HOPE COMMUNITY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Senior Director
Brad Beckstrom serves as Senior Director of Community and Government Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System.
Prior to joining Mount Sinai Brad served as a Health Care Policy Advisor in Governor George Pataki's Washington DC office. He worked for 14 years as a senior staff member to a United States Senator, including the position of Chief of Staff.
He serves as board member of the New York Common Pantry, is Chair of Hope Community, Co-Chairs the Hire East Harlem Committee and the Mount Sinai Community Advisory Board.
Brad is originally from the Midwest and is a graduate of South Dakota State University. He is married and has three daughters.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of Uptown Grand Central
Carey King, Director. Carey is director of Uptown Grand Central and brings a wealth of experience to the organization. A graduate of Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and product of Columbia University's School of Journalism, Carey has worked in fields ranging from community development and food access, to community news, to inclusive education - including GrowNYC, the Corbin Hill Food Project, Sesame Street, The Sylva Herald, and as a pre-K teacher through Teach For America. She has lived in Harlem for nearly two decades.
Carey brings a special passion to her work, given that she lives just one block away from the East 125th Street corridor and the Uptown Grand Central community plaza. Since joining Uptown Grand Central in June 2015, has been recognized by the NYPD 25th Precinct with a Community Service Award, named by Borough President Gale Brewer as a "Manhattan Hero" and by the New York City Food Policy Center as a "Forty Under Forty Rising Star," and selected as a Coro NY Neighborhood Leader.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- CEO and Co - Founder of Silicon Harlem
Clayton Banks is the CEO and co-founder of Silicon Harlem whose goal is to combine technology and innovation with affordable connectivity that can enable a sustainable economic engine in emerging communities across the United States. Under his leadership, Silicon Harlem has attracted over $50 million dollars into upper Manhattan for advanced infrastructure research and test bedding. Mr. Banks has positioned Upper Manhattan as a tech and innovation hub that is one of the fastest growing areas for tech startups, entrepreneurs, and companies. Banks has been able to galvanize the public sector, the private sector, universities, and community stakeholders to embrace tech as a sustainable economic engine for Upper Manhattan. Banks has established critical programs based on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in public schools and several non-profits in Upper Manhattan to prepare citizens for 21st century jobs and careers. These programs have become gateway opportunities for many students to pursue further education.
Prior to Silicon Harlem, Banks was a pioneer in the cable and communications industry. He set the vision for Ember Media, a development group that builds digital solutions and interactive applications for top brands and non-profit organizations, across multiple platforms. Known as a pragmatic visionary, Banks has developed and deployed leading edge technology and applications for network cloud, gaming consoles, social media, augmented and virtual reality, interactive TV, tablets, mobile apps and over 400 interactive properties. Banks worked with former President of the United States Bill Clinton to publish a first-of-its-kind interactive college guide series called "The Key", that targets under-served communities and features Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions. Banks served as Vice President of Affiliate Relations for Comedy Central. While at Comedy Central, he was part of the launch of South Park, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and the Upright Citizens Brigade.
He has been recognized with many awards and honors including selected as one of New York Cities "Tech Power 50" leaders in the technology industry. Banks has been inducted into the Library of Congress, has received proclamations from the Public Advocate, Manhattan President's office, Brooklyn's President Office, and Advocate of the Year from Society for Africans in Diaspora.
Job Titles:
- Director of Maintenance
- Director of Maintenance Operations
Craig Harty serves as the Director of Maintenance, Hope Community Inc. His career spans more the 18 years working in both the private and non-profit sector. Harty started his career at Hope Community as a handyman and has held various roles of increased responsibility throughout his 13 years at Hope Community.
Craig currently leads a team of 48 maintenance staff professionals. He is constantly incorporating strategies and managing capital budgets to ensure all projects meet Hope Community goals and guidelines. Harty and his team manage maintenance and infrastructure issues at all 78 Hope Community buildings throughout East Harlem. Harty has been credited with implemented many initiatives at Hope Community properties such as a 24Hour Maintenance Call Center number where all Hope Community have access to a live agent 365 days to convey their maintenance concerns. As a result, all maintenance issues are addressed in a timely manner.
