Team & Board - Housing Navigator

Meet the team of people behind Housing Navigator

Jennifer Gilbert

Jennifer Gilbert, Housing Navigator MA Founder and Executive Director, (she/her) launched Housing Navigator Massachusetts in 2019 driven by a passion to reduce the divides in housing access and equity. Creating housing opportunities is the connecting thread in Jennifer’s career, from her first job at a Philadelphia homeless shelter to her 20 years in developing housing and community spaces.

From 2015-2020, she led the Kuehn Charitable Foundation, overseeing its strategic investments in housing production and the Kuehn Fellowship, which launched the careers of 24 future leaders in community development.

As an active advocate for more housing and simplifying complex systems, she is an educator on real estate development and financing. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a J.D. from Northeastern University, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Emma Rial

Navigator Adoption Coordinator Emma Rial (she/her) values the community of her own extended family in Rhode Island and hopes her career will provide opportunities to emulate and build that kind of network in community support systems. Drawn to making a local impact, she was a caseworker at Amherst Community Connections working with families searching for affordable homes. Emma holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Amherst College and traces part of her interest in housing to courses in American housing policy and social movements.

April Ognibene

April Ognibene (she/her) leads Housing Navigator MA’s back office systems and special projects as Chief Operating Officer, bolstering Housing Navigator MA’s institutional capacity and external support. Energized by Housing Navigator MA’s unique place in the state’s affordable housing ecosystem and the opportunities to expand housing access through technology, April brings a ground-level and big-picture understanding of affordable housing. Her prior positions include Director of Finance and Policy at Beacon Communities and early career roles in operations and capacity-building at behavioral health and education nonprofits in Philadelphia. She holds a master’s degree in City Planning from MIT and an undergrad degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Victoria Decker

Victoria “Tori” Decker (she/her) is Housing Navigator MA’s first Community Manager leading engagement across our many user groups and stakeholders. Grounded in her long-time passion for advocacy around improving social determinants of health, Tori draws on both her time as a Senior Customer Support Specialist at HubSpot and a community organizer for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network in rural, underserved counties. Her undergraduate work in biochemistry and anthropology at Lafayette College roots her mindset in analysis and considering multiple perspectives. She keeps her creativity flowing through dance and as a multi-instrumental music-maker (piano, clarinet, saxophone, and occasionally oboe).

Grace Mitchell

Grace Mitchell (she/her) brings 20+ years in software development documentation and project management to her role as Product Manager, including work at the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing guiding technological improvements to housing stability and homelessness prevention programs. Grace is drawn to leveraging technology to address basic needs like housing and healthcare, with special emphasis on the needs of rural populations. A native of Oregon who has lived on both coasts and in-between, she holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Reed College and a master’s in Public Policy from University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School.

Abby Werner

Abby Werner (she/her) leads partner success, advancing our existing partnerships with housing owners, managers, and agencies across the state. A passion for helping everyone feel supported, cared for and respected grounds her work. An avid bike commuter and musician, Abby volunteers on the board of Bikes Not Bombs and performs at local open mic nights and Porchfests. She holds an MBA in social impact management from the Heller School at Brandeis University and spent six months as a Housing Navigator MA research assistant during her studies.