TRINITY FINANCIAL :: Our Team

James Keefe, Principal, President
Prior to establishing Trinity Financial, Inc. in 1987, Mr. Keefe was Vice-President of Renaissance Properties, a Boston-based development company. At Renaissance, he managed the development of Clarendon Square, 75 Clarendon Street, and Garrison Square, all in the South End. These award-winning projects involved over 200 units of housing and 10,000 square feet of commercial space. Before joining Renaissance, Mr. Keefe was a commercial loan officer for the Bank of Boston. In this position, he specialized in lending to middle-market companies and managed a credit portfolio of $40 million. Mr. Keefe is the founder of the Codman Square Housing Development Corporation (now known as the Codman Square NDC) and served as its president for seven years. Mr. Keefe is a member and former director of the Citizen's Housing and Planning Association and has served on the Boston Landmarks Commission. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at Tufts University Graduate School of Urban and Environmental Policy where he taught classes in real estate finance and development. Mr. Keefe has been closely involved in each of Trinity's projects including: Maverick Landing HOPE VI, Mass Pike Towers, Shaw's at Lower Mills in Dorchester, Trinity Terrace, Ashmont TOD and Avenir in the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood of Boston. Mr. Keefe holds a Bachelor's degree from Fordham University and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Boston University.
Patrick Lee, Principal, Executive Vice President
Prior to co-founding Trinity Financial, Inc. in 1987, Mr. Lee served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Administration and Finance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Lee was the Secretary's representative on a number of State boards and agencies including the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, Community Development Finance Corporation, Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency, and the State's Public Auditorium and Civic Center Grant Program. Mr. Lee has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Government Land Bank, the Roxbury Neighborhood Council, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Boston Center for the Arts, and Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses. Mr. Lee has been closely involved in each of Trinity's projects including: Orchard Gardens HOPE VI, Davenport Commons, The Foley Senior Residences, Quinnipiac Terrace, Newport Heights HOPE VI and Mattapan Heights. Mr. Lee holds a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University and is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained city planner.
Sarah Barnat, Senior Project Manager
Ms. Barnat joined Trinity in 2002. As Senior Project Manager, she has closed five mixed-use projects totaling over 1,100 units of housing with development costs of $400 million. She has significant experience leading a dynamic team of consultants through the permitting, community interaction, financing, and legal issues associated with large-scale residential development. Ms. Barnat has served as Project Manager for the completed 396-unit Maverick Landing HOPE VI development and 30-unit Carlton Wharf Condos in East Boston, MA, which received the accolade of "Best Affordable Housing Development in the U.S." by Affordable Housing Finance Magazine. She oversaw the development of the first two phases of the Quinnipiac Terrace HOPE VI Revitalization Project in New Haven, CT. Most recently, Ms. Barnat served as Senior Project Manager for the completed 241-unit luxury rental building, Archstone Avenir, in the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood of Boston. Presently, she is the Senior Project Manager for the Washington Beech HOPE VI redevelopment effort in Roslindale, MA and the Boston East development in East Boston, MA. Ms. Barnat serves as President of the Board for Maverick Landing Community Services, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to providing on-going supportive services for public housing residents at the revitalized Maverick Landing community. Ms. Barnat holds a Bachelor's degree from Hamilton College and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Boston University.
Carole Barnes, Senior Asset Manager
Mrs. Barnes joined Trinity in 2005 and brings over twenty-five years of experience in asset management, property management, construction management, marketing and leasing to the Asset Manager position. At Trinity, Mrs. Barnes is in charge of oversight of Trinity properties, building upon her experience working with many different federal, state and local housing programs as well as high-end luxury market rate rentals and condominiums. Prior to joining Trinity, Mrs. Barnes held executive positions with local and national firms including First Partners, S-C Management, CDC Financial and the Boston Financial Group. Mrs. Barnes is a licensed Real Estate Broker, Construction Supervisor, HUD approved Chief of Management and HUD approved Chief of Loan Servicing, Certified Tax Credit Compliance Specialist, Certified Occupancy Specialist and has achieved the AMA Superior Training Accomplishment for OSHA Planning and Implementation. Mrs. Barnes is also a member of NAFE, IREM, NEAHMA, NCHM, NAA.
