Community Development Advisory Council Members

Patricia Garcia Duarte, Executive Vice President
Chicanos Por La Causa(Opens a new window)

1112 East Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
602.257.6711

Garcia Duarte joined Chicanos Por La Causa in March 2022 to lead and manage Homeownership Initiatives. She previously served as President and Chief Executive at Trellis for sixteen years where she had the responsibilities of creating a vision for the organization and guiding the strategic goals to better serve clients, stakeholders and communities. Prior to that, she was the Arizona Manager for the Community Department Group at Chase Bank where she invested in communities in support of the Community Reinvestment Act. She was also a housing developer in the nonprofit sector where she utilized public and private resources for the development of affordable housing. Garcia Duarte 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.

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. 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.

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.

Charisse Bremond-Weaver, President & CEO
Brotherhood Crusade(Opens a new window)

200 E. Slauson Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90011
323.846.1649
info[at]brotherhoodcrusade.org

Brotherhood Crusade is a 50-year old grassroots organization with a vision of improving quality of life and meeting the unmet needs of low-income, underserved, under-represented and disenfranchised individuals. We envision a South Los Angeles devoid of health disparities, disenfranchisement and poverty-associated adverse public health conditions.

When Danny Bakewell retired in 2005, the leadership of the Brotherhood Crusade was entrusted to Bremond’s daughter, Charisse Bremond Weaver. Under her stewardship, Brotherhood Crusade has steadily progressed in achieving its mission and goals..

Following in the “footprints” of her father, Walter Bremond, Charisse Bremond Weaver, is the first female President and CEO of the Brotherhood Crusade.

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.

Milinda Ysasi, CEO
GROW Business– Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women(Opens a new window)

25 Sheldon Blvd. SE, Suite 210
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.458.3404
info[at]growbusiness.org

Ysasi is a Grand Rapids native and has long been invested in equitable outcomes for all in Grand Rapids. She comes to GROW from The SOURCE, an organization focused on reducing employment barriers and creating opportunities for mobility for employees that work for their partner organizations.

The nationwide search for GROW’s CEO following the retirement of Bonnie Nawara, garnered more than 100 applicants. Deborah Phillips, Board President, speaks to what made Ysasi a standout candidate to lead the organization.

“On behalf of the board of directors and staff, I am excited to welcome Milinda Ysasi to the GROW family as Chief Executive Officer,” Phillips said. “Her track record, depth of philanthropic service, and excitement in contributing to the vision and continued growth as a trusted CDFI makes her an ideal leader to build on the great work being accomplished by the GROW team. Over the last 32 years, the organization has stretched and pivoted to meet the needs of our underserved business owners. Milinda is poised to elevate the organization in its next chapter of impact.”

The hiring of Ysasi follows a banner year for the organization. In 2020, GROW deployed $587,000 in loans to start-ups and existing businesses seeking COVID-19 relief funds. In the midst of record efforts to deploy funds and support businesses in their bleakest moments throughout the pandemic, the organization renewed its designation as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), receiving a $400,000 grant award to inject new sources of federal capital into low-income communities and individuals who lack financing. Out of 375 organizations nationally, GROW was the only CDFI awarded funds in West Michigan in 2020. The organization also underwent a substantial CRM update and launched Initiate, an online learning platform that gives clients 24/7 access to essential business training resources.

Ysasi is thrilled to join GROW as the organization continues to establish itself as a premiere equitable lender in West Michigan.

“The opportunity to be in the capital deployment space, especially as we continue to rebuild and reshape due to COVID was most interesting to me,” Ysasi expressed. “We have seen an increase in women leaving the workforce due to COVID’s impact and many pivoting to start or restart their businesses.” She brings to GROW a resume that reflects a commitment to equity. Prior to The SOURCE, Ysasi worked in human resources at Cascade Engineering, Herman Miller, and Spectrum Health. She received her executive MBA from Michigan State University in 2019. In November 2019, she was elected to serve as a City Commissioner for the 2nd Ward of Grand Rapids

“My career has not been linear and that is reflective of my interests in a variety of topics,” Ysasi said. “In my current role, I am working with three of my past employers. The common thread in my career has been about access to opportunity, first in human resources, then workforce development and now economic development.”
Ysasi is a co-founder of the Latina Network of West Michigan, an organic collective focused on changing the Latina narrative in the region. She was a 2018 Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Job Quality Fellow, and she currently serves on the Chemical Bank West Michigan community board and the West Michigan Works! legislative committee.

Ysasi has been recognized for her commitment and leadership with the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Young Professional award, the GVSU Alumni Service award, GR Business Journal 40 under forty, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network-GR DoGooder and Exemplary Executive awards, GR Business Journal 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan and as one of 200 Most Powerful Business Leaders in West Michigan.

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

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

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.