Special to the Record
former TND Associate Director of Real Estate Cassandra Wit
thaus, and TND Executive Director Rafael Mares.
The Neighborhood Developers (TND) welcomed residents, partners, supporters, and community leaders to its 2026 Annual Meeting, celebrating another year of neighborhood investment, housing development, and community leadership across Chelsea, Revere, Everett, Malden, and Lynn.
Held under the theme “Community Pillars,” the event highlighted TND’s accomplishments over the past year, including advancing affordable housing construction in five communities, supporting residents through CONNECT services, and expanding civic engagement and leadership opportunities.
During the formal business portion of the meeting, members elected three new board members to three-year terms: Viviana Catano, Senior Project Manager at Mass General Brigham; Kavish Gandhi, a Master’s Candidate in City Planning at MIT and former TND staff and board member; and Hollis Graham, Executive Director at Northbridge Communities.
The organization also re-elected current board members Kristen Janjar, Orlando Jaquez, Guadalupe Panameno, and Mina Jlil.
A special moment of the evening honored Cassie Witthaus for her nearly six years of leadership and contributions to TND’s real estate development work following her recent departure from the organization to serve as Director of Real Estate at North Shore CDC. During her tenure, Cassie helped lead the creation and preservation of affordable housing throughout the region, including projects in Revere, Malden, and Chelsea.
“This organization, this team, and this community have shown up every single time,” said Executive Director Rafael Mares during his remarks. “I have no doubt we will keep doing exactly that.”
The evening concluded with a celebration of TND’s staff, residents, volunteers, and supporters whose collective efforts continue strengthening our communities.