Kenan Bigby, Project Manager
Mr. Bigby joined Trinity Financial in 2001 and is the lead Project Manager on the completed Newport Heights HOPE VI redevelopment in Newport, RI. Working with the Housing Authority of the City of Newport, Mr. Bigby successfully developed 299 units of mixed-income housing on the former campus of the distressed Tonomy Hill public housing development. Mr. Bigby's experience also includes the Trinity Terrace project in the Four Corners neighborhood of Dorchester, MA. He successfully structured a complex financing package for the construction of 62 affordable units while conducting an extensive community outreach process. Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. Bigby worked in the field of affordable housing development and management. He worked in various capacities for Boston area non-profit organizations where his responsibilities included the management of several supported housing programs as well as property oversight ensuring compliance with state and federal housing quality standards. Mr. Bigby holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Paula DeFelice, Receptionist
Ms. DeFelice joined Trinity in 2008 and brings three years of administrative experience to the company. At Trinity, Ms. DeFelice is responsible for assisting the team with a variety of projects and tasks.
Sadio Desmond, Director Special Projects
Ms. Desmond has been with Trinity since 2003. Among a variety of other responsibilities, Ms. Desmond handles event planning, office management, and assists Trinity's President and Executive Vice President.
Dan Drazen, Assistant Project Manager
Mr. Drazen joined Trinity in 2010, shortly after graduating from Boston University's School of Management with a Master's degree in Business Administration. He brings over six years of experience in urban and transportation planning for municipalities and public agencies at the state and local level. At Trinity, Mr. Drazen has focused on leading a 20-person working group to develop a technically feasible and financially viable plan to expand a historic trolley line in Lowell, Massachusetts. He has also assisted with Trinity's marketing efforts for the Appleton Mills project in Lowell's Hamilton Canal District.
Prior to pursuing his MBA, Mr. Drazen was an Associate at Moore Iacofano Goltsman Inc., a Berkeley, California-based consulting firm where he developed strategic and urban design plans for downtowns and transit-oriented development projects throughout Northern California. Mr. Drazen also holds a Bachelor's degree in political science from Lewis & Clark College.
Frank Edwards, Senior Vice President - Design and Construction
Mr. Edwards has been with Trinity since 1997 and manages architects, consultants and contractors on projects from concept through construction completion including the design, permitting, preconstruction, pricing and construction of each project. His projects at Trinity have included Orchard Gardens, Davenport Commons, Shawmut Estates, Mass Pike Towers, The Foley Building, Maverick Gardens, Shaw's Supermarket, Mattapan Heights, Avenir, Franklin Hill, Washington Beech and Regency Tower. Before joining Trinity, Mr. Edwards worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Capital Planning and Operations administering the construction contracts for the Reggie Lewis Athletic Facility and the Dorchester Court House. Prior to that Mr. Edwards worked for Graham Gund Architects / Gunwyn Development coordinating consultants and administering the construction contracts for Bulfinch Square; the School of The Museum of Fine Arts and One Bowdoin Square and had similar duties with CBT Architects and Monacelli Associates, Architects. Mr. Edwards has significant construction field experience and is a Cambridge and Boston Licensed Builder.
Eva Erlich, Assistant Project Manager, Development
Ms. Erlich joined Trinity Financial in 2010. Prior to starting at Trinity, Ms. Erlich worked as a land use planner for the City of New York's Department of Citywide Administrative Services' Division of Real Estate Services. Ms. Erlich currently serves as the Assistant Project Manager for the Mattapan Heights Phase 5-A development, the Lucerne Gardens re-capitalization, and the Northampton Square redevelopment. Ms. Erlich holds a Bachelor's degree in Metropolitan Studies and a Master's degree in Urban Planning from New York University.
Christine Galgay, Assistant Controller
Ms. Galgay joined Trinity in 2006 as an Assistant Controller. Ms. Galgay works closely with the Controller ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the monthly project requisitions and also works on all audit and tax related issues with the company's outside accounting firms. Prior to joining Trinity, Ms. Galgay worked most recently for Celerant Consulting, Inc. a management consulting firm as the Financial Accounting Manager. Ms. Galgay has over ten years of accounting and finance experience in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Galgay holds a Bachelor's degree from University of Massachusetts in Boston, an Associate's degree in Accounting from Fisher College, and a certificate in Financial and Accounting Management from Bentley College.
Abby Goldenfarb, Project Manager
Ms. Goldenfarb joined Trinity in 2004. She has served as project manager for Foundry Square, a 20-unit homeownership development in Newburyport, MA; Avenir, a 241-unit, mixed use, mixed income development in the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood of Boston; the Appleton Mills, a 130-unit residential development in Lowell; and the Hamilton Canal District, the redevelopment of a 13 acre parcel of land in downtown Lowell into 1.9 million square feet of mixed use, transit oriented development. As Project Manager, Ms. Goldenfarb's responsibilities have primarily included leading a team of consultants through the complex permitting, financing, closing and marketing phases of the development. Prior to joining Trinity, Ms. Goldenfarb founded, operated and managed the sale of her own professional organizing company. Ms. Goldenfarb received a Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Boston University.
