Community Development Advisory Council Members

Patricia Garcia Duarte, President and CEO
Trellis(Opens a new window)

1405 E. McDowell Rd.
Phoenix, CA 85006
602.258.1659

Mrs. Patricia Garcia Duarte was selected as the President and Chief Executive of Trellis in March 2006 (formerly Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix, Inc.). Her responsibilities include creating a vision for the organization and guiding the strategic goals to better serve clients, stakeholders and communities. Trellis is an Arizona not-for-profit organization dedicated to making stable homes and communities possible by educating, building and lending. Trellis is a $14.5MM organization and has prepared over 3,500 home buyers to purchase their first home; built new or rehabbed over 300 homes; prevented more than 4,800 foreclosures by helping struggling homeowners; and financed an excess of $149MM in mortgage loans and down payment assistance.

She was formerly at Chase as the Arizona Manager for the Community Department Group. She was responsible for helping the bank invest in communities to support the bank's requirements under the Community Reinvestment Act. Mrs. Garcia Duarte holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the College of Business, Arizona State University.

Formerly, Ms. Garcia Duarte was a Housing Developer in the not-for-profit sector and utilized public and private resources for the development of affordable housing. For the last thirty-one years, she has been an advocate for community development initiatives. She is a former member of the Inaugural Community Advisory Board of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve. She has been a volunteer board member of non-profits groups that promote self-sufficiency through economic development and affordable housing opportunities to low and moderate-income individuals. She previously served on the City of Phoenix Commission on Housing and Neighborhoods, City of Mesa Housing Task Force and the Regional Workforce Housing Task Force: established to develop a comprehensive, integrated Regional Housing Plan.

Currently, she is a board member of Community Housing Capital, a national Community Development Financial Institution; Arizona Housing Coalition, City of Phoenix, Parks & Preserve Initiative Oversight Committee, South-Central Transit Oriented Development Steering Committee and the Arizona Community Foundation. She is also a community advisory member to Mutual of Omaha Bank-Arizona.

She is a past recipient of the following awards: 2009 Brian Mickelson Housing Hero Award, 2010 Lupe Sisneros Memorial Award, 2011 NNA Emerging Leader Award, 2011 BBVA Compass Visionary Team Leader Award, 2016 Outstanding Women in Business and the 2016 Rosa Carrillo Humanitarian Award.

Ms. Hilda Kennedy, Founder and President
AmPac Business Capital dba of AmPac Tri-State CDC, Inc.(Opens a new window)

22365 Barton Road, Suite 304
Grand Terrace, CA 92313
909.915.1706
hkennedy[at]ampac.com

Ms. Kennedy is the President and Founder of AmPac Tri State CDC; a nonprofit economic development corporation certified by the United States Small Business Administration to provide SBA guaranteed 504 loans for new and growing small businesses. AmPac is the SBA’s first faith-based certified lender in the country. AmPac Tri State CDC is a member of the National Association of Development Companies (NADCO), a Board Member of the Risk Management Association – Inland Empire Chapter, Past President, National Association of Women Business Owners – CA – Public Policy Director; National Association of Women Business Owners – Inland Empire, and has strong relationships with a number of banks, investors and non-traditional lenders.

Ms. Kennedy spent twelve years working in local government and community lending. As the Director of Economic and Business Development for the City of Inglewood, Ms. Kennedy established and implemented a $45 million loan fund with funds from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and matching funds from Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco member banks. During her tenure in Inglewood, she also served as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Inglewood and the City Administrator; and as the City’s Public Information Officer where she was involved in coordinating City-wide events.

Ms. Kennedy graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Psychology and completed a post-graduate fellowship with the Coro Foundation in New York City, New York. Kennedy and her Coro Foundation completed a study for D. C. staffers on how the U. S. can provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans.

Mr. Ralph Lippman, President and Executive Director (Retired)
California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA)(Opens a new window)

244 S. San Pedro Street, Suite 412
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.625.0105
ralphlippman2020[at]gmail.com

Mr. Lippman recently retired but is still active in the community as a consultant and board member.

