Trainer Biographies for IAHMA 2025 Conference
Natalie Meador - Trainer Multifamily Housing Specialist
Natalie was born, raised, and embarked on a career in multifamily property management in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Beginning as a leasing consultant, she earned promotions in short order that landed
her at a tax credit property where she oversaw compliance as the Property Manager. Now, with
over ten years of affordable housing experience, Natalie is a respected expert to both properties
and the multifamily community as a whole. She is an Ambassador for the Tulsa Apartment
Association (TAA) and serves as a committee member for the Zenith Awards, TAA’s largest annual
event. Natalie is married and a mother of two active children (and a loud, but very sweet beagle).
Natalie holds the HCCP, FHC, and CAM designations
Ronnie Jameson-Smiith - Trainer - Rural Development
Ronnette is the Senior Trainer at Zeffert & Associates and an affordable housing expert across multiple funding restrictions and training disciplines. Through Zeffert University, she not only reaches more students than other training alternativescombined, her students boast designation pass rates amongst the highest in thenation! Organizations look to Ronnette year-over-year for their education needs,and in 2023, she was selected as the National Association of Homebuilders "HCCP Designee of the Year".Ronnette has worked in the Affordable Housing industry since 2001. She is a graduate of Rollins Collegein Winter Park, Florida and holds the HCCP, HCM-R, and FHS designations.
Heather Sievers - Trainer LIHTC
NMA trainer and consultant Heather Sievers leverages nearly two decades of low-income housing expertise as a subject matter expert in HUD’s multifamily program, including project-based rental assistance (PBRA), the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), and the Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system. Throughout her career, she has overseen and monitored properties with a spectrum of funding such as project-based Section 8, LIHTC, HOME, and the USDA Rural Development (RD) program and directed the acquisition and rehabilitation of these properties as well as the certification and relocation of residents.As compliance manager and quality assurance auditor at the Idaho Housing and Finance Association, Heather was part of the team that successfully bid for five states during the two rebids of the performance-based contract administration (PBCA) packages. She oversaw the ongoing state compliance programs as the state allocation agency for the LIHTC program, the TCA and PBCA for the project-based Section 8 program, and the participating jurisdiction (PJ) for the HOME program. Heather was also the designated trainer for the state of Idaho and created and executed over twenty different training programs during that time. She currently trains several NMA classes, including Fundamentals of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Management, Multifamily Housing Specialist (MHS), and RAD Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) Overview.
John Emery - Trainer NSPIRE/REAC
John Emery was one of HUD's original Certified REAC Inspectors back in the 90’s and later a HUD REAC Trainer. In 2000, John decided to ‘jump ship’ and use his UPCS expertise in assisting the affordable housing industry in preparing for these HUD/REAC inspections. He helped form US Inspection Group which is now the nation’s leading UPCS/REAC consulting firm with over 1500 clients in 45 states. John also is the author of USIG's best selling UPCS Guidebook that has been instrumental in housing finally having an understanding of REAC's confusing point system.