August 31, 2023
By Dianna Dunne-Vecchio, Content Writer and Marketing Manager
Please join us in congratulating our team on their outstanding accomplishments and recent promotions—Senior Associates Rosa Romero and Brandon Fender, Senior Analyst Samantha Wu Rose, and Analyst Jillian Glickman! Nothing stops our team as they charge forward, always inspired to support our California communities and continue growing in their careers. We are so lucky to have them! Let’s learn about what matters the most to each cherished team member.
•Rosa Romero, Senior Associate•
Rosa has been with the RSG family since 2007 and has loved and appreciated all the work she has done. She started as a technician and learned how to conduct compliance monitoring for 10 mobile home parks that were bond-funded projects and now oversees and manages a team of auditors that monitor over 200 affordable housing projects throughout Southern California! Through this growth, she’s trained fellow staff and passed down countless bits of knowledge, which has been fulfilling for her because she gets to witness the growth of her team, knowing that she had a small role in their career development.
“My favorite part of my job is working directly with clients to ensure they’re receiving all the guidance and help they need in compliance monitoring and ways to improve their monitoring efforts, so it’s gratifying when they rely on me for my expertise! When looking forward, I’m excited to continue developing as an underwriter on affordable housing development projects. I find it fascinating to learn how affordable housing initially starts.”
•Brandon Fender, Senior Associate•
Brandon initially joined RSG in 2009 but came back in 2019 after having owned the Good Beer Company for five years, the first brewery and tasting room in Santa Ana! He enjoys so many aspects of working at RSG—from evaluating, advising, and negotiating complex public-private partnerships, to mentoring and coaching junior staff.
“Every project we touch is complex and requires the evaluation from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Sometimes we can solve a puzzle with targeted research and detailed analysis, and other times we are strategizing, prioritizing goals and objectives, or balancing political interests. We have an amazing team at RSG, and I’m happy to be a part of training, mentoring, and coaching our research assistants and analysts. There is so much talent, diversity, and passion to solve the key issues we face today, from provision of affordable housing to negotiating community benefits, and I’m energized when I’m helping my team put their tools to work to fulfill a community’s dreams and vision.”
•Samantha Wu Rose, Senior Analyst•
The summer of 2021 brought Samantha to RSG! Over her time here, she has become a confident leader on multiple projects, offering her experience to help plan community outreach, speaking up to ask clarifying questions or provide additional information, and taking on larger responsibilities. She’s eager for more opportunities to engage communities and help jurisdictions build bridges with their community members in order to gather feedback and make informed decisions that best meet the needs of their communities.
“I have continued to build on all the knowledge and skills I gained during my first year with RSG which has helped me better understand and consult on challenging issues like rent stabilization, development agreements, and economic strategies. I helped plan and implement community engagement meetings in two different jurisdictions to collect stakeholder feedback on rent stabilization. In both engagements, I felt like I really helped community members feel like their voices are being heard by their cities on a topic that people feel very passionately about. I’ve learned a lot about the nuances of rent stabilization and just cause eviction and have been able to use that understanding to help cities find the balance of needs between renters and property owners.”
•Jillian Glickman, Analyst•
Jillian joined RSG in 2022 with a passion for creating tangible impacts in individuals’ lives through sustainable development initiatives. She has worked on countless jobs at RSG, but a big accomplishment for Jillian was gaining expertise in RSG’s Fiscal Health product line, specifically Municipal Service Review work. It combines her interests in research, transparency, and problem-solving! She can’t wait to further develop her skillsets and be able to tackle the myriad of challenging questions that may come her way.
“I’ve learned the importance of asking questions, working collaboratively, and putting your best foot forward no matter how challenging the task. Through these developments, I’ve gained a sense of confidence in the workplace as I navigate the complex work that RSG performs for its clients. I love serving the communities that surround me and using my cultivated knowledge to develop better outcomes for residents of communities across California. It’s extremely fulfilling to be an active contributor to positive change through solution-based consulting work.”
Congratulations again to Rosa, Brandon, Samantha, and Jillian!