2024 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Andrew Hayward,
Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative

“Andrew is definitely a rising star in affordable housing. He has a genuine enthusiasm for multifamily development that is refreshing to be around. He is self-motivated, highly productive, and has learned more in three years than many do in a decade!” - Michael Mattos, President and CEO at Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative. 

In the last 12 months what accomplishment are you most proud of? In summer 2023 I graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s in Professional Studies in Real Estate Development (MRED). While the classes were challenging, the difficult piece was the final thesis, which focused on a theoretical affordable housing project and included due diligence, financial modeling, and background analysis. My concentration was in affordable housing, so the classes have really served to aid me in my day-to-day duties as a development manager. 

How do you balance your rising career with your personal life? With exercise and hobbies. As long as I get my 60 minutes of morning exercise in during the workweek and have time on the weekends for volleyball, kite surfing, or reading, then I feel as though I have good work/life balance.

Who are the key people in your life that have contributed to your success? An obvious answer is my parents. I have learned so much from each of them. My mom for her amazing sales skills, and my dad for his organization, consistency, and love of hard work. The less obvious answer is through reading. I would attribute a large portion of my personality and skill set to things I learned through reading and listening to audiobooks.

Outside of your career, where else do you seek continuous learning and personal growth? Exercise and nutrition are passions of mine that have endured since I was in high school, so I am always looking for ways to improve my physical fitness and testing out different foods, diets, supplements to see how they make me feel. Lastly, I have a small real estate portfolio of my own that I am constantly working on, whether it be improving my property management skills or underwriting potential deals.