Avenue CDC

	Officers
	Members
	Staff

Avenue CDC is governed by a diverse Board of Directors representative of the Washington Avenue and Near Northside communities-10 of the 16 Board members live or work in the target area. Board members include Avenue CDC homebuyers, neighborhood residents, accountants, architects, attorneys, developers, and small business owners. The Board meets monthly and annually adopts a strategic plan. Board members serve on these committees: Building, Community Outreach, Finance, and Fundraising.

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Officers:

Tim Higley, President
Mr. Higley is an attorney for the City of Houston Fire Department. He has been a Houston resident since 1982.

Cleola Williams, Vice President
Ms. Williams has lived in the target area her entire life and her family has been in the community for generations. She is an accomplished singer who has performed at such venues as Kuumba House Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the Houston International Festival. At the Kuumba House, she worked as a soloist, voice instructor and assistant director of summer programs. She has participated in the Race for the Cure, the Houston Grand Opera Winter Ball, and the inauguration ceremony for the mayor. Ms. Williams developed her voice training and technique at St. Paul A.M.E. Church as a child and has become a vocal professional who has sung in Spanish, Latin and various African languages.

Robert Fiederlein, Treasurer
Robert joined the board in 2005. He is the Executive Director of Memorial City Management District, where he oversees operations of two governmental entities responsible for redevelopment and economic growth in the Memorial City area of Houston. Robert is responsible for all aspects of budgetary management including budget development, reporting and amendment. He formerly served as the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Director at the City of Houston’s Public Works and Engineering Department. He also served as the Chief of Staff for Houston City Councilmember Vasquez. Prior to working for the City of Houston, Robert worked as an Environmental Health Specialist with Galveston County’s Health District.

Debbie Tesar, Secretary
Debbie Tesar is a Registered Nurse and lives in the target area. As a community activist she serves on the Northside Village Super Neighborhood Council as a B.O.N.D. representative and is the Secretary for the Northside Village Weed and Seed.

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Members:

Marie Arcos

Marie is a native Houstonian who grew up and works in the Near Northisde area. She is the Executive Director for the M. D. Anderson Family YMCA. She received her Masters degree in Social Work and her undergraduate degree in Human Development from the University of Houston. She is an advocate for children and quality education. She serves on several community and city commissioned boards. She joined the board in 2009.

Albert Calderon

Albert Calderon is the District Manager for CitiFinancial. He joined the Avenue CDC board in 2009 and is the chair for the Non-art Committee for Art on the Avenue. He also serves on the board of Missing Hearts, a non-profit organization focused on preventing children abductions, and is a Big Brother for the Big Brother, Big Sister program, which serves underprivileged children in the Houston area.

Jessica Farrar
State Representative Jessica Farrar was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in November of 1994. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from the University of Houston. She currently serves on the influential State Affairs Committee as well as the Agriculture & Livestock Committee. From 1995-2003, she served on the Appropriations Committee. In 1999, she became the first Latina to Chair the bi-partisan Harris County Delegation. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Women’s Health Caucus of the Texas House of Representatives and Secretary of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. Representative Farrar’s legislative initiatives have included many community development efforts focused on revitalizing the Houston area. She advocates for a more comprehensive criminal justice system, women’s reproductive rights, and equal rights of all Texans against drastic budget cuts that will harm Texas’ most vulnerable citizens.

Gene Goins
Mr. Goins joined the board in 2004 and has lived in the target area for over 50 years after serving in the U.S. Navy. Additionally, Mr. Goins is a community activist serving as President of Near Northside B.O.N.D., President of the Central Senior Senate of the Galveston- Houston Diocese, and is the 2nd Vice President of the North Central Civic Association.

Melissa Hensley

David Jones
Mr. Jones is President of Southampton Management, a local apartment management firm. He serves as treasurer of the Houston Apartment Association board of directors. Mr. Jones is also on the board of the National Kidney Foundation of Southeast Texas.

Janice Martinez
Ms. Martinez joined the board in 2008. She is the Vice President Accounting Operations for SavaSeniorCare Administrative Services. She has been a Houston resident since 1986 and lives in the First Ward.

Janet Meyer
Ms. Meyer joined the Board in 2000. She is the owner of New Leaf Publishing.

Mark Parthie
Mr. Parthie was a founding board member of Avenue CDC and has been a resident of the target area since 1987. He has restored 11 housing units in the area. Professionally he is a small business consultant.

Marcia Perry
Ms. Perry is President of the First Ward Civic Council as well as a long-time resident of the area. She also serves on the board of the Washington Avenue Coalition and the Old West End Association.

Dean Ruck
Dean Ruck is a professional artist who has lived and worked in the target area since 1989. He is the owner of a resurrected 100 year old home in Cottage Grove and has renovated numerous older homes and warehouses in the Washington Avenue corridor. By day he works as an architectural project manager at the University of Houston.

Jeffrey G. Sipes
Mr. Sipes joined the board in January 2005. He brings 15 years of experience in project development and project management in the energy infrastructure and real estate sectors. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and a LEED 2.0 Accredited Professional per the U.S. Green Building Council.