Rebecca Hemenway, Chief Operating Officer
Ms. Hemenway joined Trinity in 2000 after serving as Property Controller at HallKeen Management, a large Boston-based property management company. In this capacity, she was responsible for the financial reporting of twelve properties. Ms. Hemenway has more than twenty years experience in various sectors of financial management and her keen knowledge of systems and regulations has allowed her to successfully manage complex financial projects. As Controller, Ms. Hemenway manages all financial matters for Trinity Financial, as well as the finances for Trinity's development projects. She is also responsible for overseeing the regulatory compliance of properties under the direct ownership of Trinity Financial. Ms. Hemenway is a Certified Credit Compliance Professional.
Hank Keating, Vice President - Design and Construction
Mr. Keating joined Trinity in 2003 and currently serves as the Design and Permitting Manager for the Quinnipiac Terrace HOPE VI in New Haven, CT and the Hamilton Canal District in Lowell, MA. Additional projects completed for Trinity include Foundry Square Condominiums, Newburyport, MA; Trinity Terrace, affordable rental units in Dorchester, MA; and the first three phases of Newport Heights Hope VI, affordable housing located in Newport, RI. Mr. Keating is a registered architect with more than 30 years of experience in the design and construction of residential developments. Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. Keating worked at the Boston Housing Authority for ten years, overseeing the planning, design, permitting and construction of comprehensive modernization and HOPE VI projects. Mr. Keating also spent ten years in real estate development, specializing in large-scale retirement communities and commercial office space and ten years in private architectural practice. Mr. Keating holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
Alan Ladson, Construction Manager
Mr. Ladson joined Trinity in 2010, bringing 25 years of experience in the construction industry to the company. Mr. Ladson currently serves as Construction Manager for Quinnipiac Terrace Phase Three, which includes the construction of 33 new residential units located in New Haven, CT and New Rowe Residence, a nine story residential midrise that will have 104 mixed income rental units. Mr. Ladson served as Project Manager for Giordano Construction Company for two residential renovation projects for the Housing Authority of the City of New Haven: McConaughy Terrace, improvements to site work, roof replacement, exterior door replacement, and removal of hazardous material while all units were occupied and Prescott Bush, the renovation of 56 units for the elderly. Mr. Ladson has managed a variety of projects including residential (The Housing Authority of City of new Haven), educational (Yale University Pierson College Renovation) and Pharmaceutical (Bayer Solid Dosage Plant/Clean rooms). Mr. Ladson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Tuskegee University and also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Southern Connecticut State University.
Geoffrey Lee, Asset Manager
Mr. Lee joined Trinity in 2010 as an Asset Manager. Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. Lee was a Senior Associate with Boston Financial Investment Management (formerly MMA Financial) where he asset managed a portfolio of multi-family tax credit apartment complexes. Additionally, he analyzed property financial performance, modeled workout scenarios for underperforming properties, and calculated portfolio statistics for the Western Region of the United States. Prior to this position, Mr. Lee was an Analyst in MMA Financial's Development Risk Management Unit, where he quantified the investor risk associated with the construction and leasing of developing tax credit projects. Mr. Lee holds Bachelor degrees in Finance and Marketing from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
Kevin McCarthy, Senior Design and Construction Project Manager
Mr. McCarthy joined Trinity in 2004 and brings to the company over 35 years of experience in construction management and sustainable development. Mr. McCarthy successfully completed the four-phase Franklin Hill redevelopment in 2009, a project which included 266 units of affordable housing, and now serves as Design and Construction Project Manager for the Washington Beech HOPE VI development in Roslindale, MA, a redevelopment project providing 206 units of affordable housing. Phase one of Washington Beech was completed in the spring of 2010 and provided 100 units of LEED gold certified units of affordable housing. Additionally, Mr. McCarthy is working on the preconstruction design development of Mattapan Heights Phase Five, a development that is planned to include 120 units of affordable housing on what was formerly the Boston Specialty and Rehabilitation Hospital campus in Mattapan. This project is a follow up to Mattapan Phase two, three and four, which included a combined total of 155 units of affordable rental housing. The four Mattapan Heights phases involved the historical preservation and adaptive reuse of existing structures as well as new ground up construction. Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. McCarthy owned and operated his own construction management consulting firm performing quality control management and owner's representation for developments including Gillette Stadium and St. Ignatius Gate Residence Hall at Boston College. Mr. McCarthy was also Senior Project Manager with Morse Diesel International Inc. and worked on projects such as the reconstruction of Terminal E at Logan Airport, the renovation of Wedge One of the Pentagon s well as the Southeast Federal Center in Washington, D.C. Mr. McCarthy's earlier years in construction included residential and light commercial general contracting in the New England area.