CCEDA is a statewide membership association serving California since 1989.  Its membership is comprised of organizations actively engaged in revitalizing California's neighborhoods, including local governments and resident driven community development corporations, community action agencies, and faith-based institutions.

After having a successful 22-year career as Executive Director of California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) and a member of the Advisory Council since 2008, Ralph Lippman will be using his talents and work experience as a Development Consultant starting August 1, 2019. Prior to joining CCEDA, Mr. Lippman worked for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles; American Indian Consultants, Inc.; Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation; and LISC. He has lectured at Pepperdine University and the University of Southern California, where he also served as director of program development for the USC School of Continuing Education. Mr. Lippman’s areas of expertise include economic strategy, workforce development, securing financial capital and identifying wealth retention strategies, internal and external regional market creation, business coaching and support for entrepreneurs, job creation, and wealth and asset development strategies for households and individuals. He earned his Doctorate in Public Administration from USC and completed Harvard University’s program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Ms. Ortensia Lopez - Executive Director
El Concilio of San Mateo County(Opens a new window)

3180 Middlefield Rd.
Redwood City, CA 94063
650.373.1080
or10sia[at]aol.com

The organization is a coalition of twenty-four Latino service providers in San Mateo County.  El Concilio’s mission is to improve the quality of life for Latinos by promoting leadership development, increasing employment and educational opportunities, and ensuring access to quality health for all.

Ortensia is a nationally recognized leader with over 36 years of experience in creating coalitions of partnerships that resulted in innovative initiatives that inspire, empower and ensure low-income communities to participate and become part of the solution. She has been working in the Non-Profit sector for over forty-two years in executive management positions serving as a change agent for disenfranchised communities.  In the last 21 years has worked in energy efficiency programs for low-income.  

As the second of 11 children born to parents from Mexico, was the first to graduate from college.  Her studies in Psychology & Chicano Studies helped deepen her insights into disenfranchised communities, and her master’s degree in Urban/Social Planning from the University of Southern California inspired her life-long commitment as a global change agent.  Since then, she has been developing and successfully managing innovative programs that address social, economic, employment and health disparities among low income communities throughout San Mateo County. She is a skilled advocate and driving force for policy changes that will help elevate low-income populations.

She currently serves as Co-Chairperson of Greenlining Institute, Vice-Chairperson Chicana/Latina Foundation, Director, Vice–Chairperson Community Housing Opportunities Corporation, Co-chair Energy Efficiency Council, Director of Comerica Advisory Board, California Community Builders, Solar Oversight, and CHOC Ventures, San Mateo County Resource Management and Climate Protection Committee, and PG&E’s Community Renewables Program Advisory Group.

Ms. Carolina Martinez, Chief Executive Officer
CAMEO – California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity(Opens a new window)

1 Hallidie Plaza
San Francisco, CA  94102
415.992.4482
cmartinez[at]CAMEOnetwork.org
 

Carolina Martinez is the CEO of the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), a statewide association that represents over 240 lenders, training programs, job creators, agencies and individuals dedicated to furthering Microbusiness development in the state. CAMEO advocates for its members and builds their capacity to support the more than 30,000 very small businesses they serve.

Carolina has over 12 years of experience working in economic development and business consulting.

Her vision has been defined by the variety of experiences she’s had with nonprofits and universities in South and North America. She has developed bilingual, culturally appropriate entrepreneurial training programs; trained and coached pre-venture and startups; developed international networks promoting partnerships among private corporations that boost industries; provided consulting services to vulnerable communities to explore entrepreneurship as a way to generate wealth; and owned her own business consulting firm.

Carolina has served on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs as well as on the boards of the Berks County Latino Chamber of Commerce and the Kutztown University Foundation. She currently serves in the boards of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) and Mission Economic Development Agency’s Fondo Adelante. She has an MBA and BA in Industrial Engineering.

Mr. Clemente A. Mojica, Chief Executive Officer
President and CEO Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services & Sojourner Solar(Opens a new window)

9551 Pittsburgh Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909.988.5979
Clemente[at]nphsinc.org

Clemente A. Mojica is a social entrepreneur and a community development executive with over 20 years of experience in affordable housing, economic development, environmental sustainability and information technology. He has leveraged this unique mix of skills to develop programs and cross-sector strategic partnerships that promote the development of sustainable communities, establishment of equity-building opportunities for underserved people, creation and preservation of living-wage jobs, and sustainability of the environment.

