Vonda Orders
Washington, DC Office
Vonda Orders focuses her practice on affordable housing finance and commercial real estate transactions. She has experience representing non-profit developers, government agencies, banks and investors in all aspects of affordable housing development and finance. She was the first General Counsel for the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. She has extensive experience advising government clients on regulatory issues concerning affordable housing development and operations.
Major Prior Work Experience
- Chief Program Officer, DC Department of Housing and Community Development, 2015-2018
- General Counsel for DC Department of Housing and Community Development, 2009-2015
- Assistant Attorney General, DC Office of Attorney General, 2008-2009
- Associate, Gallagher, Evelius, and Jones, PPL, 2002-2008
Speaking Engagements
- Boardmember, District of Columbia Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings, September 2015- March 2018, Washington, DC
- Moderator, “Community Economic Development and HUD Post-2017,” American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing, May 24-26, 2017, Washington, DC
- Panelist, “DC Long-Term Housing Affordability Roundtable,” Urban Institute, September 7, 2016, Washington, DC
- Panelist, “Updating the Affordable Housing Toolkit: MPDUs and Beyond,” Affordable Housing Conference for Montgomery County, May 4, 2015, Bethesda, Maryland
- Presenter, “Inclusionary Zoning: The Past, Present and Future of the District’s Affordable Housing Program,” Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Section of the District of Columbia Bar, April 2, 2014, Washington, DC
Awards, Associations and Professional Activities
- Member, The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers
- Member, Leadership for Educational Equity
- Exemplary Service Award, DC Office of Attorney General, 2013
Education
University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., with Honor
University of Maryland, College Park, B.A. in Journalism
Bar Admission
District of Columbia Bar
Maryland Bar