Debra Nunes, Construction Manager
Ms. Nunes joined Trinity in 2010, bringing 23 years of experience in the construction industry to the company. Deb currently serves as Construction Manager for the renovation of Regency Towers in New Bedford, a 15-story residential apartment complex with 129 mixed income rental units. Deb directed the Construction Services Department in the New Hampshire office of Terracon. Deb has been a Construction Consultant, Resident Project Manager, and Senior Construction Technician. In recent years, Deb supervised construction as Owner's Representative and liaison with the Contractor and Design Team for Whole Foods Market and Shaw's Supermarkets. As a field representative Deb worked on several public construction projects in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Mass DCPO, Fall River Housing Authority and several municipal projects including the Nauset Middle School and Truro Elementary School.
Larry Sparrow, Project Manager, Design and Construction
Mr. Sparrow joined Trinity in 2003 and brings over 28 years of experience in construction management to the company. Mr. Sparrow serves as Construction and Design Project Manager for the reconstruction of Maverick Landing in East Boston. Maverick Landing is a HOPE VI reconstruction of approximately 430 housing units. The development consists of two mid-rise steel construction buildings and 20 three-story wood frame buildings situated on four city blocks. Mr. Sparrow is also managing the construction of a ten story 241-unit, mixed use development in the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood of Boston. Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. Sparrow was the Senior Construction Manager for the Casali Group where he worked on Harvard's 125 million consolidation of the Center of Government and International Studies designed by Pei Cobb Freed and Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Sparrow supervised all construction related activities at Keen Development for more than two decades. At Keen, Mr. Sparrow oversaw more than 20 historic rehabilitations and numerous new construction projects, ranging in cost from $1.8 million to over $35 million. Mr. Sparrow holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon and is a Licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts.
Julie Yee, Accounting Assistant
Ms. Yee joined Trinity in 2004 and brings over 10 years of accounting experience in the real estate industry. At Trinity, Ms. Yee is responsible for the accounting functions and construction requisitions for the company's development and pre-development projects. Prior to joining Trinity, Ms. Yee handled the accounting and payroll functions for the property management, appraisal, marketing and commercial departments at Hunneman.
Mathieu Zahler, Assistant Project Manager
Mr. Zahler joined Trinity in 2010 as an assistant project manager. Mr. Zahler is currently working on Washington Beech Phase 2 as well as conducting feasibility studies for a variety of new development opportunities. Prior to joining Trinity Financial, Mr. Zahler was the Director of Policy and Development for A Better City (ABC) and oversaw the organization's policy activity and ABC's legislative agenda. He also managed the abutters groups and private partnering process for the City of Boston's Crossroads Initiative, the Silver Line Phase III Business and Institutional Committee, South Boston Stakeholders and ABC's foundation and government relations. Additionally Mr. Zahler worked in the design and construction industry at Kallmann, McKinnell and Wood Architects, HNTB Inc. (Boston) and as Director of Marketing at Copley Wolff Design Group. He has had significant experience in the real estate industry having worked for JJ Gumberg Inc. (Pittsburgh) and The Boston Garden Development Corp. (Boston). In these positions Mr. Zahler was involved in the development and operation of over 17 Million square feet looking at both operational and financial needs for various projects.

Mr. Zahler holds a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College in Architectural Studies and a Master's of Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with a focus in Real Estate Development.
Marzuq Muhammad, Assistant Project Manager
Mr. Muhammad joined Trinity Financial in 2011 and is currently working on the development of Park Square West, a mixed-use luxury high rise development, consisting of 194 apartments in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. Additionally, Mr. Muhammad provides assistance in other projects such as the Northampton Square redevelopment and the Mattapan Heights Phase 5-A development. Some of his primary responsibilities include working on the financing, permitting, and community outreach stages of the development process.

Prior to Trinity, Mr. Muhammad worked at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a global full-service real estate and money management firm, where he served as an Assistant Project Manager in the Project and Development Services group. In this capacity, Mr. Muhammad worked on the 200,000 square foot tenant fit-up of Dassault Systemes’ Americas Headquarters Campus facility in Waltham, MA. The project involved the consolidation of two existing office locations into a new state of the art LEED Certified campus. Prior to this role, he served as a Senior Research Analyst on the New England Research Team at JLL, where he was responsible for providing clients with in-depth market expertise on local office, laboratory, and industrial real estate and construction trends. Mr. Muhammad also assisted with the development of a new local mapping strategy, enhancing the firm’s ability to provide relevant economic, demographic, statistical data and analysis via Geographic Information Systems.

Mr. Muhammad received a B.A. in Geography from Dartmouth College. He has also completed course work at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and Boston University’s Center for Professional Education Commercial Real Estate Program.