Clemente is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer for Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services (NPHS), a multifaceted Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) located in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Clemente guides the organization’s work in affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, community wealth-building, job creation and preservation, and environmental sustainability. While at NPHS, Clemente founded Sojourner Solar and NPHS Community Realty. Sojourner Solar is a solar panel sales platform that enables the accessibility of solar technology to low-income communities. NPHS Community Realty provides mission-driven commercial and residential real estate services to underrepresented entrepreneurs and first-time homebuyer.

Clemente holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from the California State University of San Bernardino.

Ms. Elizabeth Schott--Executive Director
ACCION San Diego(Opens a new window)

404 Euclid Ave. Suite 271
San Diego, CA 92114
619.795.7250
eschott[at]accionsandiego.org

ACCION San Diego is a non-profit organization striving to bring economic opportunity to small business owners in Southern California. By providing small business loans and support to entrepreneurs who do not have access to traditional forms of credit, their goal is to help them create their dreams, provide for their families and contribute to their communities. They are a local affiliate of the larger ACCION International organization.

Schott joined Accion in 2004, where she worked in operational roles for four years prior to taking the CEO role in early 2009. She is responsible for overall strategic and operational areas of the organization in Southern CA, in addition to board development, human resources, and major fundraising. She brings 20 years of project and organizational development, strategic marketing and PR experience working primarily in small business and nonprofit sectors. In recent years she has been recognized with the SBA Financial Services Champion of the Year award and as a recipient of the San Diego Metro’s 40 under 40 Award, and she is a graduate of multiple leadership programs through Fieldstone Foundation. She loves to be active outdoors, volunteer and spend time with friends/family, her husband, 5-year old daughter and 2-year-old twin boys.

Mr. Johng Ho Song – Executive Director
Koreatown Youth & Community Center(Opens a new window)

3727 West 6th Street, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90020
213.365.7400
jsong[at]kyccla.org

Johng Ho Song is the Executive Director of Koreatown Youth and Community Center, a nonprofit organization that serves the recently immigrated and economically disadvantaged children and families of the multiethnic Koreatown community in Los Angeles. KYCC is the leading multiservice provider in Koreatown, offering services that include affordable housing, Pre-K-12 education, community economic development and mental health counseling. Under Mr. Song’s leadership, KYCC’s programs have expanded to nine different sites across Los Angeles, and its annual operating budget has grown to more than $10 million.

Mr. Song was born in Seoul, Korea, and immigrated to the United States when he was 11. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated with a degree in psychology. He began his career at KYCC as a counselor in 1989, and he has been the organization’s Executive Director since 1998.

Among numerous community-supporting roles, Mr. Song is a Fellow at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research, California Commissioner on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, Los Angeles County Commissioner on Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Board President of A3PCON (Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council) from 2013-2015. Most recently, Mr. Song received the Durfee Foundation Sabbatical Award in 2009 and the Durfee Foundation’s Stanton Fellowship in 2016, for which he is conceiving and developing a community plan for Koreatown.

Cornell Crews, Jr., Executive Director
Community Reinvestment Alliance of South Florida(Opens a new window)

300 NW 12^th Ave.
Miami, Florida 33128
954.622.4184
Cornell[at]CRASF.org

Cornell Crews Jr. is the Executive Director of the Community Reinvestment Alliance of South Florida.  A non-profit membership organization serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, dedicated to the enforcement and preservation of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. His previous employment included 16 years at Partners for Self Employment Inc. (PSE).

Prior to working at PSE, Cornell served 23 years and retired from the US Army where his many duties included First Sergeant, Special Operations, Communications Chief, Senior Drill Sergeant and Master Parachutist. He participated in numerous missions and deployments. Cornell attended a variety of military schools and training courses. He holds a BA in music performance from the University of Maryland.

