Take Five is MHP’s series that asks the same five questions of a variety of people intersecting with MHP, from staff to housing advocates! We are excited to welcome new Community Development Director Devon Pohlman and Erika Brown as MHP’s newest Community Development Manager!

Devon Pohlman

Q1. Who is Devon?

Prior to working at MHP, Devon spent over 20 years managing affordable housing program delivery and technical assistance at Minnesota Housing, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund. Devon is a graduate of Macalester College and has a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Outside of work, Devon enjoys cycling, hiking, backpacking, travel, and spending time with her family and Australian Shepard. 

Q2. What attracted you to working with MHP?

I’m excited to support front-line work with communities to advance housing and community economic development initiatives. MHP’s organizational reach – not just within Minnesota but nationally – creates a dynamic opportunity to leverage what has worked here in Minnesota and in other communities around the country. I’m also looking forward to working with a team of smart, committed and caring colleagues and partners grounded in this work.

Q3. What’s a challenge in the field of housing right now?

The affordable housing supply is entirely inadequate, our funding sources are uneven and insufficient to meet the need, and families and individuals are stretched by these and other household expenses that can threaten family and community stability. We can do better.

Q4. Is there a book by your bed, and what is it?

The book on my nightstand is Anne’s House of Dreams – I’ve been reading the Anne of Green Gables series with my daughter off and on over the past couple of years (and we loved the Netflix series Anne with an E), but we’ve slowed down now that she’s started middle school and isn’t as interested in reading with mom 🙂. I’m also excited to get to The Midnight Library in my audiobook queue!

Q5. Who is your superhero? 

Without a doubt, my mom, who passed away all too soon a few years ago but who I hold close in my heart and head every single day.

Erika Brown

Q1. Who is Erika?

Erika has joined MHP as one of the newest members of the Community Development team/ Prior to coming to MHP, Erika served as the Housing Program Manager for a regional council of governments in the Triangle area of North Carolina and worked as a Project Manager for an affordable housing developer in New York City, managing rehabilitation for single- and multi-family housing. Her experience also includes affordable housing preservation, equitable neighborhood revitalization and stabilization, policy research and planning, and data analysis. She holds a bachelor’s in Political Science and French from Saint Louis University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, with an emphasis on Affordable Housing Finance and Development. In her free time, Erika loves to cook, hike the southwestern hills of Illinois, play card games with her family and snuggle her 10-lb dog, Lady Grantham.

Q2. What attracted you to working with MHP?

The diversity in who we work with and where our beneficiaries are located, and how we are able to meet communities where they are at to address their challenges – together. The focus on serving and supporting communities who have chronically had the least amount of support amplifies my passion for this work.

Q3. What’s a challenge in the field of housing right now?

Communicating the need for housing affordability, safety, and security in a way that prompts immediate, impactful action by ALL sides. As our country and communities have become more polarized over the years politically, how can we lift up housing as a non-partisan, necessary tool as a way to improve health outcomes, address climate and sustainability challenges, address wealth disparities, and so much more. I’d love to use this challenge as an opportunity to bridge divides and improve lives.

Q4. Is there a book by your bed, and what is it?

There are several, actually! All About Love (bell hooks), The Midnight Library (Matt Haigs), and The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (Bessel van der Kolk).

Q5. Who is your superhero? 

Oh, I’ve got quite a few. I’ll name one to keep with the theme of Bell hooks. Her writings have helped me analyze my own understandings of love, gender, feminism, and race. I am drawn to her ability to use love – specifically our capacity for giving and receiving love, to improve communication, commitment, and respect with ourselves and our communities.  

Look out for more Take 5 profiles coming soon!