Our Team
William Connolly
Managing Partner
William Connolly founded Connolly and Partners in 2005 and serves as the Managing Partner of our affordable housing group. He has worked in real estate since 1972. Through the years he has focused on many types of projects, but there has never been a year he did not work in affordable housing. Before creating the firm, William was an executive with WinnCompanies, Liberty Real Estate, Claremont Management, First Winthrop Corporation, and the John M. Corcoran Company.
Over the course of his career, William has been involved in the acquisition, management, and development of over 122,000 units of housing which if added together would be conservatively valued at approximately $9.9 billion. Larger individual assets within this group range from a currently owned 500-unit site in Somerville, MA to a 3,000-unit property which was rehabbed and sold by its syndicator in Springhill, Maryland. Through this experience, he has come to know that non-profit organizations make good partners. While working alongside housing authorities, resident groups, and charitable organizations, his mission has always stayed the same - the preservation and creation of affordable housing wherever it is.
Throughout the country, William has been a leader in the forming of successful public-private partnerships to bring about the physical and financial turnaround of HUD foreclosures, third party assets, and other distressed properties. He has worked to preserve these assets and generate new income with the goal of maintaining and increasing our nation’s affordable portfolio. William has written and spoken widely on affordable housing and the value of public private partnerships. He is a Real Estate Broker, a CPM designee with the Institute of Real Estate Management, and a long-time supporter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
William is a graduate of the Economics program at Boston State College - now a part of the University of Massachusetts.
Linda Hamilton
Management and Operations
Linda Hamilton joined our affiliate, FHRC Management Corporation, in 2008. She now leads our growing management division. She brings more than 35 years of experience in housing management to our team and serves as the Senior Vice President of FHRC Management Corporation. Linda has served in a leadership capacity at WinnResidential, Cruz Management Company, Maloney Properties, and the National Corporation of Housing Partnerships.
Specializing in working with resident-owned affordable housing developments, Linda has extensive experience in HUD multi-family affordable housing programs, Section 42 - LIHTC programs, as well as state and federally funded public housing initiatives. She has developed and managed over 10,000 units of housing during her career.
Linda now oversees the daily operations of the management company and a professional staff located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. She connects with our residents as individuals, provides them with support, and works each day to better their communities.
She has successfully managed the renovation of over 5,000 units of housing within her career, and has controlled development budgets that have exceeded $100 million. Within these projects, she directed temporary and permanent resident relocation planning and contracts, lease-up, and the recruitment and onboarding of new staff. Linda also created a non-profit organization, Mission Works, to create opportunities and provide support for residents living at the Hope VI development she managed to advance opportunities through access to education and career development.
Linda attended the University of California at Irvine studying World Languages.
Jennifer Connolly
Acquisition Planning and Community Development
Jennifer Connolly joined Connolly and Partners in 2009. She has worked in the industry for over 20 years in management, development, and sustainable design. She now oversees acquisitions and community development. Earlier in her career, Jennifer held senior positions with our affiliate FHRC Management Corporation, Equity Residential, the WinnCompanies, Commonwealth Design Group, and Lizotte Interiors.
She uses a systematic approach to gain return on investment. The ability to oversee complex tasks, lead high-performing teams, and effectively represent the interests of residents has been exhibited throughout her career. Currently, she provides analysis for site selection and guides the competitive proposal process. Within the portfolio, she coordinates the delivery of services to over 1,000 households and fosters community partnerships to meet those needs.
A graduate of Fairfield University with a degree in Politics, her experiences in the field are complemented by her credentials including the LEED Green Associate designation from the U.S. Green Building Council, licensure as a Real Estate Broker, and HUD Resident Services Coordination certification.
Jennifer is an affordable housing advocate and serves New England Resident Service Coordinators as a Board Member, instructor, and conference planner. She was appointed by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials to serve on the Community Revitalization and Development Committee and is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management, the American Association of Service Coordinators, and the American Planning Association.
Jennifer is pursuing her master’s degree in Community and Economic Development at Pennsylvania State University.
Andrew Comollo
Acquisitions and Finance
Andrew Comollo joined our affiliate, First Hartford Corporation, in 2009. After working out of state, he returned to our team in 2019. He has been in the field for more than 10 years, working in commercial real estate before transitioning to affordable housing and multifamily development.
Prior to rejoining the team, Andrew served as the Vice President of Lisciotti Development Corporation where he worked to acquire, develop, and manage retail commercial properties. He has directly been involved in the development of projects that have created over $400 million of value during his career.
His experiences range from strategic new market entry for national retailers to the full rehabilitation of Clarendon Hill Towers - our flagship 500-unit multi-family property located in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Throughout this time his focus has been on cultivating strong relationships with our clients that lead to successful results. He remains actively engaged in our development projects from conceptual plan through completion.
In transitioning to affordable housing, he continues to lead our contract negotiation and financial underwriting teams. Andrew has found his work in affordable housing allows him to utilize his real estate skill set in a way that positively impacts the communities we serve and the lives of our residents.
Andrew graduated with degrees in Economics & Finance and Insurance Finance from the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business.
Sean Kavanagh
Acquisitions and Finance
Sean Kavanagh joined our affiliate, First Hartford Corporation, in 2018. Throughout his tenure at First Hartford and with Connolly and Partners, Sean has taken on various roles in the development of both retail and multifamily assets.
Prior to joining the team, Sean attended Tufts University. During this time he interned with State Street Corporation and Granahan Investment Management. After graduation, he went on to play one year of professional hockey in Füssen, Germany. Upon his return to the United States, Sean immediately began his career in real estate.
Since then, he has focused on managing our responses to Requests for Qualifications and Proposals from local governments and housing authorities regarding multifamily development. Most recently, he was involved in the refinance of a 208-unit senior housing development in Claymont, Delaware and is also involved in the underwriting of potential acquisitions and ground-up multifamily development.
At First Hartford, Sean is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, underwriting, and presenting potential retail developments to various national retail clients. Sean is also responsible for the disposition of First Hartford’s retail developments. Recently, he arranged the sale of a $2.3 million Starbucks in Buda, Texas and a $4.6 million Walgreens in Hudson, New York.
Sean's other credentials include being a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Minor in Entrepreneurial Studies from Tufts University.
