Staff

Mr. Safran is Chairman of Thomas Safran & Associates, developers and managers of affordable multifamily residential housing. His firm specializes in both family and senior low-rent housing and mixed use developments.

Nationally, Mr. Safran has belonged to such organizations as the Home Builders, the Urban Land Institute, the National Housing Coalition, NAHRO, and the National Leased Housing Association, of which he was a member of the Board of Directors. He has been active locally in Los Angeles nonprofit housing organizations as President of Alternative Living for the Aging and as Vice President of Menorah Housing Foundation, and as a member of the Corporate Fund for Housing. In addition, Mr. Safran has volunteered in his community serving on local boards: homeowner associations in Brentwood and Bel Air, 15 years on the San Vicente Design Review Board, Chair of the San Vicente Improvement Association, Treasurer of Brentwood Green, and Business Representative on the Brentwood Neighborhood Community Council. He is also a founder of both the Museum of Contemporary Art and on the Board of The Music Center of Los Angeles County.

Mr. Safran has a Bachelor's degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut (where he was on the Board of Fellows), and an MBA from UCLA where he is a Chancellor's Associate. Prior to establishing his own company in 1974, he held various positions over a five-year period with the Los Angeles Area, Chicago Regional, and Washington, D.C. Central offices of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Podcast Interview with Tom Safran

Jordan Pynes is the President of Thomas Safran & Associates where he oversees the development, acquisitions and management/operations for all affordable, luxury and retail properties in the TSA portfolio.  Mr. Pynes has extensive experience and expertise in all facets of affordable housing operations including management, development, financing, regulatory compliance for Section 42 low-income housing tax credits and HUD (Section 8) programs, marketing, lease-up procedures, ground-up development and rehabilitation.

Mr. Pynes is an active member of YPO (Young President’s Association), ULI (Urban Land Institute), Westside Urban Forum and volunteers for several charitable and political groups. He currently serves as a Regional Advisor for Syracuse University and served on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Southwest chapter of the Affordable Housing Management Association (AHMA) for over 12 years.  He also served on the Board of Directors for The Westside Family YMCA for many years and is a mentor, speaker and advisor for many other local charities.  Mr. Pynes received an MBA in Real Estate Finance from Fordham University and a B.S. from Syracuse University.

Tyler Monroe is Senior Vice President of Development for Thomas Safran & Associates. He joined Thomas Safran & Associates in 2008 and is responsible for the acquisition, design, entitlement, finance and construction of New Construction projects in the TSA pipeline. He is experienced with public/private partnerships; land use; complex financing structures that use low income housing tax credits, tax exempt bonds and other public funds; design and construction management. Tyler was previously a project manager for a regional general contractor that was focused on the construction of affordable housing.

Tyler is an alumnus of the University of Southern California with graduate degrees in both Business Administration (MBA) and Real Estate Development (MRED). He has a Bachelor’s degree in both Architecture and Italian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Elena Theisner is the Vice President of Property Management for Thomas Safran & Associates. Elena oversees the property operations and management of the current TSA portfolio of properties. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates in 2012, Elena worked as a corporate social responsibility manager for an international jewelry brand and has worked extensively on sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. Elena is an alumnus of Pepperdine University and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Non-Profit Management. Elena is on the board for AHMA-PSW (Affordable Housing Management Association for the Pacific Southwest) as the Director of Communications.

Renee Groves is the Chief Financial Officer for Thomas Safran & Associates.  Renee has over 27 years of experience in various aspects of accounting, finance and management within the construction and development industry.  She oversees the financial performance and planning, annual auditing and tax preparation for the entire TSA portfolio as well as manages the accounting department.  Renee also takes an active role in teaching accounting and finance principles specific to our industry to all of TSA’s various departments.   

Anthony Yannatta is Senior Vice President of Development & Finance for Thomas Safran & Associates. As a member of the Development and Finance teams, Anthony plays an important role in financing, structuring, negotiating, and managing acquisition and rehabilitation development projects, tax credit re-syndications, investor buyouts and project recapitalizations. In addition, Anthony performs a variety of other functions for Thomas Safran & Associates related to asset management, project compliance, software system development, and agency correspondence.

Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Anthony was the CEO of WestsideRentals.com, an Associate at Ares Management and a Financial Analyst at Pacific Capital Group. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Cruz and received his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001. Anthony is an avid basketball player, having lettered for four years at UC Santa Cruz (Division III) and played professionally in Finland. Anthony has previously served on the City of Santa Monica Housing Commission.

Stacey Knapp is the Vice President of Human Resources for Thomas Safran & Associates. She joined TSA in 2008 and oversees the employee experience for the company from hiring, benefits, training, and enhancing the professional career development for our employees. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Stacey provided human resource management consulting services specializing in California employment law. She has also worked in Massachusetts in various public sector roles including the Boston Housing Authority.

Stacey holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is certified as a Professional in Human Resources with a state-specific certification in California (PHR-CA). Stacey is an active member of Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).