President

Nicki Cometa serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Affirmed Housing, a leading developer of affordable housing across California. With over 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, and real estate development, Nicki has played a key role in guiding organizations toward sustained growth, operational efficiency, and long-term success. Before joining the affordable housing sector, she held leadership positions with both private and publicly owned homebuilders, gaining extensive experience in development and construction finance.

Nicki’s passion for housing and community well-being extends far beyond her professional role. In 2008, she co-founded Love Your Lunchbox alongside Robin Martinez—the grassroots nonprofit that would eventually evolve into Compass for Affordable Housing. Her commitment to supporting residents and advancing community health continues through her service on the boards of the San Diego Housing Federation and Cardiff Housing Foundation.

A graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Nicki enjoys living in Southern California and traveling with her family.

Secretary

James H. Laverty leads the Construction and Real Estate Practice Group for Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC. He has more than 25 years of experience providing risk management services to real estate clients across all asset classes including office, industrial, retail, multifamily, affordable housing, and homebuilding. He is a frequent speaker and panelist at various industry conferences including the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), the Information Management Network (IMN) Real Estate Private Equity Conference, and the Urban Land Institute. He is a board member for the NAIOP Foundation and serves as a Real Estate Committee member of the University of San Diego’s Burnham Moores Center for Real Estate. Mr. Laverty earned his bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He lives in Solana Beach with his wife, Kristina, and their two children. 

Treasurer

As Vice President of Originations at WNC, an affordable housing syndicator, Ms. Captanis oversees the acquisition of properties financed through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, with a focus on optimizing outcomes for both developers and investors. Her responsibilities include managing general partner relationships, evaluating properties through WNC’s lower-tier financial models, and negotiating and executing Letters of Understanding that reflect WNC’s investment terms. During her 11-year tenure at WNC, she has originated and closed more than $1.2 billion in LIHTC equity.

Before joining WNC, Ms. Captanis worked in underwriting for U.S. Bank Community Lending and in project management for Affirmed Housing Group, an affordable housing developer. She has served on the board of the Kennedy Commission, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing housing affordability in Orange County, and on the scholarship committee for Hope through Housing, a nonprofit organization providing affordable housing resident services. Ms. Captanis also served as an elected representative on the Downtown Community Planning Council, the downtown San Diego planning group responsible for reviewing development proposals, redevelopment plans, as well as affordable housing, parking, transportation, and social needs of the community.

Ms. Captanis earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Dr. Denise Gomez, PharmD MD trained as a pharmacist at UCSF School of Pharmacy before attending medical school at UC Irvine College of Medicine. She returned to school determined to work in a community health setting to provide high quality, compassionate care. Dr. Gomez completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Harbor-UCLA and immediately started working at TrueCare Clinic. She provides care for patients with complex medical conditions including geriatric, HIV, Hepatitis C, and transgender persons. Dr. Gomez has held several leadership roles over her tenure at TrueCare, including Lead Clinician at the Oceanside clinic, Associate Medical Director of Adult Medicine and Interim CMO, and currently, Director of Adult Medicine. Dr. Gomez was instrumental in initiating the clinical pharmacy program at TrueCare, participated and implemented two electronic medical record transitions, handled response and care coordination during the COVID pandemic, managed a remote patient monitoring program, and initiated a proctoring program for UCSD pharmacy and medical students. She is also the recipient of several awards including: Excellence in Clinical Quality, Provider of the Year, Leader of the Year, and multiple Continuous Quality Improvement awards. Dr. Gomez states her most prized award is the ability to care for patients and their families. She enjoys reading mystery thrillers, and spending time with her dogs and grandchildren. 

Jaime Albarelli is a housing and homeless services professional who has devoted her career to helping individuals and families find—and keep—a stable place to call home. With over 13 years of experience, her work spans the full spectrum—from designing and implementing large-scale rental assistance and supportive housing programs, to providing direct services to individuals experiencing homelessness, veterans, and people impacted by substance use. 

As Founder of J.A. Housing Solutions, Jaime partners with affordable housing developers and non-profit organizations to design impactful housing initiatives. In April 2025, she partnered with Compass to create and launch the FUND program, which provides critical financial education and support to households experiencing housing instability. 

Jaime holds a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University.