Senior Staff
Colleen Hernandez
President and Chief Executive Officer
Colleen Hernandez comes to the Foundation with wide-ranging experience in affordable housing, community development and grass roots community organizing. For 18 years, she served as Executive Director of the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance (KCNA). Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Hernandez was the principal of Hernandez Consulting LLC, a firm specializing in affordable housing and community development. She served six years on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, chairing its Audit Committee for two years. Ms. Hernandez served on the Consumer Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, as well as on the board of the National Equity Fund. She is the 1995 recipient of the Charles Kimball Award from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.
Barb Wendt
Chief Operating Officer
Barb Wendt brings more than 20 years of operations and financial management experience focused in financial services. Throughout her career, Ms. Wendt has held several senior-level management positions in finance, operations, strategic planning and master servicing. She has become adept at identifying and successfully implementing new business models with complex regulatory and compliance issues. Ms. Wendt enjoys developing high-performing, results driven teams and has been recognized for fostering a highly engaged work environment. Ms. Wendt holds her BS in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.
Bill Acheson
Chief Financial Officer
Bill Acheson is a financial services professional with over 20 years of experience across a spectrum of disciplines including Accounting, Finance, Capitol Markets, Risk Management, Investment Banking and Business Leadership. Mr. Acheson has held senior level positions with global financial institutions and has worked in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America. Mr. Acheson has a passion for providing unbiased and affordable financial services to individuals typically not targeted by traditional financial planners and providers of financial services. Mr. Acheson holds a BA degree in Accounting from the College of St. Thomas, Minnesota, and held a CPA license during his time at Ernst & Young.
Josh Fuhrman
Vice President of Programs
Josh Fuhrman has been in the credit and housing counseling industry for over 12 years assisting consumers in financial crisis. Fuhrman has spent the last 10 years serving as the Director of Counseling for Auriton Solutions a national, non-profit crisis-counseling agency and one of the original counseling partners for The Homeownership Preservation Foundation. He has an extensive background in business development and has strong community involvement in housing and financial assistance. Mr. Fuhrman earned his BA in Communications and Philosophy from the University of Minnesota.
Diane Gubran
Director of Quality Control
Diane comes to the Foundation with over 20 years in the primary and secondary mortgage markets. During her tenure at Freddie Mac, Diane held positions in the areas of Loan Administration, Compliance, and Institutional Audit. While at GMAC-ResCap, she worked in Servicer Management, Information Technology, and Project Management. With her work in audit and management systems, Diane understands the importance of setting and meeting high standards for quality programs and the discipline associated with their implementation. Throughout her career, Diane has enjoyed productive relationships with Regulators, borrowers and industry constituents while successfully understanding and managing customer expectations.
Ghazi Akailvi
Director of Finance
Ghazi Akailvi has more than 20 years of nonprofit experience in Financial and Information Technology management positions. For 15 years, he was the CFO/CIO at a multi-state family social services agency, where he led business development initiatives, outcome measurement, continuous quality improvement efforts, and helped create the agency’s Finance and Information Technology infrastructure. Mr. Akailvi later served at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation as the Director of Financial & Regulatory Affairs for the Housing Division. He earned his BA in Economics and BS in Business/MIS degrees from the University of Minnesota and his MBA from Metropolitan State University.
Message from CEO – 995hope.org
Welcome. My name is Colleen Hernandez, and I am the CEO of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. We are an independent nonprofit organization and a trusted resource dedicated to reducing foreclosures and preserving homeownership. If you feel like you may be in danger of facing foreclosure or need help with your mortgage situation, you have found the right place. We offer free assistance to anyone who has questions or concerns about their home mortgage situation. Whether you live in California, Florida, New York, or anywhere else in the US, we are here to help you. We help thousands of homeowners every day, and have provided valuable advice to more than 2 million homeowners. Most importantly, we never charge you a fee for the help we provide.
The Homeownership Preservation Foundation is proud to present our library of educational and resource videos that provide information on the various options that may be available and helpful for your housing situation. These videos will help you understand your options, navigate through them and take action as necessary. We invite you to view our entire library of information - In fact, many visitors start with the HOW WE CAN HELP TAB located at the top of this page which includes an entire section of Resources for Homeowners. We want to help you understand your options and regain your peace of mind.
If you need urgent help, call our Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline - 888-995-HOPE. When you call, you will reach a live person at our First Contact Center who will answer your questions and can connect you with a counselor from a HUD-certified housing counseling agency. Our counselors will listen to your story and explore with you the options that are best for your unique situation. Again, there is no charge for this assistance.
Remember, you're not alone. Unfortunately, millions of people across the United States are facing foreclosure and don’t know that help is available. The help we offer is free, available 24/7, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish. When you talk to us, you won't be judged and you won't pay a dime. We don't just offer general advice - we help you take action. Call 888-995-HOPE today.
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