WCC began in 1998 as a one-man shop in a Brooklyn brownstone, and now with Alembic, includes a robust staff who share a common commitment to equitable development and social justice. Staff members bring a range of expertise and backgrounds to the firm’s projects.
Heidie Joo Burwell, Principal. Heidie has worked at WCC since 2002, focusing on providing overall project management for the firm. Highlights of her work have included community planning initiatives in New York City’s Chinatown and Washington Heights neighborhoods, and organizational development support to numerous nonprofits in New York City and the Gulf Coast. Previously, Heidie was a Program Officer at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, where her responsibilities included advocacy, fundraising, project management, research and analysis, and contract management. Heidie also served as a corps member for City Year, and was a project analyst at Penn, Schoen and Berland, a strategic market research and polling firm. Heidie graduated from Brown University with a concentration in Comparative Literature and received a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is fluent in Korean.
Michael Grote, Gulf Coast Project Manager. Mike joined Alembic in 2008 and works on the design and management of development projects on the Gulf Coast. He previously served as Program Manager with Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit design and construction service provider. In this capacity, he partnered with the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief and Redevelopment Agency (EBCRRA), to implement the Biloxi Model Home Program, a $1.5 million program focused on the design and financing challenges of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina in East Biloxi and similar areas along the Gulf Coast. In addition, Mike assisted in the design and launch of the EBCRRA’s rebuilding program, a collaboration of case management, volunteer groups, grant funding, and technical expertise. He also works with the Mississippi State University Gulf Coast Community Design Studio in Biloxi and Unabridged Architecture (Bay St Louis), and was a visiting architecture instructor with Mississippi State University’s Biloxi semester in 2007. Mike holds a Master’s in Building Construction with a Minor in Community Planning from Auburn University and a Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Houston.
Jonathan Leit, Director of Gulf Coast Office. Jonathan joined WCC and Alembic in 2006 and established its Gulf Coast Office in New Orleans in 2007. His work focuses on building strategic partnerships and providing program and housing development services to nonprofit organizations working on post-Katrina neighborhood rebuilding projects in Louisiana and Mississippi. Highlights of his work include managing two affordable homeownership developments totaling 72 units in East Biloxi and Pass Christian, MS; authoring affordable housing business plans for organizations in East Biloxi; raising more than $2 million in partnership with various community-based organizations in New Orleans; consulting on a marketing plan for a shopping center in New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood; and sitting on the steering committee of an effort to institutionalize citizen participation in New Orleans. In addition, he co-designed and implemented a community-based planning process in the Hunts Point neighborhood of New York City. Previously, Jonathan worked with Partners for Democratic Change, providing technical assistance to local organizations in Eastern Europe and coordinating a range of conflict management projects. He holds a Master’s in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in History from Columbia University.
Mike McCarthy, Project Manager. Mike joined Alembic in 2010 and manages the company’s affordable housing projects in New York City from pre-development through construction. He received a Master of City and Regional Planning and a MBA from Rutgers University. While in graduate school, Mike was a Summer Development Associate with AvalonBay Communities and a Development Analyst Intern with Enterprise Community Investment. Previously, he worked in the international development sector at the Academy for Educational Development in Washington, DC and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan. Mike graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in International Relations and Spanish.
Nicole Nowak, Gulf Coast Project Assistant. Nicole works on the design and implementation of development projects on the Gulf Coast. Previously, Nicole worked as a Construction and Design Fellow for Architecture for Humanity on the Biloxi Model Home Program. In this project she coordinated the construction of seven model homes that addressed the challenges of rebuilding in East Biloxi following Hurricane Katrina. She has also worked for People United for Sustainable Housing and the Buffalo City Hall Arts Commission. Niole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design from the State University of New York at Buffalo and completed the Career Discovery Program at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
Benjamin Warnke, Principal. Benjamin founded WCC in 2000, and has since led the firm in its organizational development, community-based planning, and real estate finance and development services in New York City and the Gulf Coast. Recent highlights of his work have included structuring the financing for the Community League of the Heights’ $48 million multi-purpose community center in Washington Heights and helping to structure and capitalize a $3 million affordable housing loan fund in East Biloxi, Mississippi. Previously, Benjamin was a Senior Director at the Corporation for Supportive Housing and at the Enterprise Foundation. He also established and directed the New York Office of the Low Income Investment Fund, a national community development loan fund. Benjamin is a trustee of the Mary McDowell Friends School; a Board Member of the American Friends Service Committee; and a member of the Haverford College Corporation. He formerly served as Chair of the Board of Brooklyn Friends School. Benjamin received a B.A. in English Literature from Yale University.
Thomas Warnke, Principal. Tom works with WCC to provide communications, public relations, and planning services to clients. He is a public relations professional with significant expertise in providing marketing and media relations services and training to nonprofit organizations across the country. His recent accomplishments include the design and implementation of a national marketing campaign for ALEKS Corporation, an online mathematics tutorial system, creation of marketing and publicity materials for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in Los Angeles, and design and oversight of a public television outreach effort for Rural LISC. Trained as a journalist, Tom worked for six years as a reporter in Massachusetts and London, England, and later served as the Director of Local Communications for LISC. He serves as President of the Board of Gateway Affordable Housing Coalition. Tom has a Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Masters in Political Science from Columbia University.