Moderator
Martha Galvez
Executive Director, Housing Solutions Lab
NYU Furman
Preservation Strategies for Next Generations
Across the country, cities are building on the idea of home preservation as one of the most effective ways to meet today’s housing needs. This panel will both examine home repair, rehabilitation, and preservation initiatives across NY and beyond and discuss how home preservation strategies are critical to solving the current housing crisis in America. Rehabilitating a home is more than just fixing it up — it’s a critical component to bring new life to neighborhoods and cities for future generations.
Executive Director, Housing Solutions Lab
NYU Furman
CEO
Coalition for Home Repairs
Freyja Sutherland Harris is a mission-driven executive leader with more than two decades of experience advancing equitable, scalable solutions across nonprofit, philanthropic, government, and academic institutions. Her work centers on designing and leading programs that deliver measurable outcomes, align mission with financial sustainability, and create lasting system-level change, particularly in housing stability, economic mobility, and community well-being.
Currently, Freyja serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Home Repair, where she leads national strategy, program development, and impact measurement efforts. In this role, she oversees $2 million in HUD funding supporting home repairs and accessibility modifications for veterans and older adults, while guiding advocacy, research, and cross-sector partnerships to elevate home repair as a critical component of sustainable homeownership.
Vice President
New York State Affordable Housing Corporation
Dominic Martello is the Vice President of the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation and Director of the Affordable Home Ownership Development Program. The purpose of the Program is to promote homeownership by people of low and moderate income, which, in turn, fosters the development, stabilization and preservation of neighborhoods and communities. AHC provides financial assistance, in conjunction with other private and public investments, for the construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and improvement of owner-occupied homes. During his tenure, AHC has awarded over $700 million in grant funds for the creation and/or preservation of approximately 25,000 units of housing throughout New York State.
Director of Construction
Neighborhood Restore
Francesco Mollica is the Director of Construction for Neighborhood Restore HDFC (NR), where he oversees the organization’s small-homes rehab work. Through this role he leads the home repair efforts of HPD’s HomeFix program, administered by the Center for NYC Neighborhoods.
Prior to joining NR, Francesco spent several years as a project manager for local construction management and real estate development firms. He holds a MS in Construction Management from NYU.
A lifelong New Yorker, Francesco grew up and resides in Astoria with his family.
Executive Director
Rebuilding Together NYC
Valerie Payne is a nonprofit executive with over 20 years of leadership experience across New York City’s housing, workforce development, and anti-poverty sectors. As Executive Director of Rebuilding Together NYC since 2019, she oversees a $3 million budget and directs the organization’s Housing Preservation, Careers in Construction, and Community Revitalization programs. She secured RTNYC’s largest contract to date—a $5 million critical home repair initiative exclusively serving Bronx homeowners—and has led the organization to repair over 245 homes while placing 350 individuals in construction careers. Under her leadership, RTNYC has cultivated key foundation partnerships, strengthened board governance and giving, and achieved record-breaking fundraising growth.
Prior to RTNYC, Valerie held senior leadership roles at CUNY, The Doe Fund, BRC, CAMBA, and Breaking Ground, consistently managing multi-million-dollar budgets and teams focused on housing, employment, and community revitalization. She holds an M.S. from The New School and a B.A. from Skidmore College, and serves as Board Member and Treasurer of the NYC Employment and Training Coalition.
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