Craig is a lifelong East Harlem resident is committed to ensuring Hope Community continues to build on its legacy of providing affordable housing opportunities to all. He holds certificates in lead testing, FDNY Certificate of Fitness, Standpipe 13 and 14, Certificate of Fitness S-95 (fire alarm panels).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Training Academy Manager
Gemma Thomas is the Training Academy Manager for the New York City Housing Authority. As manager, she oversees daily operations, evaluation, and maintains existing partnerships, while developing strategies for continued growth and expansion.
She holds a graduate degree in Public Administration and has over 10 years of experience in the field. She has previously worked in workforce development, human resources, economic opportunity and social innovation programming. She began her association with Hope Community through a previous role as a Program Manager and is fully invested in the property management and tenant side of Hope Community operations.
Job Titles:
- Founding Executive Director
Job Titles:
- New York City Chief Housing Officer
As Chief Housing Officer, Katz oversees the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the New York City Housing Authority, the Housing Development Corporation, the Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations and the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants.
Katz most recently served as executive director of the research nonprofit Citizens Housing and Planning Council, where she led a policy and research agenda on topics ranging from basement apartment conversions to equitable code enforcement to resident decision-making at NYCHA. She previously served for over ten years at HPD, most recently as the associate commissioner for New Construction, where she oversaw the creation of affordable and special needs housing. Katz held a variety of roles at HPD, including as assistant commissioner of Special Needs Housing, senior adviser to the commissioner, and assistant commissioner for Preservation Finance.
Katz holds a BA in Urban Geography from McGill University and a Masters in City Planning from MIT.
Lorenzo joined Hope Community Inc in 2018. Prior to joining Hope Community Inc., Lorenzo was the Director of Finance & Asset Management for Sky Management Services in New York City for 16 years, where he oversaw the financial operations for the entire company. He also oversaw the financial reporting of third-party managers managing Sky Management's portfolio throughout the Northeast, which included commercial, residential and flex properties; over 3,000,000 million square feet.
Hope Community's Mission of providing affordable housing to the community of East Harlem is what got Lorenzo's attention, and now he serves as Hope Community's Director of Finance. He is responsible for and over sees the day-to-day operations of the Fiscal Department.
Job Titles:
- Commissioner, New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development
- Industry Leader
Louise Carroll is an industry leader in affordable housing finance and development, real estate law, and public policy. As New York City's Housing Commissioner, a position to which she was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in May of 2019, Louise is managing and delivering the most expansive affordable housing plan in the nation's history. In addition to keeping that plan on track to deliver 300,000 affordable New York City homes by 2026, Louise has championed and advanced key policy objectives to strengthen enforcement, protect tenants, and increase opportunities for minority and women-owned business enterprises in the affordable housing space.
Louise transitioned from the private sector to public service eventually joining HPD in 2006 and served in various leadership positions between then and 2018, most recently as Associate Commissioner. Louise was the primary architect of changes to the City's tax programs in order to leverage greater affordability, including in market-rate developments in high opportunity areas. She was instrumental to both the design and implementation of the City's groundbreaking Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program to require the creation of permanently affordable housing as part of residential rezonings, and also revamped the agency's approach to the Voluntary Inclusionary Housing program to produce record numbers of affordable homes. Louise then joined the New York City Housing Development Corporation as its General Counsel and Senior Vice President, before returning to HPD following her appointment as Commissioner.
Louise presently chairs the board of directors of the New York City Housing Development Corporation and also serves as a board member of the following organizations: The United Nations Development Corporation, the Housing Partnership Development Corporation, and the Center for New York City Neighborhoods. She is a recipient of the Ibo Balton Community Planner Award from the Citizens Housing and Planning Council and was listed in the City and State Real Estate Power 100 2021 and 2020, and is listed in Who's Who In America 2021-2022.
Louse was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and raised in St. Lucia. She holds a JD from Tulane Law School, an MBA from the University of Leicester, England, and a B.Sc. from the University of Wales at Aberystwyth. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and their young son. Learn More
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Madison Bédard recently joined iHeartMedia's new philanthropic division iHeartIMPACT, where the power of advertising and media dollars are harnessed to support social change through nonprofit funding.
Previously, Madison served as a Community Marketing Director at The Coca-Cola Company, where she worked across marketing, Public Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility to strengthen community partnerships and the Corporate brand.
Prior to Corporate Social Responsibility, Madison led brand marketing for several globally recognized brands including FUZE Beverages (The Coca-Cola Company). Where she spearheaded cause partnerships with Susan G. Komen, The United Way, and other nonprofit, civic and public sector partners.
