Meet the Team
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Pastor Martin Porter is a visionary leader, faith-based real estate developer, and dedicated pastor in the nation’s oldest African American denomination. As Managing Partner of Los Angeles-based Logos Faith Development, he leads a pipeline of over 40 projects totaling more than 2,000 units. With expertise in transformational leadership, real estate development, and faith-based housing, he identified a gap in mission-driven development on church-owned land and built Logos into an industry leader.
Before launching Logos, Pastor Porter held senior leadership roles at national and regional real estate firms, earning recognition as a top producer and recruiter while fostering cultures of retention and growth. His leadership journey is shaped by both personal trials and professional triumphs.
Born in Asia and raised in the UK and Southern California, he overcame early hardships, finding meaning and purpose in church & ministry. His life experiences and powerful testimony of resilience through faith fuel his commitment to service.
Beyond real estate, Pastor Porter’s ministry is focused on empowering families and developing future leaders. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and is pursuing a master’s in divinity (MDIV), integrating both disciplines to drive lasting impact.
Pastor Porter preaches restoration, redemption, and resilience. His mission is clear: to build homes, hope, and human dignity—ensuring everyone has an opportunity to live and have a “life worth living”. He stands by and exemplifies the values of the organization he founded and leads: Faith, Family, Honor, and Heritage.
FOUNDER & CEO
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Jon Abrams manages Logos’ legal work, including agreements with land partners, lenders and investors. Jon is also involved with strategic matters for the organization.
Jon has closed over $2 billion in real estate transactions as a Partner at Abrams Brown LLP. Jon’s practice focuses on real estate purchase and sale transactions, real estate syndication deals, joint ventures, investment structuring, development, corporate documents and secured loan transactions.
Jon was previously General Counsel and part of small executive teams overseeing all company affairs at two LA-based public real estate companies, Maguire Properties and Rexford Industrial. Those teams were responsible for managing strategic options (such as financing transactions and M&A opportunities), debt maturities, internal operations, public communications and the overall business plan. Jon also supervised the following departments at various times: legal; property management; leasing; development/entitlements; human resources; and information technology.
Jon graduated with honors from Harvard Law School in 2001 and with honors from UC Berkeley in 1997.
Jon has served as Chairman of Happy Trails for Kids since 2009. Happy Trails is a non-profit organization that provides a summer camp and year-round reunion events for hundreds of children in the California foster care system. Jon is married and has three children.
SENIOR VP OF STRATEGY & CAPITAL MARKETS
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Ryan Lehman serves as the Senior Director of Development at Logos Faith Development, where he leads the planning and execution of affordable and supportive housing projects. He oversees all phases of real estate development—from site selection and entitlements to construction, financing, and lease-up.
With over 20 years of experience in real estate development, Ryan has led a wide range of projects, including award-winning transit-oriented and Net Zero Energy communities. His work spans deeply affordable and permanent supportive housing, often in partnership with public agencies and mission-aligned nonprofit organizations.
Before joining Logos, Ryan was the Senior Director of Real Estate Development at American Family Housing, where he managed a pipeline of more than 500 units across Southern California, including Casa Paloma and Avon River Apartments.
Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at A Community of Friends and Livable Places, and consulted for agencies such as the Los Angeles Housing Department and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles, advancing strategic urban redevelopment and housing equity initiatives.
Ryan holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.A. from Goshen College. Based in Los Angeles, he is passionate about sustainable design, inclusive development, and empowering communities through mission-driven housing.
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
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Samantha oversees Logos’ development initiatives and project execution. With expertise in project underwriting, investment analysis, and development, she leads strategic planning efforts to advance Logos’ mission of transforming underutilized land into affordable housing.
Prior to joining Logos, Sam held key roles at Relevant Group, Colony Capital, Mission Housing, and Space Global, where she structured investment proposals, managed project evaluations, and led investor reporting. As Relevant’s Investment Sales & Marketing Director in Shanghai, Sam developed and executed the Asia team’s capital formation strategy, resulting in $40M+ of private equity fundraising for LA affordable modular housing projects. She also supervised a business development team of four, originating or re-engaging over $272 million in prospective equity deals. Her non-profit experience in San Francisco includes securing over $22 million in public funding for affordable housing initiatives.
Born to immigrant parents from Argentina and Ireland, Sam is trilingual and was raised in a multilingual environment, speaking native Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. She was also the first person in China to utilize the country’s Entrepreneur Visa to launch a consulting firm, [上海莎吕企业咨询管理有限公司 / Salü Built Asset & Environment Consulting].
A creative at heart, Sam enjoys writing, photography, cooking, playing the flute, and painting in her free time. She also loves to travel and explore new cities.
A UC Berkeley honors graduate in Urban Studies & Chinese Language, Samantha is committed to leveraging real estate as a tool for positive social impact.
PARTNER & ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
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Nia manages communications and follow-up with church land partners, consultants, colleagues and contractors. She ensures that projects remain on schedule during the early planning stages and focuses on securing Stage 1 funding to keep developments progressing smoothly toward permitting. Nia is committed to aligning each project with the unique needs of the communities and churches they serve.
A licensed real estate agent since 2017, Nia has successfully closed millions of dollars in transactions across Southern California, including Los Angeles, Inglewood, Corona, and Riverside. Her expertise spans single-family homes, multifamily units, and lease agreements across Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. She has completed the University of Southern California’s Ross Minority Program in Real Estate, deepening her knowledge in housing equity, accessibility, and affordability.
Nia’s professional experience includes real estate, human resources, project management, and entrepreneurship. She discovered her passion for real estate at Keller Williams Beverly Hills before transitioning into HR roles at The Walt Disney Company and Fox Entertainment Group, where she gained expertise in executive onboarding and employee training. At Crystal Stairs Inc., she focused on enhancing the employee experience through training and internal communications.