Eva Garza Dewaelsche, President & CEO
SER Metro(Opens a new window)

9301 Michigan Avenue
Detroit, MI 48210
313.846.2240
edewaelsche[at]sermetro.org

SER Metro-Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc. is a multi-service, Michigan corporation committed to the development and utilization of the nation's workforce. SER promotes upward mobility and economic self-sufficiency for Metropolitan Detroit residents through a comprehensive service delivery system in the areas of Literacy, Education, Employment, Community Development and Economic Opportunity.
 

Lina Hourani-Harajli, COO
ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services)(Opens a new window)

2651 Saulino Court
Dearborn, MI 48120
313.842.7010
lharajli[at]accesscommunity.org

ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) has been serving the community for more than 46 years. Founded by a group of dedicated volunteers in 1971 out of a storefront in Dearborn’s impoverished south end, ACCESS was created to assist the Arab immigrant population adapt to life in the United States. Today, ACCESS is the largest Arab American community nonprofit in the United States. With 11 locations and more than 120 programs serving metro Detroit, ACCESS offers a wide range of social, economic, health and educational services to a diverse population.
 

Douglas P. Jones, Pastor
Welcome Missionary Baptist Church
Greater Pontiac Community Coalition(Opens a new window)

143 Oneida Street
Pontiac, MI 48341
248.335.8740
dougjones[at]core.com

Pastor Jones’ vision for Welcome Missionary Baptist Church is: “A community church, bible driven with a holistic approach ministering to the whole family, youth, teens, young adults, adults, seniors and retirees – men, women, boys and girls, offering different ministries to gain spiritual, financial and physical growth by building strong families, strong marriages, strong relationships and true moral values.
 

Kristina Marshall, President & CEO
Winning Futures(Opens a new window)
27500 Cosgrove Dr
Warren, MI 48092
248.709.4488
kris[at]winningfutures.org

Winning Futures’ mission is to be an exemplary business-education partnership that inspires and prepares young people to be self-reliant and successful through life skills, strategic planning, mentoring, and scholarship programs. Their vision is to be a strong mentoring organization that has a long-term, positive impact on youth and the community. To be the essence of excellence in mentorship.
 

Bonnie Nawara, CEO
Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW)(Opens a new window)
25 Sheldon Blvd SE, Ste 210
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.458.3404
bnawara[at]growbusiness.org

Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) is a service focused on women at various stages of business ownership. We are the entrepreneurial resource to help women take the next step, empowering and supporting them with professional expertise for a lifetime.

Linda Smith, Executive Director
U-SNAP-BAC Community Development Corporation(Opens a new window)
14901 East Warren
Detroit, Michigan 48224
313.640.1100
ls[at]usnapbac.org

U-SNAP-BAC, Inc. is a consortium of community and business organizations, working together to empower residents to impact the future of Detroit’s Eastside. Their mission is to empower residents to impact the future of Detroit's eastside. Through coalition building, resource development, joint planning and programming, we will promote economic growth and neighborhood improvement.

Vincent Tilford, Executive Director
Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation(Opens a new window)
4750 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI 48201
313.833.1300 Ext 17
vtilford[at]hannan.org

The Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation believes that caring for our elders is a central value of our community. Therefore, the Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for senior citizens in Metropolitan Detroit – with a focus on the City of Detroit – by identifying their unmet physical, social and financial needs and maintaining facilities and creating programs that both address these needs and preserve the dignity of seniors.

Rodolfo (Rudy) Cavazos, Founder and President
The BridgePath

811 Chase Lock Drive
Bacliff, Texas 77518
832.561.6864
rodolfo.cavazos[at]thebridgepath.org

The BridgePath’s mission is to provide expert, comprehensive and fundamental personal financial education to families and individuals, by creating a collaborative environment with the goal of empowering communities.
 

Paul D. Charles, Executive Director
Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corporation

5445 Almeda Road, Ste #505
Houston, Texas 77004
713.520.5232
pcharles[at]nrcdc.org

Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corporation (NRCDC) revitalizes defined target areas in Houston; provides and encourages economic development and investment; provides and promotes the development of housing for persons of low and moderate income; improves the quality of life for residents; and works with private, public and civic entities.

