Her Story
About Kimberly
Kimberly Gephart serves as a Compliance Specialist at Related Affordable, the largest affordable property management company, where she has worked for eight years after returning from a brief hiatus. Based in Dayton, Ohio, she ensures that residents in properties across Illinois, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio are income qualified and compliant with tax credit regulations. Her expertise lies in re-syndications, which involve acquiring Section 8 properties and securing tax credits for rehabilitation, a process she finds rewarding for improving living conditions for seniors and families on fixed incomes. Kimberly conducts weekly training sessions for managers, reviews files, and automates processes using AI tools while maintaining a focus on work-life balance. She is a member of the National Center for Housing Management and regularly attends conferences hosted by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. After earning her Tax Credit Specialist Advanced and HCCP certifications, she was one of 35 employees selected for an elite leadership program out of more than 2,000 at the company. Previously, she spent 12 years in market research before restarting her career in leasing and advancing through promotions to her current role.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kimberly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was a very young single mom and I've had motivation. I've always been career-focused. It's just in me. But yeah, I think what my original motivation was, was I wanted to be a very big example for my daughter.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Also, just don't be afraid to start at the bottom. I started over, and I was very established in my other career, making great money, and I took a risk, and I ended up loving it. I took the pay cut but I learned everything, and I'm so grateful I did it the way I did.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Slow down and pay attention. Don't get discouraged from mistakes. A lot of people beat themselves up, and as long as you learn from your mistake, you're human, and it's okay.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenges are finding the right people, quality people, we've struggled with that. And workload, work-life balance. Maintaining a work-life balance.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, integrity. Empathy is a good one too, because we are dealing with people who are homeless sometimes, and are in really bad situations.
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