Karim’s passion for building communities prompted him to found Genesis Companies in 2004. Under his stewardship, Genesis has rapidly grown into a full-service real estate development firm controlling over 2,000 residential units, employing nearly 50 people, and generating close to $1 billion of economic activity.  A pioneering MBE firm focused on the development of residential and mixed-use projects, Genesis advocates for the creation of wholesome communities and has developed a reputation for turning around underutilized or under-performing real estate assets into quality, smart and sustainable communities.

Furthermore, Karim’s dedication to community development extends to his personal life. A resident of Harlem, he is actively involved in a multitude of community and charitable organizations. Karim is a Member of the Board of Advisors for the NYC Independent Budget Office, the Dean’s Council for Harvard Divinity School, the Reform Leadership Council for Vera Institute of Justice, and Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission.

Karim holds a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy from Amherst College, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School. Prior to founding Genesis, Hutson was a Vice President at Full Spectrum of NY, Investment Banker with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch and a Private Equity Investor with General Atlantic. 

As Genesis’ Managing Director of Development, Nicole draws on over 25 years of industry acumen in the public and private sectors to finance complex housing developments for the firm. In this role, Nicole crafts and executes affordable, mixed-use, and mixed-income real estate development projects involving Year 15 re-syndication, conventional debt, taxable and tax-exempt bonds, LIHTCs, RAD and a range of other public and private funding sources. 

Prior to joining Genesis, Nicole served as a Senior Developer with Pennrose Properties and as a Development Manager for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the country’s fourth largest. Before that, she worked with lenders, municipalities and nonprofits across the country and in Puerto Rico as a consultant with Community Development Services. Nicole currently serves on the Board of the New York Real Estate Chamber (NYREC), a CPC ACCESS Program Advisory Board Member, and as an Advisory Board Member with NYU’s Furman Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rice University and a Master of Science of Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

Our CLO’s project finance experience is deeply rooted in partnership, having represented public entities, developers, non-profits and investors for over a decade. Prior to joining Genesis, Amelia served in several legal roles with PNC, supporting its M&A and private equity activity, its Community Development Banking Group including Opportunity Zone financing, CRA and public welfare investments and the Tax Credit Solutions Group’s LIHTC, NMTC and HTC investments. Previously a Member of McManimon, Scotland & Baumann, LLC, Amelia worked primarily on the approval and financing of a myriad of affordable housing, economic development and redevelopment transactions utilizing forms of federal, state and municipal financial assistance, including tax credit financing, tax exempt bonds, redevelopment area bonds, tax exemptions and abatements, federal credit enhancements and conventional financing and the negotiation, approval and implementation of land use plans, financing instruments, development agreements, redevelopment agreements and financial agreements.

Amelia currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the York Street Project, a provider of early childhood development, supportive housing and permanent affordable housing for parents and children. Amelia received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark.

Anthony focuses on strategic initiatives, investor relations and compliance at Genesis. He is responsible for extending the firm’s financial resources, optimizing its financial structures and ensuring operational best practices. Anthony has over 25 years of diversified accounting and management consulting experience, including the performance of acquisition reviews and business performance assessments of companies across the construction, transportation, lending and manufacturing industries. Prior to joining Genesis, Anthony was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) U.S. Banking Group where he led the Leasing and Finance Company practice. He has extensive experience with analyzing and creating widely innovative financings, handling large foreign transactions and advising broad aircraft lessors as well as significant real estate advisory experience. In addition, Anthony has served as a Board member and chair of the combined finance and real estate committees of a major community development corporation in New York City.

Mrs. Jihan Newman is an experienced real estate professional with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of residential property management and capital project administration. Mrs. Newman brings a substantial amount of experience in building operating systems, staff oversight, financial management and budgeting, vendor negotiations, capital improvement oversight and communication to every assignment. Prior to joining Genesis’ VPH Management Services, LLC, Mrs. Newman managed a variety of properties, ranging from low income subsidized projects to luxury coops & condos. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from St. John’s University.

Basil Marshall is an executive in our affiliate construction business and is focused on leading our efforts to improve and optimize the physical plant of our residential buildings. Basil brings over a decade of experience supervising capital improvements and leading construction teams that are comprised of architects, HVAC contractors, boiler repair technicians. plumbers, carpentry workers, supers and porters. Prior to joining Genesis, Basil served in a similar role for New York Residential Works. Mr. Marshall is well versed and highly proficient in addressing building violations, always ensuring that construction and repairs are performed at a high level and in compliance with current codes. Basil’s motivation is his passion for repairing and building comfortable living spaces that are accessible to all.

Seth supplies an extensive amount of expertise in Affordable Housing finance to the firm’s real estate development group where he manages affordable housing projects in both New York and New Jersey. Prior to joining Genesis, Seth worked as a project manager in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Preservation (Year 15) Program at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. In this role, he worked with developers to refinance and rehabilitate Year 15 properties through various funding sources, from city subsidies to private debt; ultimately contributing to the preservation of nearly 1000 affordable housing units. He is an alum of the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Urban Studies from Vassar College.

Soweto assists and directs the firm’s execution of projects from concept to closing. Soweto is involved in every level of deal execution including pre-development, construction financing, construction management and conversion. As a native New Yorker, Soweto is deeply connected to the needs of the City and its communities. Since joining our team, Soweto has assisted in the closing of several New York projects. Prior to his role at Genesis, Soweto co-founded T3 Sports, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering young female athletes in underserved communities. Soweto’s passion for community enrichment and organizing drives his current work in affordable-sustainable housing. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology.

At Genesis, Malik provides project management support across a variety of the firm’s endeavors. Working closely with the firm’s senior staff and project managers on projects that are in various stages of development, Malik is responsible for assisting in the analysis and execution of projects from concept to stabilization. Prior to joining Genesis, Malik worked as a Development Associate and Assistant to the CEO at Metro Futures LLC. At Metro Futures, Malik was involved in all aspects of client management, zoning and land use analysis, public relations, marketing, and business partner relations. Malik is a graduate of Brown University, where he majored in International Relations.

With experiences across the corporate, academic and nonprofit fields, Jasmine oversees the day-to-day administration of the firm and its affiliates and executes a wide-range of corporate administrative matters. Prior to joining Genesis, Jasmine served as an Administrative Assistant to a Senior Director at Harlem Children’s Zone. She also worked as an Office Manager at an HCZ After School program and provided project planning and research support as a Project Administrator at DeSola Group and administrative assistance support at JP Morgan’s Trading Technology group.

Mariaelena J. Paris has recently joined Genesis Companies as a Development Associate.  She is a NYS Real Estate Associate Broker with eight years of experience in the affordable housing sector.  Mariaelena has assisted in portfolio acquisitions, refinancing, repositioning of distressed properties as well as lead the marketing and lease-up of new construction projects. Her years as a property and asset manager informs her contribution to the development team at Genesis. Mariaelena is also a certified tax-credit specialist with years of experience in housing programs compliance such as LIHTC, HOME and Section 8 PBV. Mariaelena holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the City College of New York and a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance and Investment from New York University (NYU).