy to advance IHDA’s mission of financing the creation and preservation of affordable housing throughout Illinois. She is also a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Community Investment Advisory Council and was reappointed for a second term in 2022 where she advises the FHLBC on ways in which it can better carry out its housing finance and community investment missions in Illinois.

Prior to joining IHDA, Executive Director Faust served as President of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS), a community development organization committed to helping homeowners and strengthening neighborhoods. As President, Ms. Faust’s strong leadership and holistic vision helped spur community revitalization by creating homeownership opportunities for those most vulnerable, improving not only their lives, but their neighborhoods as well.

Before joining NHS, Executive Director Faust was Chief Credit Officer and Director of Lending & Network Services at Partners for the Common Good. In that role, she was responsible for the growth and oversight of the domestic and international loan portfolio. In addition, Executive Director Faust served as president of the Enterprise Community Loan Fund, one of the largest non-depository community development financial institutions in the country.

Earlier in her career, Executive Director Faust spent fifteen years in community development banking in Chicago, primarily with LaSalle National Bank, where she started the Community Development Lending Department. Her work in Chicago earned her distinction in Crain’s Chicago Business “Forty Under 40” list.

Ms. Faust is a graduate of Harvard University, where she obtained a Master in City and Regional Planning and Brown University, where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy.

  Karen Davis

Deputy Executive Director

Karen most recently served as Vice-Chairman and Audit Committee Chair for the Illinois Housing Development Authority Board of Directors and the Executive Director of the Greater Peoria Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), where she led a team dedicated to transforming distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity.

Before accepting the position with Greater Peoria LISC, Karen was Director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Springfield, where she oversaw the city planning initiatives for housing and business development. She had been passionately involved in community and economic development activities over the last 20 years, holding executive level positions within corporate America and with socially responsible not-for-profits focusing on strategic solutions to propel community and economic development initiatives.

Prior to her position with the city of Springfield, Karen was Senior Vice President and Regional Community Affairs Manager of Regions Bank, where she directed the community and economic development initiatives across the Midwest. Karen, with the help of designated staff, identified and promoted programs that fostered and spurred community and economic development in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, and Arkansas.

Karen received both a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management and a Master of Arts Degree in Community Development from the University of Illinois. Karen is also the Past President of the National Association of State Housing Boards (NCSHB).

  Lawrence Grisham

Assistant Executive Director/Chief of Staff 

Lawrence joined the Executive Staff of IHDA in October 2021. Prior to IHDA, Lawrence oversaw the City of Chicago’s affordable housing programs and activities which included multifamily rental projects, single-family purchase/rehab assistance, foreclosure prevention/mitigation programs and housing preservation efforts. Financing tools included Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Donations Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, tax exempt bonds, HOME/CDBG funds, TIF Funds and corporate funds. He also oversaw the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund, which administers the largest locally-funded rental subsidy program for very low-income families in the country.

Before working for Chicago, Lawrence was a Senior Vice President at The Habitat Company where he managed the Community Development Group that focused on developing affordable and mixed income housing. Among his duties was the day-to-day management of Habitat’s duties as the court-appointed Gautreaux Development Manager for the development of all new family housing for the Chicago Housing Authority.

Prior to joining The Habitat Company, Lawrence was Senior Vice President for Operations for Bethel New Life, a long-established community development corporation on Chicago’s West Side. Lawrence  also worked for the City of Chicago in health planning and served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy and Congressman Ralph H. Metcalfe. While with Senator Percy, Lawrence was instrumental in the passage of legislation that created the U.S. Department of Education.

Lawrence received a Master of Science in Human Services Administration from Spertus College and a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.

  Keith Evans

Chief Information Officer

Keith joined the Authority as CIO in July 2022.  He has served in CIO roles since 2003 in real estate/property management and financial services organizations.  Prior to joining the authority, Keith was most recently Managing Director of Information Technology at Wespath Benefits and Investments, a not-for-profit administrative agency of the United Methodist Church (UMC), responsible for safeguarding the well-being of the UMC clergy and lay employees through the provision of retirement plans, investment solutions and health benefit plans.  Keith started his career in finance and accounting, and he has held leadership roles in finance, consulting, strategy, operations and IT.  Keith earned his M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his undergraduate degree in Economics from Stanford University.

Edward Gin

Chief Financial Officer

Ed Gin joined IHDA in 2020 as Chief Financial Officer. Ed possesses over 20 years of CFO experience leading bank holding companies, manufacturing businesses, private equity, and family offices. He served as a CFO in the Commercial Bank of J.P. Morgan Chase and for a global manufacturing company with 20 plants in 12 countries. Prior to this, he was the CFO of a leading Chicago-based private equity firm after beginning his career as a banker.

Ed earned his M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his undergraduate degree in Economics and Statistics from Loyola University. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a licensed Illinois real estate broker, and Series 7 & 66 securities licensee.

Ed also serves on the audit committee of the Chinese American Service League which provides social services and educational outreach. He has always been active in early-stage communities having served on the boards of the West Loop Gate, Near South Loop Planning Board, and Friends of Downtown.

Tracy Grimm

Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Treasurer

Tracy joined the Authority in May 2005 and has served as Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since October 2019. She is an accomplished finance professional with more than 15 years of experience in Housing Finance Agency operations, previously holding senior roles as IHDA’s Director of Homeownership, Assistant Director of Finance and Assistant Director of Loan and Portfolio Management. Among her key accomplishments in these roles, Ms. Grimm lead the design and implementation of in-house single-family pipeline interest rate risk management through the internalization of interest rate hedging, and effected the consolidation of loan servicing for $800 million in IHDA loans from fifty different servicers to one. As Acting CFO, Ms. Grimm oversees all aspects of the IHDA’s financial plans and policies including the issuance of taxable and tax-exempt bonds, loan securitization and secondary marketing activities. Prior to joining IHDA, Ms. Grimm held management and equity trading positions in the financial services industry, serving as the Manager of Operations at UBS Financial Services, the Associate Manager of Operations at RBD Dain Rauscher and as an Equity Trader at ABN AMRO Inc.

Maureen G. Ohle

General Counsel/Assistant Executive Director/Assistant Secretary

Maureen joined the Authority in November of 2010 as Senior Counsel and was promoted to General Counsel in August 2011. Before joining the Authority, she worked in the real estate group at Sidley Austin LLP, practicing out of the firm’s Chicago office. Prior to this, she worked for J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. in the commercial mortgage-backed securities group, having started her legal career at Sidley Austin’s Washington, DC. office from 2001 to 2007. Maureen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies from the University of Illinois-Springfield and a Juris Doctorate degree from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.