A graduate of Baruch College CUNY, Madison has received numerous honors and awards including, recognition as a "Women History Maker" by CACCI and The Brooklyn Borough President's office; "Achiever in Industry" by the YMCA, and awards for "Excellence in Public Affairs" by The Coca-Cola Company. She also received the "Team" Spirit Marketing Innovation Award at Allied Domecq. Currently, Madison serves as a member of the Board of Directors for and Hope Community Inc. and Arts & Business Council of New York. She is also Chair of the Riverside Sharing Fund & Densford Fund Committee, and member of the Harlem YMCA "bai" board steering committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Portfolio Manager
- Member of Manhattan Community Board
- Member of the Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Marissa Y. Mack currently serves as a Portfolio Manager on the Not-for-Profit Commercial Banking Team at Sterling National Bank. Here she strategically partners with community-based organizations that provide social services, and economic empowerment support, to foster relationships with all levels of management and provide valuable solutions for their various banking needs.
In addition to serving on the board of HOPE Community, Marissa is a member of Manhattan Community Board 11 and Chairs the Economic Development and Culture Committee, helping to navigate and advocate for the needs and wants of various stakeholders within the East Harlem Community.
Marissa is a member of the Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and a Coro Leadership New York Fellow. She holds a master's degree in public administration, from New York University's Wagner School of Public Service and a bachelor's degree from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Harvest Homes Chief Executive Officer
In December 2021, Maritza Owens stepped down as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Harvest Home Farmers Market, a pioneer in bringing farmer's markets to low-income New York City neighborhoods, and one of the city's largest managers of farmer's markets in communities of color. In 2020-2021 the organization operated 13 farmer markets in low-income communities across the city and distributed over 200,000 lbs. of free produce.
For more than 25 years, she has been involved in some aspect of community-based planning, advocacy, environmental justice, economic development, and public health.
Her professional career includes serving as the Director of Professional Membership at the National Kidney Foundation, Director of Community Relations and Government Affairs at North General Hospital and Associate Director of Economic Development at Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council. Ms. Owens holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from Adelphi University and a certificate in Urban Planning from Pratt Institute.
Job Titles:
- Director of Program Management
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Special Projects Manager in the Mayor 's Office of the New York City
Max Markham currently serves as Legislative and Special Projects Manager in the Mayor's Office of the New York City. He works on federal State and local legislative matters related to infrastructure, education, criminal justice and public safety for the First Deputy Mayor.
Prior to the Mayor's Office, Max worked for the New York State Senate. He also has previous experience working on major political campaigns at the State and local level. Max is a native Manhattanite and has lived in East Harlem for the past 5 years. He graduated from Stanford University and will attend NYU Law School in the fall of 2018.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
- Vice President of Advocacy at the Real Estate Board of New York
Maya Kurien is currently Vice President of Advocacy at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) where she is responsible for leading REBNY's complex coalition-based advocacy campaigns, including coordination between outside consultants and internal staff. Maya joined REBNY in September 2021 as Vice President of Policy and Planning.
Prior to joining REBNY, Maya served as Executive Director of Government Affairs for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). She has also served in professional staff roles at the NYC Office of Management and Budget, the New York State Senate, and the New York City Council. A native New Yorker, Maya holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Anthropology and Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of London.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Michael has over 15 years of real estate experience working for the nation's leading Low-Income Housing Tax Credit syndicators and investors. A former Hope Community Inc. employee, Michael is currently a Senior Asset Manager with WNC & Associates Inc. responsible for the financial performance of a large high profile portfolio located primarily on the East coast.
His ability to mitigate risk, protect investor equity and create and increase asset value is attributed to his success in establishing and building long term business relationships. Michael resides in Westchester County with his wife and daughter.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
- Development and Home Ownership Expert
- Founder of Pairgap
Nikki Merkerson is a Community Development and home ownership expert. She is a real estate investor, advocating for and empowering others to make smart investments.
Nikki is passionate about making wealth-building opportunities attainable. She is the founder of Urban Leisure, a co-living space based out of Brooklyn, New York. Coliving is one of the best and most direct means to achieve optimal density and affordable housing in the modern urban context.
Nikki is also the founder of Pairgap, an innovative web platform that matches ideal partners to one another with the intent of buying property together. The platform makes home ownership both accessible and affordable. Nikki strongly believes that by leveraging today's shared economy and matching potential buyers to one another, more people will have the opportunity to build wealth through homeownership.