Born and raised in Inglewood, California, and a proud Howard University graduate, Nia is passionate about preserving the cultural and historical integrity of communities. Through her work, she strives to create thoughtful, community-centered developments that honor the past while fostering sustainable growth.
OPERATIONS MANAGER & PARTNER LIAISON
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Chris has over 30 years of experience working in several capacities in the non-profit sector. Mr. Jordan began his non-profit work as an operations manager for a transportation company in Los Angeles responsible for senior transport in the Crenshaw-Leimert Park district. Mr. Jordan’s primary responsibilities included grant writing and resource development.
In November of 2000, Mr. Jordan joined Grant Housing & Economic Development Corporation (GHEDC) in 2000 as its Executive Director. In 2001, Mr. Jordan secured a $2M acquisition grant to begin a multi-phased mixed-use project in the Watts area. With this initial investment Mr. Jordan secured the purchase of land and developed his first major project, which was an award winning 92-unit affordable housing project and is finalizing the next phase of the project that will include a new state of the art housing facility that will specialize in providing services for veterans.
Mr. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management along with the completion of a fellowship at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA in Nonprofit Urban Development. Mr. Jordan graduated Summa Cum Laude.
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT PARTNER
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Joane is a Senior Investment Analyst, a role in which she supports various financial efforts, including capital raising, due diligence, financial analysis, and investor relations.
Before joining Logos, Joane held roles in real estate banking and finance at Walker & Dunlop and Capital One Commercial Bank, focusing on Underwriting and Portfolio Management.
An enthusiastic member of the real estate community, Joane has received numerous awards, including the Avery Scholarship from Columbia University, a selective merit-based scholarship awarded upon admission. At Columbia, she was part of the 1st-place team in the end-of-year Capstone Competition where she pitched a $456M mixed-use affordable housing project to various investors, developers and NYC city officials. She also received the Mortgage Bankers Association of New York Scholarship, the WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate Scholarship, the CREW New York Past President’s Scholarship, and the Bellwether Enterprise Foundation Scholarship. She is passionate about expanding opportunities for women in real estate and served as the 2023 President of Diversity & Inclusion in Real Estate at Cornell University and as an executive board member of Women in Real Estate Development at Columbia University.
Joane holds a Master’s in Real Estate Development (MSRED) from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation (GSAPP), and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations with minors in Real Estate and Business from Cornell University.
Senior Investment Analyst
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Giovanni Jimenez is a Development Analyst at Logos Faith Development, where he is responsible for conducting site feasibility analysis, financial modeling, development budgets, and capital planning, and supporting projects through pre-development.
Before joining Logos, Giovanni served as a Real Estate Research Intern at Olos Impact Group. Where he conducted in-depth analysis of real estate price trends surrounding the Olympic Games, analyzing data five to ten years before and after hosting. His research revealed a substantial positive impact on property values, as well as highlighting the socioeconomic challenges associated with such major events.
Giovanni was actively involved in community service at the University of Southern California. Where he was a member of Troy Camp, USC’s largest student-run organization, where he mentored youth from South Central Los Angeles as part of his commitment to giving back to his community.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Giovanni graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and a specialization in Applied Analytics from the University of Southern California.
Development Analyst
Public Relations and Digital Marketing Coordinator
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The Reverend John Edward Cager III serves the greater Los Angeles area as a thought leader, innovator, community developer and voice of moral authority. Programmatically, he heads the Faith Community Coalition of Greater Los Angeles (FCCLA), an association of over one hundred congregations and faith-based organizations focusing on social enterprise & social entrepreneurship to improve their catchment areas. In partnership with the Latin University of Theology, FCCLA also reaches several hundred primarily Spanish language congregations.
Cager also works as Senior Partner for LOGOS Faith Development, which provides opportunities for faith communities to monetize their underutilized real property to create revenue to fund community service, outreach & expansion. Having previously worked at FAME Housing and Housing Development Services, Inc., he understands the impact that the faith-based sector wields, with churches often being the largest property owners and the largest providers of services in south Los Angeles. Cager spent 5 years as the President of The Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders, 12 years as the President of the Southern California Conference Ministerial Alliance and his board service has included Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), First to Serve, Inc., Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches (LAM) and Progressive Christians Uniting (PCU).
PARTNER
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Bishop Kevin Mannoia is Logos’ Senior Advisor. He is a consultant and current Pastoral Coach for the Free Methodist Church in Southern California. Previously, he was the Pastoral Coach at the Rock Church, San Diego. He is a Professor of Ministry and formerly served as University Chaplain of Azusa Pacific University overseeing the spiritual care of faculty, staff, and graduate students as well as providing guidance to the administration and board in institutional identity. He served as Dean of Theology at APU and before that, President of the National Association of Evangelicals. From his experience as a pastor, superintendent, and Bishop of the Free Methodist Church and President of the NAE, Mannoia brings his understanding of the church at a congregational, organizational, denominational, and global level to his ministry. He is the Founder of the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, bringing together historic denominations, leaders, and university/college presidents in clarifying the Wesleyan Holiness stream of the Church.
Mannoia also is the President of the International Council for Higher Education, an international accrediting agency and network of Christian colleges and universities in restricted parts of the world.
He has been a faculty member at seminaries and universities around the world as well as a board member of Seattle Pacific University. Presently he is a member of the Board of Trustees for Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, N.Y., on the Editorial Board of the Christian Higher Education Journal, and Chairs the Board of ACCU, a Christian Financial Institution.
Senior Advisor
