Terwilliger Center Team
Christopher Ptomey, Executive Director
Since 2018, Christopher Ptomey has served as Executive Director of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. The Center leverages the vast knowledge and experience of ULI’s membership to advance residential development and housing affordability through research, local and national convenings and consultations, and the Jack Kemp and Robert Larson awards programs, which highlight innovative and best practices for improving housing affordability. In addition to his work at ULI, Ptomey currently serves as a governing board member for the Grounded Solutions Network and the National Housing Conference.
Prior to joining the Center, Ptomey led Habitat for Humanity International’s US government relations and advocacy team for more than a decade. Previously, from 2001-2006, he represented the State of Texas as Federal Liaison for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and from 1995-2000, he served as a senior legislative advisor to Rep. Michael Collins of Georgia. Ptomey holds degrees from Haverford College (BA) and George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School (JD) and a law license in his native Tennessee.
Rosemarie Hepner, Senior Director
Rosemarie Hepner serves as Senior Director of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing. For the Center, Ms. Hepner manages the housing awards program, supports the Housing Opportunity Conference, assists with research and publications, and collaborates with ULI’s other departments and District Councils on projects.
Before joining ULI in 2017, she worked for two international development nonprofits, most recently as the International Capital Markets Specialist at Habitat for Humanity International. In that role, Ms. Hepner supported the operations for the MicroBuild Fund (Habitat’s housing microfinance fund), and managed the State of Housing Microfinance survey reports. Ms. Hepner holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from The Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture and Planning, where her research focused on low-income housing practices and design. Her thesis examined housing reconstruction in informal settlements post-disaster. Ms. Hepner also holds a B.A. from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
Michael Spotts, Senior Visiting Fellow
Michael A. Spotts is the founder and President of Neighborhood Fundamentals, LLC. He has over a decade of experience providing research and technical assistance to on-the-ground practitioners in both the public and private sectors, at every level of government, and in urban, suburban and rural areas. Prior to founding Neighborhood Fundamentals, he worked for Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. from 2009-2017 as part of the Public Policy team. During this time, he conducted research and analysis of affordable housing and community development policies. Michael serves as a member of the board of directors for the Arlington (Va.) Partnership for Affordable Housing and the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance. He received a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. He graduated from Dickinson College in 2006 and received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Community and Economic Development from the Pennsylvania State University in 2008.