Housing Summit

Chenin Dow is a seasoned public sector leader with over 17 years of experience in municipal governance and community development. She currently serves as the Community Development Director for the City of Santa Maria, where she oversees planning, economic development, housing, code enforcement, and community programs to drive sustainable growth and revitalization efforts.

Mark Schniepp is currently Director of the California Economic Forecast in Santa Barbara. The Company prepares forecasts and economic commentary on the regional economies of California. He prepares economic analysis and county level forecasts for Cal Trans, Kaiser Permanente, the California Association of Realtors, and the Southern California Association of Governments.

Chris Guillen is a lawyer with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and acts as an advisor on complex projects as they relate to natural resources issues. His expertise spans the intersection of land use and water law, with an emphasis in the on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), housing law, and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Chris advises landowners, developers, agricultural interests and energy companies on land use permitting requirements and environmental review under CEQA during all phases of project development and litigation.

Matt Bronson serves as City Manager for the City of Grover Beach and was appointed by the Grover Beach City Council in May 2016. Bronson oversees the day-to-day operations for the City organization with a total budget of $35 million and a workforce of approximately 80 employees. Bronson has 25 years of local government experience working for cities and counties in California and North Carolina.

Jeff Pemstein is currently the Western Region Governmental Advocate for the National Association of Home Builders and has over 38 years of professional leadership experience in home building, land development, entitlements, environmental permitting, home building, and construction. Serving as the former Division President for Towne Development/Homes by Towne - Sacramento Division (a Zilber Brand) for over 21 years (2003 to 2024), Jeff oversaw the growth of the operation into four business lines in both California and Nevada.