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.

Anthony Bahamondes is a Development Team Assistant for Thomas Safran & Associates where he supports Project Managers with new construction projects.  Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Anthony was responsible for project management at a family owned and operated real estate investment company where he oversaw all aspects of the real estate acquisition and re-development process. Anthony holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California.

Abel Barragan is a Compliance Manager for Thomas Safran & Associates. He brings over eight years of affordable housing experience to the compliance team. He previously worked as a compliance specialist for California Quadel, a Performance Based Contract Administrator for HUD's Section 8 program.

Abel attended California State University, Northridge and graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration with an option in Marketing. He holds an Assisted Housing Manager certification and Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM) designation from the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA).

Tiana Calloway is a Regional Property Supervisor for Thomas Safran & Associates. She brings over ten years of property management, sales, and project management experience to the team. Prior to working for Thomas Safran & Associates, she was the regional general manager for a commercial property management company. She has also worked as a business development specialist for Anthem Blue Cross focusing on seniors. Tiana has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Lupe is a Senior Property Accountant for Thomas Safran & Associates. Lupe has over ten years of experience in real estate accounting. Prior to joining the team, she was a property accountant for a portfolio of over 45 multifamily residential and commercial properties located in Sherman Oaks, CA. Lupe has her degree in Business Accounting.

Blake Coddington is a Senior Project Manager for Thomas Safran & Associates. Blake joined Thomas Safran & Associates in 2010 and is responsible for entitlements, finance, design and construction of various new developments. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Coddington was a consultant for Orgel Construction Management (OCM). While with OCM, Blake was assigned to Los Angeles Unified School District to concentrate on the design, preconstruction, and site planning for new schools. Mr. Coddington holds a B.S. in Public Policy, Management and Planning with an emphasis in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

Courtney DeBeikes is a Project Manager for Thomas Safran & Assoicates. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Courtney worked for Berkeley Point Capital where she was responsible for underwriting commercial FNMA and Freddie Mac multifamily loans. Prior to that, Courtney worked as an analyst for Freddie Mac's production team where she worked on the origination and structuring of multifamily loans for their Western region. Courtney holds a B.S. in Policy, Planning, and Development with an emphasis in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California.

Oscar Flores is an Accounts Payable Clerk for Thomas Safran & Associates.  Oscar has over 10 years of real estate accounting experience.  Prior to his accounting career, Oscar worked for LAUSD as a teacher. Oscar has a Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles.

Phillip Forrester is a Finance & Development Associate for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Phillip was an underwriting and bond modeling intern at Island Capital, LLC in New York and worked as a teacher in Spain. Phillip holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Pomona College.

Steve Frandsen is the Director of Property Rehabs for Thomas Safran & Associates. He has over 15 years of management experience including managing over 400 facilities in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and property management of a community of 1,400 homes. He also has experience in land development and construction. Mr. Frandsen received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Utah.

Terry Gray is the Management Coordinator for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Terry worked for the Ohio State University as a Graduate Teaching Associate and Graduate Administrative Associate. He has a B.A. in English from UCLA and recently earned his Master of Arts in African American and African Studies from the Ohio State University.

Andrew David Gross, a native Los Angelino, is President of Thomas Safran & Associates and is responsible for all developments of the company. Andrew has worked with TSA since 2002 and has extensive experience in the development of affordable and market rate communities, including site acquisition, finance, public private partnerships, neighborhood outreach, project design, construction, lease up, property management and asset management. 
 
Mr. Gross is a member of the Bel Air Chapter of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), ULI (Urban Land Institute), Westside Urban Forum and volunteers for several charitable and political groups.  Andrew holds a position on the Board of New Directions for Veterans, the Advisory Board of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and is also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California where he teaches affordable housing development.   Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Andrew worked as an associate at a Los Angeles-based investment bank. Andrew graduated with honors with a Juris Doctorate and Master in Business Administration (JD/MBA) from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and also graduated with highest distinction honors, Cum Laude, in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.  Andrew is a member of the California Bar and is also a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.  He is married and has two sons.

Matt Kassel is a Project Manager for Thomas Safran & Associates. Matt worked as a Property Manager for Thomas Safran & Associates prior to becoming a Project Manager. He previously worked for InSite Development, a Los Angeles based real estate management and development firm, where he assisted in the expansion of their Antelope Valley portfolio and the revitalization of downtown Lancaster. Matt holds a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Public Relations from Sonoma State University.

Goar Khachatryan is a Staff Accountant for Thomas Safran & Associates. She has previously worked as a production director for a manufacturing company and as a staff accountant for a large video duplication company. Goar received a Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of International Economics and Relations (evaluated in USA) and a Certificate of Accounting, Bookkeeping and Taxation from Glendale Community College. Goar speaks three languages: Armenian, Russian and English. She is a member of the National Notary Association.

Stacey Knapp is the Vice President of Human Resources for Thomas Safran & Associates. 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 a member of Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and the Junior League of Los Angeles.

Carla Miranda is the Resident Services Coordinator for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Carla worked as a crisis specialist and a house manager for a non-profit, residential treatment facility that provides services to children and families who suffered trauma and who have severe emotional, psychological and behavioral challenges. Prior to that, Carla worked as a probation staff for Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles. Carla continues to serve the youth-at-risk by mentoring foster youths in the Pasadena area. Carla holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside.

Tyler Monroe is Vice President of Development for Thomas Safran & Associates. Tyler joined Thomas Safran & Associates Development in 2008 and manages the acquisition, design, entitlement, finance and construction of projects in development. He is experienced with public/private partnerships; complex financing structures that use low income housing tax credits and/or tax exempt bonds; and design and construction management. Previously, Mr. Monroe was a project manager for a regional general contractor.

