Traci Dusenbury received her bachelor’s degree in political science, with a minor in journalism from NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1992. While at North Carolina State, Ms. Dusenbury worked for the North Carolina General Assembly from 1989-1992, working for the Speaker of the House and the Sergeant-at-Arms for the North Carolina House of Representatives. Ms. Dusenbury received her Master of City and Regional Planning Degree from Clemson University’s College of Architecture, in Clemson, South Carolina in 1994. While at Clemson, Ms. Dusenbury was elected and served as the President of the Clemson University Chapter of the American Planning Association. Ms. Dusenbury had internships with the Greenwood County Planning Department in Greenwood, SC and at the Appalachian Council of Governments in Greenville, South Carolina, and the Land-of-Sky Regional Council in Asheville, North Carolina.
Upon graduation from Clemson University in 1994, Ms. Dusenbury went to work for the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, a regional council of governments. She worked as a Community Development Administrator and Regional Planner covering four counties (Rutherford, Polk, McDowell, and Cleveland) and 20 municipalities. Ms. Dusenbury was responsible for assisting the local governments with land use planning, zoning, and managing housing rehabilitation grants and programs for the entire region. She procured over $3 million for single-family rehabilitation projects utilizing NCHFA’s HOME Program, FMHA’s HPG Program, and DCA’s CDBG housing rehabilitation grants. She managed staff including two housing rehabilitation specialists and administrative support. Duties included working closely with local governments, record keeping, submitting required documents/information to state and federal governments, preparing and maintaining budgets, selecting and qualifying clients, counseling clients, overseeing bid process and contractors, meeting with local project advisory committees, selecting and coordinating rehabilitation projects, approving invoices/project amendments, and overseeing construction rehabilitation specialists. She managed construction draws and change orders. Investigated complaints and settled disputes between contractors and homeowners. Wrote grant applications for local governments in the four-county region to address various local needs including: housing rehabilitation, tourism, recreation, community empowerment, health care, housing development, and economic development.
Ms. Dusenbury also worked with McDowell County Habitat for Humanity to secure a CDBG-HD for the installation of infrastructure including water, sewer, and street improvements for a new subdivision. Additionally, Ms. Dusenbury secured financing for a Family Resource Center and programs through the NC Division of Community Assistance, working with grassroots community groups, Housing Authority residents, elected officials, and seven local banks in Rutherford County, North Carolina to develop a Microenterprise Revolving Loan Program for small business start-ups and expansions and for the creation of an innovative family self-sufficiency program designed to promote economic independence. Ms. Dusenbury was awarded and managed approximately 12 CDBG grants during this time. From 1995-1997, Ms. Dusenbury served as an Appointed Member of the Polk County Economic Development Commission.
In 1996, Ms. Dusenbury became the Executive Director of Western N.C. Housing Partnership, a non-profit housing organization housed at Isothermal Planning and Development Commission, and covering the 31 western counties in North Carolina. In 1999, Ms. Dusenbury received a Certificate from Duke University’s Continuing Education Program for completion of the Program in Nonprofit Management. Also in 1999, Ms. Dusenbury went to work for Regency Development Associates, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. Regency was owned by SunTrust Bank out of Atlanta, Georgia, and earned the title of the #2 Ranked Builder in the Country by Builder Magazine in May 2002. In 2003, Ms. Dusenbury formed Halcon Development, LLC and since then, she has worked with various investors in the development of affordable housing in North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina.
Ms. Dusenbury begin working for Douglas Development, LLC in 2003 with David Douglas and Brad Queener and has headed up their development efforts in North Carolina Halcon has partnered with their entities on numerous tax credit developments.
Over her career, Ms. Dusenbury has been involved in the development and financing of approximately 50 multifamily apartment communities in North Carolina and Virginia using the Section 42 Tax Credit program and serves as a General Partner/Member in twenty-four (24) of the complexes. No defaults within the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program or similar other adverse circumstances have occurred in any of the projects with which Ms. Dusenbury is associated. To date, Halcon is an owner/partner in 24+ developments with total development costs exceeding $300 million and almost 1,000 units. She has also developed many more projects as a Development Consultant or Developer for other companies for close to another 1,000 units.
Ms. Dusenbury has written six CDBG-HD grants and has been awarded six for use in combination with tax credits from the NCHFA to develop affordable apartment communities. Ms. Dusenbury has also submitted and been awarded more than 25 grants and/or loans in excess of $9 million from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta’s Affordable Housing Program for affordable apartment communities. She has worked closely with SunTrust Bank, BB&T, Bank of America, Capitol Bank, and First Citizens to submit FHLBA applications. She has also developed housing for persons with special needs and shared living housing for senior citizens utilizing the Rural Development 515 program and the NC Housing Finance Agency’s Special Needs Program. Ms. Dusenbury has worked closely with the NC and VA State Housing Agencies to receive tax credits and/or tax-exempt bonds in order to develop and construct or renovate multifamily housing for senior citizens and low and moderate-income families. She has also secured funding from the VA Department of Housing and Community Development.
Ms. Dusenbury is an “Experienced NC Tax Credit Developer” through the NC Housing Finance Agency’s Qualified Allocation Criteria.
Ms. Dusenbury has also worked with numerous entitlement cities and consortiums to leverage CDBG and/or HOME funds for the development of affordable rental housing. She works closely with the local governments and consortiums to meet all HUD and CDBG requirements including Davis-Bacon, Section 3, Fair Housing, and other many other reporting requirements. She is considered an experienced CDBG and HOME Administrator herself from her time working for local governments. She has worked closely with numerous local governments providing HOME or CDBG funds for housing including the City of Greensboro, the City of Winston-Salem, the City of Raleigh, Wake County, the City of Oxford, the City of Gastonia, the City of Kinston, the City of Asheville, the City of Suffolk, Virginia, and others.
Ms. Dusenbury also served on the Board of Directors for the statewide NC Community Development Association from 1995-2004.
In 2006, Ms. Dusenbury became a North Carolina licensed real estate agent and broker and formed Halcon Properties & Consulting, LLC, which is now Halcon Properties, LLC. She became licensed as a Virginia Broker and real estate agent in 2009. She continues to work with private developers, non-profits, and local governments in the development of affordable housing and providing administrative assistance to local governments.
Ms. Dusenbury’s combination of experience working with local governments, administering HOME and CDBG programs, and working with N.C. Division of Community Assistance Small Cities Program and developing and overseeing tax credit affordable housing communities gives her the unique ability to serve as a liaison between local governments and private developers, as well as non-profits, in their combined efforts to develop quality affordable housing. In 2009, Halcon Companies, LLC was formed. Halcon Companies, LLC serves as Ms. Dusenbury’s development and consulting entity and has five staff members. Halcon Properties, LLC and Ms. Dusenbury’s development company, Halcon Development, LLC, and Halcon Companies, LLC are woman-owned businesses. Halcon Companies, LLC and Halcon Properties, LLC are continuing to provide real estate and development/consulting services to developers, non-profits, and local governments. In 2018, Halcon Development, LLC won the coveted “Housing North Carolina Award” from the NC Housing Finance Agency for outstanding achievement in affordable housing for a LIHTC rehabilitation project in Asheboro, NC.
Ms. Dusenbury is currently located primarily just outside of Richmond, VA but also has residences in North Carolina, where she does most of her development work, as well. In addition to working on her own developments, she also works as a Development Consultant for other for-profit and non-profit development partners across North Carolina and across the Country.
