HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES COLLABORATIVE

2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• President, Gabe del Rio, Community Housing Works
• Vice-President, Vino Pajanor, Higgs, Fletcher, Mack LLP
• Jim Bleisner, City-County Reinvestment Task Force
• Treasurer, Veronica Lagler, Point Mortgage
• Tom Scott, San Diego Housing Federation
• Dennis Dawson, Esq.
• Secretary, Charlene Charles-Smith, People Helping People
• Yamila Ayad, NAHREP

YAMILA AYAD

President, Mission Home Loans

Board member of National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)

960 W. San Marcos Blvd., #130, San Marcos, CA 92078

Yamila@missionhomeloans.com, 760-744-4663

Fifteen years of neonatal intensive care nursing prepared Yamila Ayafor the rigors of mortgage lending. As president of her own company, Mission Home Loans, she is dedicated to helping the Hispanic community achieve homeownershp and takes special pride in getting clients with less-than-stellar credit approved and into homes. A native of Colombia, Ms. Aya servied on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) from 2002 to 2007 and is a compelling voice in the organization's quest to lobby major lenders for products that better meet the needs of the Hispanic community.  She is an "Eagle", a by-invitation-only distinction bestowed by NAHREP on 15 leading Hispanic real estate entrepreneurs in the nation. In 2006, she was invited to join the CREFT San Diego Community Foundation Board.  She is part of the HOME Clinic Team of the Housing Opportunities Collaborative.  This Team brings HOME clinics throughout San Diego County.  These clinics bring one-stop-shop of counseling services for troubled mortgage borrowers, including the services of volunteer attorneys.  Yamila is also a principal with New Vista Asset Management, a San Diego-based national REO management and marketing company that provides innovative and communitiy-based outsourcing solutions for mortgage bankers, mortgage investors and regulated financial institutions.  It seeks to use foreclosure inventory to create affordable housing solutions for minority and first-time homebuyers and increase homeownership rates in underserved communities. 

JIM BLIESNER,

Reinvestment Director, San Diego Reinvestment Task Force

3989 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA 92123

jbliescd@co.san-diego.ca.us, 858-694-8771

Jim Bliesner is the Director of the San Diego City/County Reinvestment Task Force and has served in that position since l985. The Task Force is a quasi-public, trilateral agency authorized by the City and County of San Diego to monitor lending practices and develop strategies for reinvestment. The work of the Task Force has received national recognition as a model for encouraging partnerships between the lending industry, community non-profit organizations and government. Its most recent success has been the establishment of the San Diego Capital Collaborative a multi million dollar equity capital fund. He has extensive experience in the analysis of a broad range of lending products and the credit needs of low-income communities. Him has been a member of the board of the California Community Reinvestment Corporation. He has also served as a founding member of the California Reinvestment Committee. He has been an appointee of the Governor of California to his Office of Neighborhoods and of the Mayor of San Diego to the City Committee on Growth and Development and the City Committee on Redistricting. Jim has also been a member of the faculty at the San Diego State University Community Economic Development Certificate Program. Jim Bliesner is recognized in Who’s Who in American Business and Finance as an innovator in economic and housing development. His efforts have received the Honor and Special Merit Awards from the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects. He was awarded a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the San Diego Housing Federation. He has been the recipient of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition National Achievement Award and the California Reinvestment Committee Advocacy Award. He recently received the “Visionary Award” from the Urban Land Institute for development of the Smart Growth Equity fund.

Charlene Charles-Smith

People Helping People Ministry

6682 Tiffin Avenue, San Diego, CA

phpsandiego@aol.com, 619-287-9727

Ms. Charlene Smith is the Chief Executive Officer and Manager of People Helping People Ministry, a faith based community organization in San Diego. Along with her husband, Samuel Smith, she manages all aspects of this 501c3 nonprofit organization. She is also the housing counselor and Director of the Gateway to the American Dream Project, a home buyer education learning program. By profession, she is also a registered nurse, nurse educator and preceptor. She received her AA degree from Central Arizona Jr. College. She received her graduate degree from Arizona State University, and she received her nursing degree from New York Regents Exernal Degree Program. She recived nonprofit project management training and certification from University of California San Diego. She has also received apartment management and housing loss mitigation training. People Helping People hopes to obtain designation as a HUD approved housing counseling agency soon.

