Invest Chattanooga is pioneering a new model of housing investment that combines public vision and private capacity to create the homes our community needs most.
We are a team of housing professionals with the expertise and resources to guide complex projects from concept to completion. Working hand-in-hand with private developers and public agencies, and using our Housing Production Fund alongside other local subsidies, we deliver developments that maintain permanent affordability while achieving strong market performance. We offer partners flexible capital, local market insight, and a streamlined path to completion.
Every Invest Chattanooga project blends a majority of market-rate homes with a meaningful share of deeply affordable units, designed to be financially sound and permanently accessible. This approach opens the door to living in parts of Chattanooga that are currently out of reach for many because of cost, ensuring that growth benefits everyone who calls our city home.
Meet The Team
As Invest Chattanooga’s Chief Executive Officer, Matt leads the organization’s overall strategy, manages its investments, and builds relationships with public and private partners to support mixed-income housing that balances community needs with financial feasibility.
He previously served as Director of the Housing Innovation Lab in the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office, where he helped launch the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, advanced redevelopment of public land, and structured complex real estate transactions using innovative public financing tools. Earlier in his career, he worked in neighborhood planning, housing, and real estate consulting roles on projects across the country, and contributed to the development of new mixed-income housing models. With more than a decade of experience, his work has focused on delivering housing that is both market-viable and broadly accessible.
Hanneke van Deursen serves as Director of Housing Finance for the City of Chattanooga and provides initial staffing for Invest Chattanooga as it launches and makes its first investments. She led the creation of Invest Chattanooga, conceiving and structuring the City’s $20 million public-purpose investment platform to produce mixed-income, permanently affordable housing.
With a background in architecture and housing policy research, Hanneke works at the intersection of design, finance, and local government to develop new tools that expand housing supply while preserving affordability. Prior to her current role, she was a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow, where she helped position Chattanooga as a national model for local housing innovation through reforms to zoning, tax incentives, and public financing.
Our Board
Skip Schwartz
Chairman, Invest Chattanooga Board
Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Grubb Properties
Skip Schwartz, a Chattanooga native, brings 28 years and over $5 billion of global real estate investment experience to Invest Chattanooga. He is currently Deputy Chief Investment Officer of Grubb Properties, a Charlotte-based, vertically integrated multi-family firm, with a particular focus on providing housing to the essential workforce population. Previously, he served as Managing Director for Heitman's Asia-Pacific business and was an equity owner of the firm. After five years of investing across the US with Heitman, Skip spent the next two decades expanding the firm’s European and Asian investment platforms, living with his family in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Hong Kong before returning to Chattanooga in 2021. Locally, he serves as Treasurer of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, and is on the board of the Humane Educational Society, the Baylor School Board of Trustees, and the investment committee of the Public Education Foundation.
Nicole Heyman
Chief Policy Officer, City of Chattanooga
Nicole Heyman is the Chief Housing Officer for the City of Chattanooga, leading a team of housing specialists dedicated to the preservation and development of workforce and affordable housing. Nicole is an innovative creator and champion of interlocking policy and legislative strategies and programs to promote and leverage investments in housing solutions and encourage the development of amenity rich communities. Nicole also serves on the board of the Chattanooga Housing Authority.
Dr. Edna Varner
Senior Advisor, Public Education Foundation
Dr. Edna Varner is a retired Hamilton County educator and UTC graduate, currently serving as Senior Advisor for Leading and Learning at the Public Education Foundation. She is currently education chair of the local NAACP, board treasurer for ArtsBuild, vice-chairperson of the Chattanooga Housing Authority board, and one of the Mayor’s appointees to the Sports Authority Board. She is the 2021 recipient of the Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award and President Elect for Chattanooga Downtown Rotary.
Adam Kinsey
Vice-Chairman, Invest Chattanooga
Partner, Kinsey Probasco Hays
Adam Kinsey is a real estate developer and entrepreneur, focusing on urban, mixed-used and entertainment projects. Since 2001, he has been involved in over $700 million of development projects, including the transformation of the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Kinsey is now concentrating on urban infill projects, aiming to introduce a variety of housing options for all income levels. He serves on the boards of the Chattanooga Housing Authority and the Downtown Chattanooga Alliance.
Matt Phillips
Managing Partner, Rise Partners
Matt Phillips is the Managing Partner and President of Rise Partners, which he co-founded in 2017. Rise has developed, redeveloped or acquired over $400 million of real estate across 11 states. With over 20 years of experience, Matt has gained an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the real estate development process including acquisition and site selection, deal-making, financing, entitlements, public incentives, managing the design and construction process, property management, and asset management. Over his career, Matt has sourced or supervised approximately $1.4 billion of real estate or approximately 7 million square feet of real estate developments and investments.