HDP Board of Directors

Jeff Davis

As the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer (President & CEO) of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), Jeff Davis is the President of Housing Development Partners (HDP) and Chair of HDP’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Davis has 25 years of experience with SDHC, currently leading the award-winning agency with more than 350 employees and a budget of $595 million.

SDHC provides federal rental assistance to more than 16,000 families with low-income who live in the City of San Diego. SDHC also is a leader of collaborative efforts to address homelessness, including HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan, which has created more than 10,600 housing solutions since 2014 for San Diegans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. In addition, SDHC, including HDP, is an affordable housing developer, investor and lender to affordable housing developers and owns or manages more than 4,100 affordable rental housing units.

SDHC is one of 39 original public housing authorities, out of approximately 3,200 nationwide, to receive a “Moving to Work” (MTW) designation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mr. Davis oversaw SDHC’s request for reinstatement as an MTW agency and implemented its first MTW Annual Plan. MTW status provides SDHC the flexibility to implement innovative approaches to provide housing assistance for families with low income and/or experiencing homelessness in the City of San Diego.

Mr. Davis currently oversees all of SDHC’s major divisions, including Real Estate, Rental Assistance, Homelessness Initiatives and Policy.

Mr. Davis’ previous leadership positions at SDHC include serving as Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President of SDHC’s largest division, Rental Assistance.

He serves on the board of the National Leased Housing Association, is a member of the Housing Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and serves as a board member of the Pacific Southwest Regional Council of NAHRO.

Gary Gramling

Gary Gramling serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors of Housing Development Partners (HDP) and is a member of the HDP Audit Committee.

Mr. Gramling served on the San Diego Housing Commission’s Board of Commissioners from February 17, 2009, through April 7, 2017, including seven years as Chairman of the Board. He earned the prestigious Elizabeth B. Wells Memorial Award from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) in 2016 for excellence in developing support for housing programs.

He has more than 30 years of experience in the building industry.

Mr. Gramling has served on the Boards of Directors of HDP and HDP Mason Housing Corporation since 2010.

Eugene "Mitch" Mitchell

Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell serves as a member of the HDP Board of Directors.

He is also the Chair of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Board of Commissioners. He was appointed to SDHC Board of Commissioners by Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and was confirmed by the City Council on February 4, 2020.

Mr. Mitchell is the Senior Vice President of Diversity and Community Partnerships for Sempra, the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and additional utility companies.

Mr. Mitchell also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles Foundation, San Diego Museum of Art, Voice of San Diego, the Sharp Hospital Board of Trustees, the Lucky Duck Foundation and the San Diego Opera.

He previously served as the Vice President of State Governmental Affairs and External Affairs for SDG&E and Southern California Gas Company.

Before joining SDG&E and Southern California Gas in 2005, he served as Vice President of Public Policy and Communications for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he previously represented American Medical Response as its Director of Governmental Relations, and served as former Mayor Susan Golding’s Assistant Director of Government Relations.

Mr. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Redlands.

Justine Nielsen

Justine Nielsen serves as a member of the HDP Board of Directors.

She has served as the Senior Vice President of Development for IQHQ, a life sciences real estate development business, since December 2021. Her experience before joining IQHQ included serving as a land use partner and practice group leader at the law firm Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, where she was a member of the real estate practice. In addition, she is highly active in leadership in the Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Diego-Tijuana District Council. ULI promotes “community-focused development through educational programming and shared expertise.”

Ms. Nielsen also serves on the Board for the Downtown San Diego Partnership and previously served a term on the City of San Diego Redistricting Commission.