Executive Staff
Ericka Keller
Managing Member
Brisa Builders Development
Ericka Keller truly has a heart for community development and revitalization. Attending school on full academic scholarships and graduating Magna Cum Laude, Ericka commenced her career as a junior high school teacher and served several years as an elementary school principal before joining the family business of construction and development in 2012.
In December 2016 Ericka opened her own company Brisa Builders Development LLC, an organization focused on the development of affordable housing with faith-based organizations and church partners.
Since 2016, Brisa Builders Development LLC has originated , completed and /or under construction over 2200 units of deeply affordable housing with more than 108,575 sq. ft. of commercial/retail and community facility spaces, many with faith-based partners. The company currently has approximately 2500 units in predevelopment across New York City. Brisa Builders Development was very proud to be the selected developer for the NYC HPD Brownsville Site B:RFP as well as the New York City Housing Authority PACT program in the Bronx and the City of Chicopee Baskin Site RFP, which is the company’s first new construction project in Massachusetts . Ericka has received several awards and citations during the course of both of her careers including, the 2009 Queens Rotary Club “Unsung Hero Award”, 2010 NYS Senate “Constituent of the Month Citation”, 2012 National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) “Woman of the Year Award” the 2015 Mayor Hall -Village of Hempstead “Woman of the Year Award” as well as recognitions from colleagues like New York State Association of Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) 2021 M/WBE of the Year and 2021 Crain’s Notable Business Woman Recognition and most recently 2025 State Senator Sander’s Honoring Trailblazing Women in Construction . Ericka provides an annual scholarship to young men from Brooklyn, pursuing college with an entrepreneurial spirit, in honor of her late father, Thomas B. Keller.
Chima Joseph
Senior Project Manager for Community Development
Brisa Builders Development
Prior to joining Brisa Builders Development, Mr. Joseph spent a total of 15 years at Bank of America, serving as a Senior Vice President in the Global Commercial Bank and prior to that, eight years in leveraged finance. In those roles, he was instrumental in delivering the bank's comprehensive global services, including treasury, credit, risk management, capital raising, and M&A.
A native New Yorker from Brownsville, Brooklyn, Mr. Joseph grew up witnessing the adverse effects of government and social policies on his community. This led to a focus on creating affordable, transitional and supportive housing for vulnerable populations, including the unhoused and recently incarcerated. He is a seasoned real estate developer with skills in design, construction, finance, and project management. His notable projects include serving as Project Manager at Glenmore Manor, a 233-unit 100% affordable housing development that includes approximately 20,000 SF of community and commercial space in Brownsville.
Mr. Joseph holds a BS in Financial Economics and a BA in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton, and an MBA from Chicago Booth. He is a 2020 Project REAP Fellow and a part of the inaugural class of Open Access Fellows, during which he spent time with Monge Capital and earned a Community Development Certificate from Novogradac. Mr. Joseph passed all three levels of the CFA. Additionally, he is an angel investor and provides business and financial consulting services to small, minority-owned businesses.
Nathaniel Montgomery
Chief Housing Development Officer
Brisa Builders Development
Mr. Montgomery’s primary focus is to identify real estate development opportunities throughout New York City and beyond that are consistent with the mission of the organization. He leads an experienced team of real estate professionals at Brisa Builders who are dedicated to preserving, constructing, managing, and owning residential and commercial properties.
He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at the Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation (NEBHDCo). As Chief Operating Officer at NEBHDCo, he was responsible for Fiscal, Economic Development, Community Programs, Human Resources, Asset & Property Management and Real Estate Development. Mr. Montgomery was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the entire organization.
Well-seasoned in the affordable housing sphere with more than 25 years of experience, Nathaniel has been tremendously successful in coordinating, negotiating, planning, constructing, and managing residential and commercial development projects. He has experience in developing special needs, low-moderate, middle, and incoming with the use of bond financing, government subsidies, specifically New York State and Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
He holds certifications in Real Estate Development Finance and Economic Development Finance from the National Development Corporation (NDC). Nathaniel holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning (MA) and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) and is also a graduate of the National Urban Fellows Leadership Program.