About

Meet the Team Dedicated to Increasing Your Income and Reducing Your Vacancy


Photo of Elaine M. Simpson - Founder of Occupancy Solutions LCCWe've been defining and implementing innovative ideas and proven practices since 1986.

Elaine M. Simpson - Founder

Ms. Simpson has passionately been making her mark in the housing industry for over 30 years! Starting on-site as a leasing agent, she worked her way up the corporate ladder by advancing to become an assistant manager, site manager, executive director and finally a senior regional manager with communities in several states and portfolios containing more than 1400 units. Ms. Simpson has extensive experience in Section 8, Section 236, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs, senior communities, as well as market-rate and luxury apartment communities.

Ms. Simpson has worked for both local and national industry-leading companies. Throughout her career, Ms. Simpson has trained new managers across the country, assisted in creating "Best Practices" and procedure manuals, participated in numerous task forces during national mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, and headed "turn around" teams assigned to troubled and distressed communities.

All of her efforts consistently led to successfully increasing income and reducing resident turnover while decreasing expenses and allowing the property to recover economic viability.

Elaine Simpson is a highly rated and sought-after national speaker, consultant, and trainer with offices in Detroit and Phoenix. Her passion for being in front of groups, standing out from the pack and helping others began early in life, as she was a triplet born on Christmas day. Being one of three girls, two of whom were considered identical twins, Elaine learned how to stand out from her other two sisters and still has that same desire and attitude today. She is known for going above and beyond to create workshops, trainings, and keynote presentations that are unique, energizing, and extremely engaging. Sharing her positive and not so positive stories about being a triplet and her 30+ years in property management and corporate life, Elaine uses her relatable experiences, struggles, successes, and stories to connect with anyone who has customers and employees. Using humor and interactive exercises, Elaine grabs the audience and takes them for a ride that they will enjoy, remember, and will have learned essential tools and concepts upon which success and results are built.

As the founder and president of Occupancy Solutions, LCC, Elaine has helped countless professionals with all of their leadership, operational, marketing, maintenance, human resources, housing compliance, leasing consulting, and training needs. Ms. Simpson is a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer, and Speaker, a member of the National Speaker Association and the Real Estate Educators Association, treasurer and president elect of the National Speaker Association of Arizona, Advisor of the Advisory Cloud Group, a faculty member of the National Apartment Association Education Institute, and International Board of Certified Trainers. She is a licensed real estate broker in Arizona and Michigan, Secretary of the Michigan Housing Council and Bank of America Advisory Panel, and has been assisting communities with proven, cost-effective techniques and strategies to achieve increased occupancy, improve resident retention, minimize expenses, and increase net operating income.


Our Team

Natasha Gonzalez - Property Management Solutions Specialist

About Occupancy Solutions LLC: Property Management Consulting & Trainings - af65d048-7d3f-4b95-b91e-26f78110ce5c Natasha Gonzalez began her career in property management  14 years ago while leasing part time in the small town of Holland, MI. Within a couple of years, she was working for other management companies under the role of leasing manager, assistant property manager, then to property manager. After developing her solid foundation, she used her professionally practiced property management and interpersonal skills to reduce vacancy, increase revenue, and maintain resident retention. While working for a company in Grand Rapids 6 years ago she became involved with the low-income tax credit housing side of property management. It was here where her passion for the industry began to flourish. Having a part in helping those in need get housed is something she is so pleased to be a part of in the work she does. She ensures management companies are staying in compliance with both the local and federal regulations for these low-income programs. Her skills spread far and wide, ranging from leasing to compliance to property management. There is no project she is not willing to at least open a conversation up to. This makes her a jack of all trades in the vast property management industry. Her impeccable “I my put clients & customers first” mentality, fine-tuned work, organization, and efficient time management skills make her an excellent property management client specialist.

Her professional goals continue to grow as she learns more about the industry through attending seminars and completing trainings and both in person and online courses to broaden her knowledge of the many aspects of both affordable and market rate housing. In 2024 she will become a Housing Credit Certified Professional, Certified Occupancy Specialist, and complete the HOTMA Comprehensive Compliance training.  

