Meet The Team
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Please feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to speak with you.
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Co-Founder & Chairman
Shawn Horwitz co-founded The Alliant Company (TAC) in 1997 and later acquired sole ownership in 2019. TAC operated successfully for over two decades until its sale in 2021 to Walker and Dunlop Inc., one of the largest Agency Lenders in the United States. As the parent company to Alliant Capital, a leading syndicator of tax credits within the United States, TAC managed assets in excess of $16 billion. Its diverse offerings included tax credit syndication for developing and financing affordable housing and distributed solar energy systems, multi-family development, management, and real estate ownership.
During his tenure at TAC, Shawn played a pivotal role in developing over 14,000 LIHTC apartment units. With the sale of TAC, Shawn leveraged his extensive experience to establish Alliant Communities (AC).
Before founding TAC, Shawn was employed by a nationally recognized tax credit syndication firm, serving as the executive vice president and chief financial officer responsible for the company’s and its affiliates’ financial affairs.
Shawn received his Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting from Rhodes University in South Africa and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and holds active memberships with AHIC, AICPA, CalCPA, HAG, ICPAS, IMN, NCSHA, NH&RA, NHC, and ULI.
Chief Investment Officer
Juan Aguilar is the Chief Investment Officer of Alliant Communities. In his role, he oversees the investment process related to urban multifamily residential developments. Juan’s previous background includes being an Acquisition Officer at Bentall Kennedy where he identified a broad array of acquisitions and developments while investing capital on behalf of Bentall Kennedy and its separate accounts including CalPERS. Juan holds two B.A. degrees from Stanford University and a M.B.A. degree with emphasis on Finance and Real Estate from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley. Additionally, Juan earned a LEED Accredited Professional designation in Building Design and Construction from the U.S. Green Building Council.
President
John Shaw is the President of Alliant Communities. In his role, he leads the company and teams involved in the acquisition, entitlement, design, and construction of infill mixed-income, and mixed-use multifamily residential developments. In his previous roles, Mr. Shaw has provided real estate investment, development, management and project execution leadership for large public companies and private investors and developers. He was an officer and executive committee member of a national mixed-use development firm recently acquired by Brookfield, and he was an officer of Farmers/ Zurich Group’s real estate holding company where he was a data contributing member of NCREIF. Mr. Shaw graduated from the Wharton School with an MBA in Finance. He also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis. He is a 2015 graduate of the San Diego Public Leadership Institute and served on Mayor Jerry Sanders’ Housing Foreclosure Task Force. Mr. Shaw is a member of the CFA Institute.
Senior Vice President, Design and Construction
Brian Cornelius heads construction and design for Alliant Communities. Brian spent 13 years with Los Angeles Developer Rick Caruso, managing the development of high-profile commercial mixed-use projects including The Grove in LA and The Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA. Brian Cornelius has extensive design team management, including deep experience in architectural design, building engineering, construction management, entitlement and permitting processes, development accounting, value-engineering, and contract negotiations successfully completing over six million square feet of hospitality, commercial and residential projects valued at over $3 billion during his 30-year career in real estate. Brian graduated magna cum laude from Yale College, and earned a master’s degree in architecture from Rice University. He holds an architecture license in the State of Ohio.
Senior Vice President, Affordable Housing
Steven Spielberg is the Senior Vice President of Affordable Housing for Alliant Communities. In his role, he oversees all affordable housing operations, leading the teams involved with acquisition, entitlement, design, and construction of affordable housing . Mr. Spielberg has over 20-years of multifamily development experience. His previous background includes launching and growing EAH Housing’s Southern California regional office, hiring and managing development staff, and overseeing the acquisition and development of all its initial affordable housing projects. He has also held positions with Step Up, AMCAL, and several other developers of multifamily affordable and market rate housing. Prior to his career in real estate development, Mr. Spielberg was a consultant for IBM’s mid-market consulting group. Steven holds an M.B.A. from the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California and a B.A. in Psychology from University of Missouri, Columbia.
Chief Financial Officer
Jordan Wagner is the Chief Financial Officer of Alliant Communities. Throughout his career, Mr. Wagner has sourced, underwritten, managed and executed on over 30 properties throughout New York and Los Angeles and has closed over $500 million in debt and equity transactions. Additionally, he has extensive experience in public accounting as a licensed CPA in New York. He graduated cum laude from The George Washington University, School of Business with a Bachelors in Accountancy.
Vice President, Finance
Jeanine Nicholson is the Vice President of Finance at Alliant Communities. In her role, she manages the construction budgeting and financing, working alongside the CFO to assist with all accounting and finance aspects. Jeanine received her B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the California Lutheran University. Throughout her career she has managed the construction of multifamily, single family, and mixed-use developments, as well as oversee company cash flows, asset management, and purchase and sales of commercial and residential properties.
Director of Acquisitions
Matt Yamaguchi is the Director of Acquisitions and joined the team in 2020. Mr. Yamaguchi began his career at an affiliated entity in 2018 underwriting value-added multifamily properties. He has assisted in the acquisition of over 500 units and has experience in market-rate, LIHTC, adaptive reuse, and new construction projects. His responsibilities at AC include financial analysis, underwriting, project sourcing, and conducting due diligence. Mr. Yamaguchi received his B.S. degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis in 2017.
Director of Acquisitions
Zach Silverstein is the Director of Acquisitions of Alliant Communities. Mr. Silverstein has expertise in analyzing acquisition and development projects across diverse property types nationwide. His experience includes mixed income multifamily, office to multifamily conversions, office, and mixed-use developments consisting of affordable and market rate residential, hotel, retail, and gaming. Throughout his career, he has assisted in the underwriting of iconic assets such as the World Trade Center in New York and the US Bank Tower in LA. Mr. Silverstein earned a MS in Real Estate Development from NYU and holds a BA in Economics from Loyola Marymount University.
Acquisitions and Due Diligence Manager
Ely Gemara is the Acquisitions and Due Diligence Manager at Alliant Communities. Ely has several years of experience in affordable housing finance where he originated and underwrote HUD and conventional loans for affordable housing developers and owners throughout the US. Ely also brings several years of asset management and compliance experience with a focus on affordable housing and homeless shelters. He oversaw the development and asset management of over 100 properties in New York City. Ely earned his bachelor’s degree in business management at Yeshiva University, New York.
Senior Project Manager
Achal Adhikari is a Senior Project Manager at Alliant Communities. In his position, he manages all facets of project management related to budget, schedule, procurement, quality, and risk for various multifamily real estate projects including planning, design, construction, occupancy, and closeout. Achal spent over 5 years working at Wilshire Construction LP fully delivering 3 different projects with occupancy certificates, totaling over 500 units and $120 million in construction contract for developer Jamison Properties LP. He has a MS degree in Civil Engineering – Construction Engineering and Management from Viterbi School of Engineering at USC.
Project Manager
Jordan Clark is a Project Manager and joined the team in 2023. Mr. Clark has over 6 years of experience managing project entitlements and forward planning of affordable rental housing and market rate for sale housing development. Throughout his career, Mr. Clark has delivered over 4,000 units throughout California. His responsibilities at AC include project management, affordable housing financing applications, and conducting due diligence. Mr. Clark received his B.A. degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2017.
Accounting Manager
Lili Canchola is Accounting Manager for Alliant Communities. In her role, she focuses on accounts payable and day to day accounting tasks to ensure compliance. She works closely with the VP of Finance and CFO to develop and maintain the company’s accounting principles. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Northridge. Before joining AC, Lili worked as a Junior Project Manager and Accounting Assistant for a General Contractor overseeing remodels for various grocery stores and other commercial buildings all throughout Southern California.