Beacon Communities announced that Dara Kovel has joined the firm as President of Beacon Communities Development.  Dara has over 20 years’ experience in affordable housing.  She has spent the last five years at Connecticut Housing Finance authority (CHFA) where she oversaw all multifamily lending and tax credit allocation activities, as well as the homeownership program.  Dara’s experience prior to CHFA includes leading the New England office of Jonathan Rose Companies, a New York-based, real estate development and investment company.  She began her housing career with Mercy Housing throughout the state of California.  Dara currently serves on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Advisory Council, Urban Land Institute’s Terwilliger Center’s Workforce Housing Board, and the Home Connecticut Steering Committee.

Dara is a LEED Accredited Professional and will be using her knowledge to drive Beacon’s ever expanding green initiatives.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Yale as well as an MBA from the Yale School of Management.