DENNIS DAWSON, Esq.

CA Deputy Attorney General

6850 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92114

dennis.dawson@doj.ca.gov, 619-645-2082

Since l975, Dennis Dawson has been a Deputy Attorney General in the San Diego Office of the California Attorney General. He is currently in the Consumer Law Section. His primary responsibilities include handling litigation and negotiated settlements of civil cases filed on behalf of the People of the State of California to enforce laws against individuals and businesses using untrue and misleading statements and unfair business practices to sell goods and services to consumers. He also actively participates in NAAG consumer law multistate task forces regarding targeted businesses operating on a nationwide basis in violation of federal and state consumer laws. He conducts community based consumer law clinics. He attends and presents at law enforcement consumer law conferences. He has written articles to promote consumer education. Prior to the Consumer Law Section, he was the Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the Employment, Regulation and Administration Section where he defended employment discrimination cases filed against state agency clients, handling State Personnel Board appeals of employee discipline, and defending challenges to license discipline imposed by state agency clients. Previously he was also a Deputy Attorney General in the Natural Resources Section where he handled litigation and negotiated settlements of civil cases filed for and against state agency clients entrusted with protection of California’s natural resources, including but not limited to air quality, water quality, agricultural, fish and game, CEQA, coastal, and other public land use issues. He is a Past President of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association. He is a writer/contributor to the California Association of Black Lawyers Journal. He is an attorney mentor with Volunteers in Parole. He is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association Tennis Team. He is a musician with the Christ the King Gospel Choir. He is a lifetime member of NAACP and a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He received his B.A. in Political Science from University of Pennsylvania in 1972. He graduated in l975 from Howard University School of Law.

GABE DEL RIO

gdelrio@chworks.org, 619-282-6647, ext. 314

Gabe del Rio has directed the Lending and HomeOwnership division of Community HousingWorks for the past four years. Before coming to CHW, Gabe was a licensed CA Contractor and partner in a Sustainable Design/Build Firm as well as working in the for-profit mortgage lending business both as a direct lender and as a broker. Gabe serves as the Chair of the Southern CA Capital Strategies Committee and is very active in the NeighborWorks network, including peer to peer training and as a member of the National HomeOwnership Leadership Team. In San Diego, Gabe serves on several boards; as a founding President with the San Diego Housing Opportunities Collaborative (all non-profit housing agencies in the area), as a director with San Diego Capital Collaborative (smart growth equity fund) and was previously President of Rebuilding Together San Diego. Gabe has conducted various trainings and seminars for real estate and finance professionals and has been quoted in various media as an expert, including USA Today, NY Times, NPR, Washington Post, Reuters and of course the San Diego Union Tribune. Gabe’s work on eCommerce and Capital Strategies that will strengthen organizations, provide for liquidity of loan funds and create a sustainable business models, not only for Southern CA, but for all HomeOwnership Centers. In San Diego, his current focus is on loss mitigation and foreclosure prevention, helping build the capacity of the Collaborative member organizations to meet the needs of our communities and preserve homeownership. Gabe has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from James Madison University, and has numerous professional certificates in Lending, Real Estate, Management, and a variety of other continuing education topics. He has also been educated by the Mortgage Bankers Association and has graduated the School of Mortgage Banking as an Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP).

VERONICA A. LAGLER

Point Mortgage 

3536 Bonita Road, Bonita 91902

Chula Vista, CA 91914

veronica@pmcloans.com, 619-475-4040 or 619-823-7319

Veronica Lagler has over twenty five years experience in the Banking and Lending industry. Her experience has been in all aspects of the Banking and Lending industry, from initial customer contact through completion of transactions. Her career includes all facets of Branch Operations, Personal Management, Supervisor, Data Entry, Processing, Underwriting and Funding of Loans. She has been a CRA officer and Home Loan consultant. Veronica has extensive knowledge of internal and external home loan programs. This includes first time home buyers programs and guidelines. She has been working with nonprofits and city entities fro over 10 years, with affordable housing programs. She has been trained and certified in first time homebuyer programs, and she participates in various first time home buyers seminars, workshops, classes, and housing fairs. She is currently the Branch Manager of First Mortgage Corporation. Previously, she worked for GMAC, Countrywide Home Loans, California bank and Trust, and Home Savings of America. She has a business accounting degree from Sawyer College of Business, Accounting degree from Southwestern College and is completing her final courses in Interpreting at San Diego State University. Veronica is a member of various organizations: Pacific Southwest Board of Realtors, San Diego Board of Realtors, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and National Council of La Raza.

