Speaker Bios

Noah Schwartz joined the John Stewart Company in 2013 and served as the Chief Operating Officer for ten years before taking on the additional role as President of Property Management in 2023.  In January 2024, Mr. Schwartz was promoted to President and CEO.

Mr. Schwartz brought more than 15 years of leadership experience in the non-profit and quasi-government sector when he joined the company and has a strong record leading organizations serving low-income communities.  He served as the Executive Director of the Monticello Area Community Action Agency and, later, as the Executive Director of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, both in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Between those roles and his arrival at JSCo, he served as the President/CEO of Community Services of Arizona, a large tax credit housing and social service provider based out of Chandler, Arizona.

 When Mr. Schwartz isn't busy at work, he loves to spend his time with his family (including his 2-year-old granddaughter!), going to concerts with his brother, running on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, rooting for his teams (UConn basketball, Manchester United (even during dark days!), and the Celtics), and trying to be an engaged citizen.  Last, he loves to support his wife of 35 years in her work advocating for folks to live a healthy, plant-based lifestyle.

 Mr. Schwartz received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (1989) and a Master of Arts in History (1991) from the University of Connecticut.

Jack Gardner has been actively involved in the financing, development and management of affordable housing since 1985.  He served as President & CEO of the John Stewart Company from 2002 through 2023, at which point he transitioned to Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors (as our founder John Stewart did before him). Under Mr. Gardner’s 20+ years of leadership, JSCo grew to become one of largest managers of affordable housing in the United States, with over 30,000 units under management, and one of the top developers of affordable housing in California, with over 1,000 units of affordable housing under construction or in predevelopment across the state.

Mr. Gardner’s professional background includes the public, non-profit and private sectors.  He is experienced in both the new construction and rehabilitation of residential properties and his historic renovation projects have received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award, the Hollywood Legacy Award, the Los Angeles Conservancy Award and the California Preservation Foundation’s Affordable Housing Award. He is founding President of the Affordable Housing PAC, California’s first affordable housing political action committee, and is a member of the SPUR Housing Policy Board, the Local Advisory Committee for Bay Area LISC, and Lambda Alpha (an international land economics society). He is an Emeritus Director of the California Housing Consortium (where he served as Secretary, Treasurer and Vice-Chairperson) and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (2013-18), the Affordable Housing Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (2005-2012) and the Editorial Advisory Board of Affordable Housing Finance magazine (2004 – 2011). Mr. Gardner was recognized as a “Male Champion of Change” by the Organization of Women Architects and Design Professionals in 2018, inducted into the California Housing Consortium’s Housing Hall of Fame in 2019, and received AHMA-NCH’s “Pioneer Award” in 2025.

Mr. Gardner holds a BA in Political Economics from the University of California at Berkeley (go Bears!) and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. In his spare time, he loves to travel, read, hike, walk shelter dogs and climb tall mountains.

Margaret Miller joined the John Stewart company in 2004 as a Project Manager. She supervises the firm's Development, Asset Management and Construction & Maintenance Services divisions and oversees the full range of corporate activities related to developing and owning affordable and mixed-income multifamily housing, including identifying and acquiring properties, business development, project design, obtaining entitlements and environmental approvals, financial structuring, loan packaging, construction oversight and regulatory compliance. Ms. Miller also co-founded JSCo's Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives.

Ms. Miller’s experience includes a wide variety of tasks relating to planning, community development and real estate. While earning her Master's Degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, Ms. Miller worked at Avalon Bay Communities, a national real estate developer, where she worked on development proposals and conducted market research informing amenity and design decisions at the firm. Prior to moving to New York City, Ms. Miller formed and managed a real estate Investment partnership that purchased multiple residential rental properties in Idaho.

Ms. Miller has also worked in early-stage company managing relationships and projects with Fortune 500 companies and university partners, a socially responsible venture capital fund in Boston, and was appointed by the Mayor of Portland, Oregon to serve on the Northwest Area Plan Committee to devise a strategic 20-year plan for the growth of Portland's Northwest Plan Area. Ms. Miller holds a Bachelor's Degree in American History (with a Minor in Economics) from Bowdoin College, a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University in New York, and was a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence. Additionally, she currently serves on the Board of the California Housing Consortium.