Deavra Daughtry, Executive Director
Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation (TWEF)

9516 North Freeway
Houston, Texas 77037
832.434.5325
deavra[at]gmail.com

The Texas Women's Empowerment Foundation (TWEF) is a nonprofit organization geared towards mentoring families, from all walks of life; reach their fullest potential in the areas of personal development, business, education, finances and socioeconomic development.

Tamara Foster, VP Operations
New Hope Housing

3315 Harrisburg Boulevard, Suite 400
Houston, Texas 77003
713.222.0290

New Hope Housing’s core purpose is to provide life-stabilizing, affordable, permanent housing with support services for people who live on very limited incomes. Our vision is to be an enduring institution serving Houston’s most vulnerable citizens.

Kevin Mondy, President
Project Still I Rise

3101 Greenwood Street
Dallas, Texas 75204
972.546.0977
kmondy[at]psir.org

Project Still I Rise is a community-based 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 to provide high quality, high impact programming to youth of Southern Dallas attending public schools. With an emphasis on at-risk youth, the organization's mission is to empower today's youth to achieve their full potential for academic and social opportunities through education, mentoring, and leadership development programing. Through the use of science-based curriculums, collaborative relationships and partners in the community, Project Still I Rise has been able to provide significant programs that make a difference in the lives of young people.

David O’Brien, Jr., Executive Director
Housing Opportunities of Fort Worth

1065 West Magnolia
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
817.923.9192
hofw[at]swbell.net(Opens a new window)

He is the founding and current Executive Director of Housing Opportunities of Fort Worth, Inc. (HOFW). Founded in 1988, this organization is the oldest HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency in Tarrant County. Mr. O’ Brien has a BA degree from Tulane University and has done graduate work at the University of New Hampshire and Texas Christian University.  He has served on a number of boards and committees including Tarrant County Challenge, Human Relations Commission of Fort Worth, Stage West, Davey O’Brien Foundation, Youth Sports Council of Fort Worth, and advisory committees with both Fannie Mae and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. HOFW serves families in over 10 North Texas counties and offers all its services on a one-on-one basis at no charge. Homebuyer education, default/delinquency counseling, and reverse equity mortgage counseling are offered, and all these programs can be delivered in Spanish as well as English. Among its community partners are numerous banks and mortgage lenders, local governments, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Habitat for Humanity, AARP, and Family Services at the Joint Reserve Base Naval /Air Station Fort Worth.

Rosa Rios Valdez, President & CEO
Business & Community Lenders of Texas(Opens a new window)

2212 S. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78704
512.912.9878
rriosval[at]bcloftexas.org(Opens a new window)

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rosa came to Texas when her father was hired as a Bracero to work the farm fields of Uvalde. She attended the University in the 1970’s when minority enrollment was less than 4,000 students, and received her degree in three years, graduating Cum Laude.

Rosa has worked for over 35 years in economic development and is certified in development finance by the National Development Council of New York. She began her career at AMEDC (Austin Minority Economic Development Corporation), followed by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and served 10 years with the Lower Colorado River Authority community and economic development team. Working at the LCRA, she co-founded the nonprofit economic development firm Business & Community Lenders of Texas, where she has served as CEO since 1997.

Rosa has expanded the scope and size of BCL of Texas from offering only one business loan product in central Texas, to a statewide CDFI (Community Development Finance Institution) whose diverse product mix now includes; business, consumer, mortgage and community facility loans.

Under her leadership, Rosa has grown the BCL of Texas assets 40-fold to over $27 Million. She currently serves as president of BCL’s wholly owned affiliates, Texas Community Builders, and health-focused social enterprise corporation Salud de Paloma, as well as general manager of the newly formed Texas Community Partners, LLC.

Alumni of the first women's leadership development program in the United States, Leadership Texas, Rosa completed Harvard University, Executive Management, Achieving Excellence. She serves on national boards and is an advisor on the Comerica Bank Economic Development Board and BancorpSouth Community Advisory Council. Rosa recently self-certified BCL as the most loan product diverse, statewide Latina led CDFI in Texas.