Julie Guffey - Compliance Solutions Specialist

photo of Julie Guffey - Compliance SpecialistJulie Ann Guffey has been in the housing and leasing industry since 1986 when she started her career in the multi-family industry in Salt Lake City, UT as a community manager. In 1989, Mrs. Guffey moved to Arizona, where she continued her work as a manager focusing on compliance of various Affordable communities until 1998.

In 1998 Mrs. Guffey was contracted with RTC/DIC federal government as compliance agent in the State of Arizona with Phoenix Revitalization Corporation to be a Program Coordinator/Compliance Monitoring Specialist of 6,055 units. Her duties included on-site audits, desk reviews/audits, affordable housing training for on-site management with requirements based on HUD handbook 4350.3, annual billing for program fees, LURA release with title agencies reviewing and processing annual reports from properties. In addition, she drafted and presented the annual and semi-annual reports to Congress through the RTC/FDIC agency.

In 2000, Mrs. Guffey founded JAG Compliance & Consulting as the approved 3rd party Compliance Auditor for IDA bond (regulatory agreement) financed communities. Services include support and training on monitoring for compliance, training on complying with a variety of housing programs, education, and consulting on restoring, maintaining, and achieving affordable compliance. Prior and current work includes over 200 owners/management companies/non-profits, City of Phoenix IDA, Maricopa County IDA, Pima County IDA, and the City of Tucson IDA.

In 2015, Mrs. Guffey joined Occupancy Solutions as the Compliance Specialist overseeing the Compliance Solutions Department where she will provide support and training on monitoring for compliance, training on complying with a variety of housing programs, education and consulting on restoring, maintaining and achieving affordable compliance.

Colista Jensen- Compliance Solutions Coordinator

About Occupancy Solutions LLC: Property Management Consulting & Trainings - f74a9569-3a63-40a5-ae44-a20d2f7c2d5cColista Jensen spent 18 years managing a business, maintaining a solid track record of leadership and quality in coordinating between owners, vendors, clients, and site staff; managing system operations; keeping abreast with industry standards; developing procedure and policy manuals; staff training and support; client conflict resolution; organizing events; and assisting with marketing.

 
Mrs. Jensen found an interest in Affordable Housing, through her association with Emily Guffey and Julie Guffey, switching careers and joining Occupancy Solutions in January 2017 as a Compliance Specialist Assistant and working her way up to Compliance Solutions Coordinator.
 
 

Serenity Lay - Compliance Solutions Specialist

photo thumbmailBased in Michigan and providing consulting services to multi-family and affordable housing professionals nationwide. Serenity's journey in the affordable housing and leasing industry began in 2000, the following two decades have been spent serving the needs of management firms, developers, owners, and due diligence audit agencies nationwide. In 2019, Serenity joined the Occupancy Solutions team  and as her performance has shown, she is always up to date on the ever evolving affordable housing industry, providing clients with program and regulatory compliance oversight as well as tools needed to safeguard their good standing status and ensures their continued ability to provide affordable housing to low income families for years to come. 

Saule Jackunas - Midwest Solutions Coordinator

photo of Saule Jackunas - Midwest Solutions CoordinatorSaule Jackunas graduated from the University of Detroit in 1994 with a BA in Public Relations and Marketing. She immediately started in the automotive project management industry managing budgets, schedules, marketing/sales, purchasing, payroll, legal matters, customer relations, plus problem resolution, collections, and much more. These skills and experiences prepared her to launch a new career path in 2004 into property management.

Ms. Jackunas has followed her interest in property management and joined Occupancy Solutions in early 2014 as the Midwest Solutions Coordinator. She has been able to take her work experiences from past roles and utilize them in a variety of ways relating to property management to create innovative and creative solutions for clients throughout the United States.

 

Occupancy Solutions, LLC is a Proud member of:

  • National Speakers Association
  • National Low-Income Housing Coalition
  • NAAEI Faculty Member
  • National Apartment Association
  • National Association of Residential Property Managers-Phoenix Metro
  • International Board of Certified Trainers (Associated member)
  • American Apartment Owner Association
  • Affordable Housing Management Association-Pacific Southwest
  • Arizona Multi-Housing Association
  • MHC-Michigan Housing Council (Officer-Secretary)
  • Detroit Metropolitan Apartment Association
  • Property Management Association of West Michigan
  • Property Management Association of Mid-Michigan
  • Washtenaw Area Apartment Association