AHOME is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organiation founded in 1989. AHOME seeks to increase the number of low- and moderate-income and minority households that purchase homes in our community. We provide home buyer education classes, condo classes, financial literacy classes and some housing counseling.

Board of Directors

Charles W. Rinker, Jr., President
Mr. Rinker works for Rinker and Associates and has assisted in the conversion of over 1300 units of housing for low- and moderate- income tenants in Washington DC. He has worked in housing and community development for over 25 years, was a past president and co-founder of Arlington Housing Corporation. Mr. Rinker is the President of the Arlington New Directions Coalition and currently serves on the Arlington Housing Commission.

Jeff Certosimo, Vice President
Jeff Certosimo is a land acquisition officer for the Lawrence Doll Company, a local real estate developer and builder. He is currently working on his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning and Business Administration at the Virginia Tech University. Jeff is a proud citizen of Arlington County and is active in many organizations such as the Ballston Virginia Square Partnership, Capital Area Student Planning Association and the Urban Land Institute.

Jeff Doyan, CPA, Treasurer
Jeff Doyan is division-controller director at Freddie Mac. He is responsible for the financial management and accounting for the Human Resources and Corporate Services divisions. Mr. Doyan is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Paula Atkins, Secretary
Paula Atkins is a Realtor with ReMax. She has been in real estate for many years and has worked with over 25 AHOME clients to help them find affordable homes. She volunteers at AHOME's classes as a speaker.

Sarah Crawford
Sarah Crawford is a Transportation Planner with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government's Transportation Planning Board. She is involved in the TPB's participation program and outreach efforts that discuss future growth in the region, focusing on the linkage between land use and transportation. She has previous experience in regional housing planning and is interested in the issue of housing affordability in Arlington and the greater Washington region.

Maurice Flagg
Mr. Flagg works as a consultant in community development and has been retained for many years by the Red Cross. He works as a freelance writer and enjoys traveling.

Art Hauptman
Mr. Hauptman is a public policy consultant. He is the former Chair of the Arlington Citizen's Advisory Committee on Housing, Former Chair of the Public/Private Task Force on Housing Resources, and Member of the Arlington County Advisory Committee on Higher Education. He is the owner of two restaurants in the Lee Heights Shopping Center in Arlington.

Jonathan C. Kinney
Mr. Kinney is an attorney and partner at Bean, Kinney and Korman, P.C. He concentrates in commercial real estate transactions with particular emphasis in land use and zoning. Mr. Kinney is a past chairman of the Arlington Community Services Board and the Arlington Housing Commission. He has served on the Board of Directors of Northern Virginia Legal Services, as the President of the Clarendon Alliance and as Trustee for the Arlington Community Foundation. He also serves on the Board of the Arlington County Community Housing Finance Corporation.

Staff

Karen Serfis
Karen Serfis is the Executive Director for AHOME and has been with AHOME since November 1995. She is a certified housing counselor, a member of the Virginia Association of Housing Counselors and a member of the Multicultural Advisory Board for the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Prior to working for AHOME, she spent eight years in the retail banking industry. She is a native Washingtonian and has lived in Arlington for the past 21 years.

Rita Gutierrez
Rita Gutierrez is AHOME's Spanish speaking Housing Counselor. Rita has been with AHOME since 1998 and is responsible for coordinating all of AHOME's activities to the Latino community. Rita is a certified housing counselor and a member of the Virginia Association of Housing Counselors.