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.

Cedric Morris is a Project Manager for Thomas Safran & Associates. He recently received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and earned a certificate in public management and social innovation. Prior to attending Stanford, Cedric worked at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital in New York as an Assistant Vice President in the Credit Research group. He was responsible for coverage of the U.S. housing market, including the large public U.S. homebuilders. Mr. Morris holds a B.S in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Michelle Murphy is a Regional Property Supervisor for Thomas Safran & Associates. She brings over twelve years of experience in property management with both affordable and conventional properties and rehabs. Prior to joining the company, Michelle was a regional property supervisor for an affordable housing management company. Michelle completed the NC Real Estate courses through JY Monk Real Estate School and currently holds her ACPO and CPO designations from the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA).

Edik Nazarian is a Staff Accountant for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining the company, Edik was working as an accounts payable supervisor at a large San Fernando Valley based video duplication company which also had divisions in Indiana, Amsterdam, and Brazil. He also worked part-time as a legal assistant in an immigration law firm for over 7 years.

Edik obtained Associate degrees in Liberal Arts and Accounting from Los Angeles City College and in 2008 he received a B.S. in Accounting from California State University, Northridge. He speaks two languages: Armenian and English.

Bonni Peery is a Regional Property Supervisor at Thomas Safran & Associates. Bonni brings her knowledge of the various affordable housing program layers and funding sources to the role, after serving as the Compliance Manager for three years. She attended Biola University and graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Business Marketing and currently holds her SHCM, CPO, TaCC and FHC designations from the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA). She is Cal/OSHA Safety & Health Training certified and registered as a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Multi-Family Building Professional. 

Jordan Pynes is the President of Thomas Safran & Associates where he oversees the management and operations for all affordable, luxury and retail properties in the TSA portfolio as well as supervising over 180 employees. Mr. Pynes has extensive experience and expertise in all facets of affordable housing operations including management, 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, sits on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Southwest chapter of the Affordable Housing Management Association (AHMA), and the Board of Directors for The Westside Family YMCA. He also serves as 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.

Sekou Richards is a Staff Accountant for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to his career in accounting, Sekou was a high school economics and history teacher, along with being a varsity wrestling coach in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is originally from San Francisco, CA but moved to Los Angeles in September 2014 from Washington, DC. Sekou has a Bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and his Master’s in Accounting from Strayer University.

Greg Romero is a Regional Property Supervisor for Thomas Safran & Associates. Greg previously worked as a compliance manager for Los Angeles LOMOD Corporation, a subsidiary of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. Greg is considered an expert in HUD multi-family housing occupancy policies. He has experience in policy development and has been instrumental in the creation and presentation of training materials for housing industry associations.

Greg holds a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has an Assisted Housing Manager certification and a Certified Occupancy Specialist certification from the National Housing Management Center.

Sam Siegel is a Project Manager for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining the company, Sam worked for LNR Property as an analyst underwriting potential commercial loan acquisitions. Sam also worked for Great Rock, a Boston based accelerated real estate marketing firm specializing in sales of luxury residential and commercial properties. While at Great Rock, he sourced the successful sale of an 846 acre parcel which is the largest non-distressed land auction in the history of Massachusetts. Sam earned a Bachelor's degree in Management with a concentration in Finance and Marketing from Boston College.

Sue Silva is the Director of Compliance for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to transferring to the compliance department, Sue spent seven years as a property manager with a focus on compliance. She joined Thomas Safran & Associates with over ten years experience in Human Resources and Safety. Sue holds her CPO, SHCM, TaCCs, and FHA certifications as well as a certificate in Human Resources.

Aaron Smolinski is the Vice President of Administration for Thomas Safran & Associates. Before joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Aaron was the Director of Catering at the renowned Yamashiro Restaurant and an estate manager for a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur. As well as handling the affairs for the Chairman, Aaron's extensive event management, catering, and customer service experience is aptly used for the company's many events including open house celebrations, political events, and company-wide parties.

Wendy Sov is a Development Assistant for Thomas Safran & Associates where she supports project managers with new construction projects. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Wendy worked for a nonprofit housing provider where she provided support on financing applications, loan closings, and community outreach for affordable housing developments in Santa Clara County. Wendy holds a B.A. and Masters in Public Policy with a concentration in Urban Policy from Stanford University.

Jaybee Supnet is an Accountant for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining the company, Jaybee worked for Harold E. Frank Investment assisting their accounting manager with general accounting tasks. Jaybee attended California State University, Los Angeles and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration with an option in Accounting.

Elena Theisner is the Vice President of Property Management for Thomas Safran & Associates. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Elena worked as a corporate social responsibility manager for an international jewelry brand and has worked extensively on sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. Elena attended Pepperdine University and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Non-Profit Management.

Monica Topacio is a Controller for Thomas Safran & Associates. Monica first joined Thomas Safran & Associates in 1996 as a staff accountant and left to pursue her accounting career in various fields such as property management, entertainment, and retail. She rejoined Thomas Safran & Associates in 2005 as controller of property management accounting. Monica holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Science with a major in Accounting.

Anthony Yannatta is 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. 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.

Natalie Yost is the Human Resources Manager / Executive Assistant for Thomas Safran & Associates. In addition to supporting the President, Natalie assists the human resources department with recruiting. Prior to joining Thomas Safran & Associates, Natalie worked in the fashion industry as a freelance reporter and as a marketing coordinator for a contemporary women's designer. Natalie holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.