The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLC) was created when a group of nonprofit leaders and service providers began discussions about the housing crisis, as well as the deeply entrenched obstacles to affordable housing development in communities throughout San Mateo. Those conversations led to HLC’s incorporation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2001. HLC was founded to build a network of people who support the development of new housing (particularly affordable housing), to build community support for housing, and to advocate for policies that address the root causes of the housing shortage.
Today, HLC is a membership organization that works with our partners to preserve and expand the range and supply of adequate, accessible, and affordable housing for residents and workers of San Mateo County. We organize to ensure everyone who works here, lives here, or grows up here can obtain a suitable home.
HLC Board of Directors
Andrea Osgood, President – Director of Real Estate Development, Eden Housing
Paul Krupka, Treasurer – President of Krupka Consulting
Fiona Hsu, Secretary – Manager Community Development Finance, Silicon Valley Bank
Xiomara Cisneros – Policy Director, Bay Area Council
Pamela Dorr – Program Director, Soup.
Richard Hedges – Director, Community Horizons
Serena Ip – Project Manager, MidPen Housing
Michael Lane – Deputy Director, Silicon Valley at Home
John Liotti – Chief Executive Officer, Able Works
Meg McGraw-Scherer – Senior Housing Finance Consultant, California Housing Partnership Corporation
Angelica Resendez – Homeowner Development Manager, Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco
Paul Ring – Executive Vice President – Development and Construction, Urban Catalyst
John Tastor – Area Executive Vice President, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Kenneth Cole – Director, Department of Housing – County of San Mateo – nonvoting, ex officio
Staff
Evelyn Stivers, Executive Director
estivers@hlcsmc.org
Evelyn “Evvy” Stivers comes to Housing Leadership Council with 20 years of organizing and advocacy experience. Prior to joining HLC, Evvy was the Development Director for Urban Habitat. From 2004 through 2013 Evvy worked for the Non-Profit Housing Association on regional initiatives including the Housing Element and Inclusionary Housing campaigns. Earlier in her career she directed the Western States Field Office for the US Public Interest Research Group and served as the Livable Communities Associate Director for Greenbelt Alliance. She has served on the boards of TransForm, the League of Conservation Voters for the East Bay, East Bay Housing Organizations, and Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County.
Nadine Makki, Development and Events Director
nmakki@hlcsmc.org
Nadine joined HLC in 2015 to manage the day to day operations of Housing Leadership Council and the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust. Previously, Nadine worked as the Development Associate for Californians for Justice, and as a Case Manager at the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), connecting homeless and individuals at risk of homelessness to services. Nadine is fluent in Arabic and obtained her Master’s degree in December 2015 in International Development Administration from Andrews University.
Leora Tanjuatco, Organizing Director
leora@hlcsmc.org
Leora joined the HLC team in August of 2016 and manages all of our political campaigns as our Organizing Director. Leora is a third-generation Bay Area resident who studied architecture and English. She has been active with a number organizations associated with land use policy and advocacy and has been a paid consultant for community outreach. Her dedication to housing, outgoing personality, and skill as an organizer will serve us very well. She will be working full-time for HLC managing our Impact Fees campaigns, the general plan work in Menlo Park, endorsements, the Public Land for Public Good campaign, and all of our coalition and community building efforts.
Ken Chan, Operations Manager
kchan@hlcsmc.org
Ken Chan joined the HLC team in March of 2017 as our Operations Manager. Ken graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. He previously interned at KCAssociates and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation.
Alex Melendrez, Organizer
amelendrez@hlcsmc.org
Alexander “Alex” Melendrez joined HLC in December of 2018 as an Organizer. A Bay Area native, Alex earned a Political Science degree with a minor in City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. While in college he volunteered with the student government’s External Affairs Vice President’s office lobbying on several issues to the state government on behalf of students, particularly college affordability.
Karen Camacho, Organizer
kcamacho@hlcsmc.org
Karen Camacho is an Organizer at HLC, where she advocates for the protection, preservation, and production of affordable housing, collaborates with different government and community stakeholders, and empowers residents to speak up about affordable housing opportunities in their communities. Prior to joining HLC, Karen worked at the ACLU of Northern California as an organizer and policy advocate on criminal justice and reproductive rights issues. Karen gained much of her early advocacy experience organizing around Latinx rights in college and advocating, alongside Buena Vista Mobile Home Park residents, for individuals facing eviction from the community she still calls home. Karen has interned at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, DC and worked as a mentor and educator for youth in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. She is passionate about all issues impacting low-income people of color, and in empowering marginalized communities. Karen completed her bachelor’s and master’s at Stanford University. She currently serves on the Rent Stabilization Board of East Palo Alto.
Kara Rivera, Membership and Fundraising Associate
krivera@hlcsmc.org
Kara Rivera is a Membership and Fundraising Associate at HLC. Kara graduated from UC Irvine where she studied Sociology, Chicano/Latino Studies, and African American Studies. Before joining the HLC team, Kara was a New American Fellow at the County of Santa Clara’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Kara is committed to serving communities of color facing political and social marginalization and is excited to join community efforts towards creating affordable homes in San Mateo County.