Resume

Transformed a financially fragile community development organization into a nationally recognized powerhouse
for housing justice, economic equity, and immigrant rights—growing budget, staff, and mission impact 
fourfold.

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• Pioneered multi-sector funding strategy, mobilizing $10M+ for the first time by forging new partnerships with federal, state, and local government agencies—demonstrating ability to unlock public capital at scale through strategic stakeholder alignment.

• Shaped philanthropic strategy by engaging multiple major NYC foundations on Chhaya’s policy agenda, leading to their adoption of housing policy priorities aligned with our community development work.

• Secured landmark policy victories to stabilize LMI homeownership: the NYS Homeownership Assistance Fund, advanced ADU/basement apartment legalization at the state level, and won significant zoning reform through NYC’s City of Yes regulations, directly expanding the supply of affordable homeownership.

• Quadrupled homeownership programs, including foreclosure prevention and first-time homebuyer initiatives; published two groundbreaking reports on affordable homeownership loss in Queens; laid the groundwork for Community Land Trusts (CLTs) in the borough.

• Launched and scaled an economic justice portfolio—free tax preparation, financial counseling, credit building, and small business development—serving the most economically vulnerable immigrant populations with tools for lasting economic mobility.

• Directed crisis capital deployment during COVID-19: secured and distributed nearly $1M in emergency rent assistance, food security programming, and small business relief, protecting hundreds of families and entrepreneurs from displacement and closure.

• Led unprecedented multi-year capital campaign to build the first-ever South Asian multi-service community center; secured funding for two locations, advancing social infrastructure investment in an underserved community.

• Built an inclusive, high-performance organizational culture: implemented equitable salary scales, created staff development pathways, diversified the board, and skillfully navigated a staff unionization process while preserving mission alignment.