Dan Levine has been a registered Architect in the State of California since 1979 and a licensed General Contractor since 2004, with over 50 years of experience in renovation, repair and building construction throughout California. As an independent architect prior to joining The John Stewart Company in 1997, Mr. Levine specialized in building rehabilitation and renovation, with a heavy emphasis in multi-family residential and multi-story commercial buildings.  As Principal of Daniel Levine Architecture, Associate and Vice-President of Thomas Sehulster Architect Inc., and now as President of the Construction and Maintenance Services Group at JSCo, Dan has directed and managed over 300 successful new construction, alteration, renovation, retrofit and repair projects affecting over 10,000 apartment units and $600 million in construction costs.

Dan has also served as the Chairperson for the Annual JSCo Conference since 2010, is a former member of JSCo’s softball team (the Jackals), and was the proud winner of the JSCo Shark Tank Competition at the 2022 JSCo Conference.  

Mr. Levine received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan in 1971 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan in 1974.  Dan also has served on the Board of One Treasure Island (formerly the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative) from 2010 to 2025. 

Ms. Wood has served as Executive Vice President of the John Stewart Company since 2025, overseeing all property management operations for the company.  She has more than thirty years of progressive experience in affordable housing and multifamily property management.  She has extensive experience with all types of local, state and federal programs including LIHTC, Project-Based Section 8, Public Housing, HOME, Bond, HOPE VI, RAD, tenant-based subsidy programs and more.  

Ms. Wood began her career as a Community Manager in 1994 with Goodale & Barbieri in Spokane, Washington.  She quickly advanced to corporate roles as an Occupancy Specialist and Regional Manager.  She moved to Puget Sound in 2001 as a Portfolio Manager for Allied Residential where she managed both affordable and conventional properties for a variety of clients including for-profit developers, non-profits and public housing authorities.  In 2005, Ms. Wood joined Cambridge Management, Inc. in Tacoma, Washington where she served as Director and oversaw their property management operations while they expanded to more than 14,000 units in seven states including California.  Ms. Wood began her tenure with The John Stewart Company in 2018 as Assistant Vice President for their San Francisco Bay Area region and assumed responsibility as Vice President for the region.

Ms. Wood has served on many industry working groups and boards including the Board of Directors of NAHMA, where she also served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Tax Credit Committee; the Affordable Housing Association of Northern California and Hawaii (AHMA-NCH), and AHMA of Washington where she served three terms as President.  Through her involvement with chapters of NAHMA, she has participated in many delegations to Washington, D.C. to ask our legislators for help with housing policy and support of housing programs. Ms. Wood has also worked for the benefit of the management industry through volunteerism such as chairing an advisory board for a technical college apartment maintenance program and being a speaker/panelist on property management careers, fair housing issues, and advocacy.

Ms. Wood holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Gonzaga University and a California Real Estate Salesperson’s License.

Tony Ramirez has worked in the property management field for almost 25 years. He has extensive experience with various types of affordable housing communities and programs.

Mr. Ramirez joined The John Stewart Company in 2015 as a Property Manager and has additionally held the positions of Regional Manager and Regional Director before becoming Vice President of the SoCal office in 2024. In his current role of Vice President, Mr. Ramirez is responsible for the management and operations of almost one hundred affordable housing communities throughout Southern California.

Prior to joining The John Stewart Company, Mr. Ramirez was a scattered site Property Manager for a Los Angeles based Property Management and Development Company.

Mr. Ramirez holds a Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SCHM) designation from the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA), as well as a Real Estate Salesperson’s license from the California Department of Real Estate (DRE).

With over 27 years of experience in the property management industry, Patricia specializes in HUD, TCAC, and PSH programs. She is currently working toward obtaining her Real Estate license and continues to expand her professional expertise.

Passionate about guiding her clients and supporting her team, Patricia is known for her collaborative spirit and readiness to take on any challenge that comes her way.

Outside of work, Patricia enjoys reading a good book, camping by a beautiful lake, traveling, spending time with her grandchildren, and perfecting her cooking skills.

Jacquelyn Mejia has been with The John Stewart Company for eight years, beginning her journey in the Southern California region as a Property Manager. Shortly thereafter, she transitioned into the role of Regional Manager and, most recently, Regional Director.

Throughout her tenure, Jacquelyn has overseen a diverse portfolio and team of Regional Managers across the Inland Empire and Los Angeles, managing communities that include HUD, TCAC, MHSA, and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs. With nearly 20 years of experience in the affordable housing industry, she brings confidence, dedication, and a collaborative spirit to every challenge she faces alongside her team.

In early 2024, Jacquelyn officially stepped into her current role as Regional Director, where she has enjoyed taking an active role in training, planning, and supporting the Regional Managers within the Southern California region. She looks forward to continued growth and many more successful years with JSCo.