Michael A. Stegman
Director, Policy & Housing

Email: mstegman at macfound dot org

Michael A. Stegman is the Director of Policy and Housing for the Program on Human and Community Development. He serves as the Foundation's lead observer of domestic policy issues, working to translate policy trends and position program strategies in affordable housing, community change, mental health, juvenile justice, education, and urban and regional policy within the larger context of local, state and national policy developments.

Stegman is a member of the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank Community Development Advisory Council and a former Fellow of the Urban Land Institute. He has served on several national boards, including the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and One Economy Corporation. Prior to joining the Foundation he was the MacRae Professor of Public Policy, Planning, and Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chairman of the Department of Public Policy and founding director of the Center for Community Capitalism. In addition, he has been a consultant to the Fannie Mae Foundation, HUD, the Treasury Department, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI), and the U.S. General Accounting Office. During his tenure as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at HUD, Stegman was named as one of Washington's 100 most influential decision makers by the National Journal. Stegman has written extensively on housing and urban policy, community development, financial services for the poor, and asset development policies. While at HUD, he was founding editor of Cityscape, a journal of urban policy research.

Stegman received his BA from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and his Masters and Ph.D. in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ianna Kachoris
Program Officer

Email: ikachori at macfound dot org

Ianna Kachoris is a Program Officer in Affordable Housing for the Foundation’s Human Community & Development program. Ianna has extensive experience in housing and policy, community development, and the critical role that affordable housing plays in affecting economic opportunity. In her most recent role, as project manager of the Pew Foundation’s Economic Mobility Project, Ianna worked closely with principals across the political spectrum as she commissioned and translated research on economic mobility for public and policymaker audiences to raise awareness of the status of economic mobility in America and promote it as a frame for a variety of policy debates, including housing.

Much of her housing-related experience was gained in her former roles as manager of Midwest Regional Initiatives for the Fannie Mae Foundation and at the Metropolitan Planning Council here in Chicago. In those roles, she worked extensively to educate state and local leaders and to elevate affordable housing on state and local agendas. In addition, she has a “big picture” perspective on the interplay between housing and other forces and policy issues from her work as policy advisor and director of economic development for Senator Edward Kennedy.

Ianna holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, and a BA in Sociology from Emory University.

Mijo Vodopic
Program Officer

Email: mvodopic at macfound dot org

Mijo comes to the Foundation from the Government Accountability Office, where he was a senior analyst on the Financial Markets and Community Investment team, led evaluations of small business loans to assess the performance of the Small Business Administration, analyzed the impact of the Basel II Accord on global and domestic competition in banking, and reviewed the uses and effects of eminent domain actions on property owners and communities. Previously, Mijo was the Director of Property and Asset Management at Heartland Housing Incorporated, here in Chicago, where he managed a portfolio of eight affordable rental properties totaling 700 units and ensured that they were professionally managed, properly maintained and fiscally sustainable. While at Heartland Housing, he also participated in developing tenant selection plans for several HOPE VI sites and collaborated with social service providers to meet resident needs.

Mijo is a very active volunteer, especially within his cultural community, where he has served as the president of the Croatian Cultural Center. In addition, he has been the executive director of the Chicago Chamber Choir, volunteer coordinator at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and continues to volunteer at Misericordia, which serves individuals with developmental disabilities. Earlier in his life, Mijo was a Jesuit Volunteer for the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness where he advocated on behalf of homeless families during welfare reform. Mijo graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University with a double major in History and Philosophy and received his Master’s in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago in 2000. While in graduate school he completed a project examining the prospects of Venezuela’s emerging market economy.