VINO PAJANOR

Higgs Fletcher Mack, LLP

401 West A Street, Suite 2600, San Diego, CA 92101

pajanor@higgslaw.com , 619-236-1551

Vino Pajanor is an attorney licensed to practice throughout India. Having roots in his homeland, he particularly enjoys representing Indian-based emerging and established clients having business and corporate needs in the U.S. involving technology transfer, licensing, franchise, business organization/structuring and government liaison needs. He works at Higgs Fletcher Mack, LLP, a large prestigious law firm in San Diego. He has experience in dealing with individual businesses as well as large business establishments. After receiving his law degree from the University of Madras, ranking among the top students in his graduating class, he worked with some of the leading corporations and governmental agencies in India. His association with these corporations and governmental agencies provided him the opportunity to interact with bureaucrats and foreign direct investors in key and sensitive areas of investment. With the changing industrial force in the 1990s, he underwent an honors diploma program in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, which enables him to be on par with other professionals in the industrial sector. Noticing the concept of "one global village" gaining momentum and to serve his clients in a more effective manner, he pursued and earned a Master's Degree in Law from the University of San Diego. During this time, he was elected President of the Comparative Law Forum for two consecutive terms and was awarded the coveted Distinguished Service Award and Student Organization Award by the University of San Diego. Apart from work, he devotes time to serve the underprivileged of the society. In 2001, he revived St. Vincent De Paul's Legal Clinic for the homeless, and for the same he was awarded the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. Currently he is Vice President of the South Asian Bar Association of San Diego, Secretary of St. Thomas More Society of San Diego and Vice Chair (Elect) for the Ethnic Relations & Diversity Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association. He is also pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Educational Studies.

TOM SCOTT Executive Director, San Diego Housing Federation

110 West C Street, Suite 1013, San Diego, CA 92101

tom@housingsandiego.org , 619-239-6693

Tom Scott has been the executive director for the San Diego Housing Federation since January 2002. The San Diego Housing Federation is a membership organization for affordable housing developers, primarily nonprofits; community development corporations; buildings; architects; local governments; financial institutions; social service agencies; and individuals that support increasing the supply of housing affordable to low income families and individuals. Prior to joining the Federation, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Community Housing Works from l996 to 2002. He was president of the Board from January 1999 to January 2002. He also served as member of the Board of Directors of Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services in Anchorage, Alaska from l986 to l990. He spent 25 years in the emergency medical services industry as a state regulator, researcher, writer, consultant and association manager. He is a member of the following organizations: the Local initiatives Support Corporation Local Advisory Committee; the Board of Directors of Housing California; the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Housing Committee; the Downtown San Diego Partnership Urban Design and Housing Committee; Civic Solutions; Housing Action Network; SANDAG’s Regional Housing Task Force; and, the City of Chula Vista’s Affordable Housing Working Group. He has served on SANDAG’s Regional Comprehensive Plan Stakeholders Working Group; SANDAG’s Smart Growth Working Group; SANDAG’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment Working Group; and the City of Oceanside’s Affordable Housing Task Force. He also represents the Federation as a member of the California Housing Consortium; the National Housing Conference; the Urban Land Institute; the San Diego Association of Nonprofits; and, the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Tom Scott has a BA in Sociology/Social Work from LaSalle College in Philadelphia and a Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Tom was appointed to the Poway Housing Commission by Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna in 2003. He has lived next door to an affordable housing apartment complex in Poway for 14 years and a half-block from a new affordable family apartment project that opened in l998. He prides himself on being a YIMBY with credibility.