Prior to pursuing her entrepreneurship ventures full-time, Nikki spent 23 years in the financial services industry. She most recently held the role of a Community Reinvestment Officer at JP Morgan Chase covering the Northeast markets and was responsible for building long term relationships supporting key community stakeholders and assisting low and moderate income individuals with greater economic opportunity. In her former role, Nikki also provided home ownership opportunities through the facilitation of educational seminars which included Money Management, Understanding Credit and Affordable Mortgage products and programs. Prior to JP Morgan, Nikki served as a Loan Officer for 15 years at various financial institutions.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Nikki is a proud mother of two college students.
Job Titles:
- Director of Real Estate Development
Norman Williams brings a diverse background in affordable housing having started his career in property management, followed by asset /portfolio management then ultimately development. Norman is responsible for overseeing all phases of real estate development projects from initial planning through construction completion and occupancy. Prior to joining Hope Community, Norman served as Deputy Director of Housing Development for St. Nicks Alliance, a fellow Not-for-Profit Community Development Corporation in Brooklyn, New York. To date, Norman has participated in over 900+ units of preservation and new construction transactions with over $164.0M leveraged in debt/equity. Norman Williams holds a Bachelors Degree in Community Services & Real Estate Development from Bernard M. Baruch College and also holds an Associate Degree in Human Services. In addition to working in housing, Norman also has a social service background working with low-income families in the area of children services.(Specialization in foster care & adoption) Norman has an impressive career working in mission oriented Not-for-Profit sector for over 16 years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Team Leader
- Vice - Chair
- Vice - Chair of the Board of Directors
Patrick Young is a Team Leader in the New York City Commercial Real Estate group at M&T Bank, overseeing a large portfolio that includes many high-profile New York City developers and owners.
After graduating from SUNY Geneseo in 2008, Patrick began his career as a credit analyst at Community Bank, NA in Western New York. Patrick started with M&T Bank in 2011 in the bank's New York City Loan Analysis division before joining the Commercial Real Estate department in 2013.
Patrick was recognized by the Commercial Observer in 2018 on their Top Young Professionals list for debt and equity professionals in New York City. He recently joined the Board of Directors of Hope Community, Inc., a community-based not-for-profit affordable housing organization that strives to enrich the lives of the people who live and work in East Harlem.
He currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Sydney, and their cat, Barnaby.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Secretary
- Secretary of the State of New York
Robert J. Rodriguez is currently serving as the Secretary of State. He was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul to serve as New York's 68th Secretary of State.
Mr. Rodriguez is a uniquely accomplished leader and former legislator, with civic and legislative successes that have been focused strategically on investing in and developing public-good infrastructure projects, creating good-paying jobs and addressing financial disparities for historically underrepresented minorities and low-income communities. Mr. Rodriguez has specialized in providing advice to state and local governments, and transportation issues in the Northeast and Midwest focused on financial planning, credit rating strategy, managing and executing debt issuance transactions, asset-liability management and public-private partnerships.
As a legislator, Mr. Rodriguez served as a member of the New York State Assembly 11 years, representing Assembly District 68. During his time in the Assembly, he focused on protecting and creating affordable housing, bringing good jobs into the community and ensuring children received a quality education. He served as Co-Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, founding Chair of the Assembly sub-committee on Infrastructure and Member of Committees on Ways and Means, Housing, Labor, Banking, Corporations and Authorities and Mental Health.
In the private sector, Mr. Rodriguez served as a Director at Public Financial Management, the leading municipal financial advisor in the nation. Prior to PFM, Mr. Rodriguez was a Vice-President at A.C. Advisory, Inc. and held various management and operations roles at Bloomberg LP.
As a civic leader, Mr. Rodriguez served on a number of volunteer boards including as Chairman of Manhattan Community Board 11 and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Mr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Yale University, where he received a B.A. in History and Political Science and New York University Stern Business School where he received an MBA in Finance. He is also an emerging leader of the New America Alliance, and the Council for Urban Professionals (CUP) Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the New York State Senate Majority
Senator José M. Serrano is the Chair of the New York State Senate Majority Conference and Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation. After serving New York City Council District 17, he was elected to the New York State Senate in November of 2004. He represents the 29th Senate District, which has perhaps the greatest socio-economic and cultural diversity in the state. It includes neighborhoods in the South and West Bronx, East Harlem, Yorkville, Roosevelt Island, and the Upper West Side.
