Ivory Innovations is a nonprofit organization dedicated to catalyzing innovative solutions in housing affordability.
Founded in 2017 and housed at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, we promote the most compelling ideas in housing by convening industry experts, inspiring students, finding and supporting the best innovators, and putting new solutions into practice.
The Ivory Innovations Team
abby ivory, President
Ivory Innovations was born while Abby was working on the Impact Investing team for the Sorenson Impact Center. Prior to her experience in impact investing, she worked as an intern focused on researching Green Bonds with Equilibrium Capital in Portland, Oregon. Her work has been published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Abby graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Utah in 2016 with an emphasis in Sustainability.
Darin Haskell, Chief Operating Officer
Darin has over 26 years of experience working in residential development and construction, including 17 years at Ivory Homes. His work has focused on multifamily housing, including both for-sale and for-rent projects. Darin's projects at the Ivory Innovations Operating Foundation span every phase of the development process, from land acquisition to property management.
Jenna louie, Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer
Jenna is the Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer at Ivory Innovations, a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to catalyzing innovation in housing affordability. At Ivory, she leads strategy and partnership efforts that support the innovative organizations and entrepreneurs recognized by the annual Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. She attended Harvard College and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Mary lehnhof, Chief of staff
mary.lehnhof@ivoryinnovations.org
Mary is the Chief of Staff for Ivory Innovations. With her previous role as the Senior Manager of Accounting for the MBA & Executive Education department at the University of Utah, Mary gained experience in financial management, university administration, strategic planning and HR. Mary’s values of people, details, and problem-solving guide her work at Ivory Innovations. She graduated from Utah State University with a degree in business management. Outside of her professional endeavors, Mary finds joy in (and keeps busy by!) spending time with her 4 kids and husband.
Porter Openshaw, Director of Finance
Porter has a background in real estate finance and development. Prior to joining Ivory Innovations, he worked as a commercial real estate relationship manager for Wells Fargo and before that in development with a boutique retail developer. He is passionate about making a positive impact through real estate and creating value for people, communities, and the environment. Porter attended the University of Utah, has a BS in Finance, and wraps up his MRED in Fall 2023. He loves his wife and 3 boys and enjoys skiing, cycling, and camping.
Hannah Gable, Director of Strategy and Operations
Hannah is the Director of Strategy and Operations at Ivory Innovations. In her role, she primarily provides strategic support to the portfolio of Ivory Prize winners and finalists. Most recently, she worked with the Terner Center for Housing Innovation where she helped identify early-stage ventures making housing more affordable and fair. She holds a BA from Wake Forest University and MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Amro Al-Nimri, Director of construction and design
Amro Al-Nimri is an architect from Jordan with 2 years of experience in design and 4 years of experience in construction in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Amro is currently in his second to last semester at the Master’s in Real Estate Development at the University of Utah and working as a TA at the University of Utah, and an Intern with Ivory Innovations trying to find out-of-the-box solutions to the housing affordability crisis. Amro is into camping, sports, and outdoor activities, apart from his work and study life.
Chadwick Reed, MANAGER of programs and growth
Chad joined the Ivory Innovations team after winning Ivory’s Hack-a-House competition as a Master in Urban Planning student at Harvard. He has been interested in housing since college and has worked for various organizations in the sphere. Most recently, Chad worked as a researcher at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, where he continues to consult on a series of papers focused on manufactured housing. When he’s not working, Chad enjoys tinkering with vintage bikes, playing basketball, and watching the Twins play.
Manny Gunter, Assistant Controller
Manny Gunter serves as the Assistant Controller at Ivory Innovations. In this role, he manages sales tax exemption documents, credit cards, GL accounts, bank reconciliation, and input for all foundation projects. Manny is a graduate of Brigham Young University - Idaho, bringing a strong educational background to his diverse financial responsibilities at Ivory Innovations. With a passion for contributing to meaningful projects, Manny plays a key role in supporting the organization's mission and goals.
Dejan eskic, Director of research and education
Dejan Eskic is a senior research fellow and scholar at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, where he leads a range of projects focused on housing, construction and real estate research, fiscal impact studies and economic and demographic analysis. Prior to joining the Gardner Policy Institute, Eskic worked in the retail research industry where he evaluated current and future sales performance for retail sites through statistical gravity modeling reflecting market demographics throughout the Country. Dejan earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Utah, where he is also an adjunct professor.
Keni Nelson, STUDENT AND Events Administrator
Keni is the Student Administrator at Ivory Innovations. Having worked with technology start-ups, political campaigns, and small business owners, Keni loves helping people accomplish their goals. She completed the Master of Real Estate Development program at the University of Utah in May 2024, and works as a real estate broker in Utah. Keni's varied background gives her a unique perspective on the challenges of bringing affordable housing to the market. In addition to real estate, Keni loves to read, play golf, and learn about wine.
Mary Schlachter, Marketing and Events Coordinator
Mary graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in marketing and minors in sociology and art technology. The daughter of an architect, Mary grew up knowing the housing industry and in the past few years became increasingly interested in affordable housing. She enjoys working on projects with impact and exciting challenges. In particular, she brings her experience in marketing, design, and advertising from ADThing, a University of Utah student-run advertising agency, into this role. Outside of the office, Mary enjoys drawing, spending time with friends, and traveling.
Special Projects
Brooklyn Lindsey, Special Projects Analyst
Asher Smith, Research Assistant
Xander Johnson, Marketing Specialist
Ivory Innovations Associates
Senior Associates
Jack O’Leary, Senior Associate
Jack is a junior at the University of Utah pursuing honors degrees in political science and economics with a pre-law emphasis. Before joining Ivory Innovations, Jack held roles as student government chief of staff and news writer for the Daily Utah Chronicle. Jack is a member of the Business Economics Society, Out for Business, and the Pre-Law Society, and is the diversity, equity, and inclusion chair for the Beta Epsilon chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Jack is passionate about urban planning and architecture and hopes to work as a corporate real estate lawyer. In his free time, Jack enjoys hiking, skiing, and finding cool coffee shops in Salt Lake City.
Jeremiah Munn, Senior associate
Jeremiah is a sophomore at the University of Utah studying entrepreneurship and minoring in architecture. Jeremiah is also actively involved in the Master of Business Creations program. Jeremiah and his loving wife Makenzie got married in 2021. They are both foodies who enjoy travel, volleyball, and living in Utah. Jeremiah’s professional goal as an entrepreneur is to use creative design and innovative ideation to facilitate equitable positive change.
nolan martin, senior associate
Nolan is a third-year student at the University of Utah pursuing a bachelor of science in entrepreneurship. Prior to joining the Ivory Innovations team, Nolan lived outside the city of Chicago as well as within the golden state city of San Francisco. During his time in each city, he developed a deeper understanding of the importance of housing affordability and the impact it had on people within his local communities and surrounding cities. Now happily residing in Utah, he brings his first-hand knowledge and experience to the Ivory Innovations team in an effort to help drive positive change in the housing world.
Sydney Williams, Senior associate
Sydney is a sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Prior to joining Ivory Innovations, Sydney interned with Air Academy Federal Credit Union, where she worked with members to provide them financial guidance and advice. In addition to her work at Ivory Innovations, Sydney is also a member of the Investment Club, Women in Business, and Finance Club. Her passion for affordable housing grew from her experiences moving around every year as a military child, and she hopes to use that passion in her work at Ivory Innovations. In her free time, Sydney enjoys hiking, skiing, backpacking, and reading!