Richard Torres

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Staff

Diana Arriaga
Diana Arriaga, presently our Bilingual Outreach Coordinator and Marketing Representative, has twenty years of experience in positions related with marketing, sales, and outreach in the financial and insurance arenas. She got her Business Administration Bachelor’s degree from the Universidad del Valle de Mexico in Mexico City. During the period of 2002-2003 she was an International Assessor with J.P. Morgan Bank. This position required a meticulous analysis of client tracking; customer support service; investigation and resolution of claims; creation of reports; control of budget accounts; and maintenance and flow of financial information. Since the beginning of her professional career as a Life Insurance Executive eight years ago, she has proved to be not only a talented and successful salesperson, but one of exceptional customer service to the community. Over the years she has provided strong financial and planning skills that aid the clients to organize their budget much more efficiently. In the year 2000 she was awarded “best motivational speaker” for her exemplary performance with clients at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. Self motivated, and with high level of energy, Diana has all the qualifications to make our organization shine and reach high levels of exposure amongst the community and the media.

Rosa Galvan
Rosa, Administrative Assistant, was born in the Heights and raised in the Near Northside. She graduated from Davis High School and went on to earn an Associates Degree in Private Investigations from the University of Houston. Prior to working at Avenue CDC, Rosa worked at the Near Northside YMCA in Membership and Marketing. She is now reponsible for community events, marketing and outreach at Avenue CDC.

Jason Holoubek
As the Director of Rental Housing and Economic Development, Jason Holoubek manages the acquisition and development of Avenue CDC’s multi-family and commercial properties. He has a varied background in urban planning and analysis. Prior to joining the staff of Avenue CDC, Jason was a Senior Planner at the City of Houston, where he worked closely both with developers and neighborhood groups. Jason also has experience as a Research Analyst for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Jason earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas and a Master of Applied Geography degree from Texas State University. Born and raised on Galveston Island, Jason currently resides in the Heights.

Mary Lawler
Executive Director Mary Lawler has twelve years of housing development experience. She has a Master's from Harvard University's Kennedy School and a B.A. from Duke University. Prior to joining Avenue CDC's staff she was New York City's Department of Homeless Services Director of Facility Development. She serves on the Washington Avenue Coalition, is the President of the CDC Association of Greater Houston, and serves on the Board of Urban Harvest.

Fred Lazare
Finance Director Fred Lazare is responsible for the organization's accounting and manages Avenue’s banking, insurance and technology. Fred joined the organization in October 2002 after working at First United Methodist Church of Houston for four years. Prior to that, Fred worked for over eight years as an auditor with the CPA firm of Melton & Melton, LLP in Houston where many of his clients were in construction and home building. Fred is a Certified Public Accountant and has a Bachelor's degree from New York University and a Master of Accounting degree from Rice. He has served on the boards of several local environmental groups.

Jennifer Martinazzi

Financial Assistant Ms. Martinazzi is responsible for assisting the Finance Director in accounting and cash management tasks. She has her Associate of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Washington. Jennifer previously worked for AIG in their Re-insurance Accounting department.

Eric Mitchell

Development Specialist Eric Mitchell assists the Director of Rental Housing and Economic Development as well as the Director of Single Family housing. His background is primarily in design and construction. Prior to joining Avenue CDC, Eric worked for a private developer of multi-family senior housing where he assisted with the design, finance, and construction development of over 350 residential units. Eric received his Master’s of Architecture, and Master’s of Business Administration degrees from Texas Tech University.

Lizbeth Mejia
Assistant Director Lizbeth Mejia has experience in both the public and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining Avenue CDC, she worked on a federal demonstration project with the Healthy Marriage Initiative. She has also worked for the City of Houston Educational Liaison’s office and the Department of Public Works, School to Work program. Lizbeth has a Master of Public Administration Degree and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Houston.

Marilyn Vanderhider
Director of Single Family Housing, Marilyn Vanderhider is responsible for overseeing the development of single-family housing which includes Move Home and HouseSave programs, as well as the Homebuyer Education and Counseling program. With a strong background in housing and interior design, she has five years experience working for a private housing developer in Texas and various design firms in both new construction and rehabilitation efforts. In addition, Marilyn has 13 years experience as a business leader. She has demonstrated an extensive knowledge of project planning, managing multi-million dollar budgets, leading teams and accomplishing goals. For many years, Marilyn was responsible for the professional development and training of 2000+ marketing employees of a mid-size oil company located in Houston, Texas. In this role, she managed the computer training effort in the development, scheduling, and delivery of courses. In her free time, Marilyn enjoys working at the 105-unit apartment complex that she owns in Texas. Marilyn holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and an Associates degree in Interior Design.

Jenifer Wagley
Jenifer Wagley received a B.A. in Sociology from Louisiana College in 2001. She then went on to graduate school at Baylor University where she completed two graduate degrees. Her first master’s is in Educational Psychology and the second is a Master of Divinity in Theology from the George W. Truett Seminary. While in graduate school she worked as an Activities Coordinator at the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco. She then moved to Houston to take an Associate Minister’s position at First Congregational Church of Houston. Her next step led her into community organizing working with The Metropolitan Organization here in Houston.

Laurell Wilson
Laurell Wilson serves as the clerical assistant for Avenue CDC. She is a longtime Houstonian.

Patricia Wydler
As a Homeownership Manager, Patricia Wydler is responsible for overseeing the counseling program addressed to families interested in purchasing a home. Patricia got her Master’s degree in education at the National University of Mexico and worked at the Fine Arts Institute planning and programming curricula for different schools of art. She also worked seven years at the Mexican Government Tourism Office promoting Mexico as a tourism destination. At New York City, where she resided for 15 years she worked as a producer of the Hispanic television networks Univisión and Telemundo. In Texas she furthered her career as a realtor and loan officer.

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