As a long-time supporter of the arts and culture, Senator Serrano has consistently called for more arts and music education in our schools, with a firm understanding of the proven beneficial effect of the arts on overall academics. In addition, Serrano is a firm believer that local arts and cultural sites are an integral part of the fabric of our city and act as an economic engine for communities throughout New York State.
In the Senate, he has introduced a wide variety of bills that aim to keep housing affordable, protect public health, foster economic development, defend immigrant rights and conserve the environment. Most recently, he passed legislation to ban the herbicide Glyphosate in state lands and parks. In 2019, the Senator Serrano and his colleagues in the State Senate led the one of the most productive Senate Sessions in the history of our state, enacting historic legislation, including expansive protections for tenants, the environment, women, survivors of abuse, and LGBTQ New Yorkers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been working to provide stability for the communities he represents and to connect New Yorkers with the resources they need to stay safe and healthy during this time.
During the 2021 Legislative Session, Serrano fought to expand coronavirus relief for tenants and workers who were excluded from previous COVID financial programs; promote environmental justice and protect low-income communities and communities of color from bearing unfair and unsafe pollution burdens; and prevent gun violence by securing funding for programs that are working to end the gun epidemic in our communities. Learn more
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Director of Resident Services
Shelton Watson has over 15 years of experience in the social service industry. He has worked with nonprofit organizations catering to various populations in NYC for the last 18 years. Shelton has been in the field of human service since 2002, working for nonprofit organizations for most of his career - managing, implementing social service programming and support service initiatives. He served at various levels during his social work career. He worked as a therapeutic social worker for BronxConnect, Acacia, and Homes for the Homeless by providing direct practice to individuals, families, and children.
Shelton is also passionate about the success of the youth within the community. He dedicates his time to addressing gun and gang violence with youth ages 14-24 through avenues of art therapy, which is recognized by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, The Office of Neighborhood Safety, Unitedway NYC, and Urban Upbound, Inc. Shelton brings with him an array of clinical approaches to address tenants who are experiencing internal and external trauma-related matters.
Mr. Watson received his associates degree in Human Services from Bronx Community College, his bachelor's degree in Social Work from Lehman College, and his master's degree in Social Work from Yeshiva University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
Ms. Crawford has been a board member since 1998, connecting with Hope Community through an organization called Volunteer Consulting Group, which matches professionals in the financial and business arena with non-profit organizations. She has strong interest in real estate development, education and homelessness. Although she is a Professor and Deputy Chair at Monroe College School of Business and Accounting, Ms. Crawford sees her work with Hope as a necessary part of her life. Ms.Crawford is an active member in her community.
In addition to volunteering at Hope, she also serves as a team parent/manager for the Riverbank Mites Youth Hockey Team and a team manager with Harlem Little League's Tee Ball Division. Ms. Crawford encourages all Hope tenants to share their feedback and ideas with the Board and its management.
Walter M. Roberts has over 30 years experience in the affordable housing industry. He has worked with not-for-profit organizations for the last eleven years on several housing development projects in the NYC Metropolitan area. Prior to 2006, he worked for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). He served at various levels in his 21-year career at HPD. Between 2000 and 2006, he served as Assistant Commissioner for Planning Services. In prior years, he was Director of the Neighborhood Redevelopment Program where he redeveloped 2,000 units of affordable housing. He also managed 4,600 In-Rem units as the Director of Central Harlem Property Management office. Mr. Roberts received his B.A. from Binghamton University and attended Columbia University where he earned Master degrees in both Urban Planning and Social Work.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
In 1979, Hope Community's Founding Executive Director, George Calvert, invited William Ofenloch, a Long Island native and graduate of Cathedral College in Douglaston, Queens, to join the Hope Community Board of Directors. He lived on 103rd Street and was active in the Revive 103 planning process - one of Hope's first building initiatives. He's been involved with Hope Community ever since supporting several Hope Community projects throughout his tenure as an active Board Member.
Mr. Ofenloch is a retired handyman, plumber and longtime board member within his own sweat equity building on East 102nd Street. He's constantly contributing his diverse skill set and community experience to Hope Community. Mr. Ofenloch is also a Peace Activist and takes great pride supporting the East Harlem community...his home for more than 40 years.