VENTURA — The Board of Directors of the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. (CEDC) has announced that Margarita H. de Escontrias has been selected as CEDC’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the organization reported in a media release.
Margarita H. de Escontrias. Courtesy photo.
Ms. de Escontrias first joined CEDC’s senior management team as the Director of Business Planning and Administration in June 2013 and has served as CEDC’s Interim CEO since December 2014. She now takes on the role of CEO and is responsible for assisting a 13-member Board of Directors in setting corporate direction and managing CEDC projects and operations. She will lead a staff of 73 and manage a $6.2 million budget.
With a strong focus in largely underserved urban and rural communities, Ms. de Escontrias’ public sector career has spanned nearly 30 years. She has tremendous professional experience in the field of community development, particularly specializing in affordable housing, urban infill, and economic development in transit-oriented development projects, the organization reported. In addition to work in urban areas, she maintains a strong commitment to rural communities, as she began her career working in the lower Coachella Valley in Riverside County. She has also worked tirelessly on issues related to poverty, housing and homeless services.
While working at the Economic Development Agency of the County of Riverside and for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, Ms. de Escontrias was the lead negotiator and liaison for numerous public/private deals and possesses extensive experience in negotiation, implementation and compliance.
She received both undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from UC Riverside. Believing fiercely in the power of education, she returned to school after a 30-year hiatus and received her second Masters in Public Administration from California State University Northridge.
David Sabedra, president of the board for CEDC’s Board of Directors, adds that Margarita’s social justice framework is consonant with the vision of CEDC.
“In addition to her many impressive professional and academic achievements, Margarita also brings tremendous heart and affinity for the work that CEDC has been engaged in for nearly 35 years … that of serving the lowest-income residents of our community and the most vulnerable, such as farmworkers, senior citizens and individuals with mental health disabilities, through CEDC’s diverse range of programs and services,” he said. “We are privileged to have Margarita serving in this role at CEDC and look forward to her leading the organization as it continues to expand its affordable rental portfolio in Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and elsewhere in the future. We are blessed to have a leader on board who has devoted her professional career to social justice issues and know that she will continue to engage the community conversation around affordable housing, economic stability and community building.”
Ms. de Escontrias said she is thrilled to continue the fight for social justice in the capacity of CEO.
“I am honored to have been selected by the Board to fill this role leading CEDC’s staff. The CEO shoes worn originally by CEDC’s Founding Executive Director Rodney Fernandez are some pretty big shoes to fill!” said Ms. de Escontrias. “I look forward to the challenge of not only honoring Rodney’s legacy as the first CEO, but also leading the organization into the future by continuing to build affordable homes and offering financial education and counseling assistance through our NeighborWorks® HomeOwnership Center. This organization stands unrivaled in its contribution to not only building affordable homes but also in building self-sufficiency for thousands of low-income citizens in Ventura and Santa Barbara County through our HomeOwnership Center, which has the distinction of being the only HomeOwnership Center chartered by NeighborWorks America in Ventura County.”
The mission of the NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center is to promote strong neighborhoods by increasing successful homeownership opportunities through effective, comprehensive counseling, as well as financial and other support services.
Believing in the power of collaboration and cooperation, Ms. de Escontrias said she knows that the road ahead must involve creating and solidifying relationships with CEDC’s partners in justice.
“CEDC has had many wonderful partners and supporters of its work over the years, and we are always seeking new and innovative ways to partner with public and private-sector companies and organizations that want to invest in our communities, both in hard assets and soft assets, including leadership development,” she said. “CEDC has a long history of not just building buildings, but also in cultivating the life-changing effects that financial knowledge-building and community development brings. As our organization looks forward to 2016, our 35th anniversary, we will reflect on our many accomplishments and work toward creating even more opportunities for the community to engage with us, our residents, staff and board members. We are always open to new ideas, new volunteers and fresh conversations about how to meet our communities’ needs for housing and economic stability.”
For those in the community who haven’t yet met or spoken with Margarita, CEDC will be hosting a community event soon.
About Cabrillo Economic Development Corp: CEDC is a private non-profit community development corporation that provides comprehensive housing services in Central and Southern California through a community building approach. Since its incorporation in 1981, CEDC has developed 1,754 affordable for-sale and multi-family rental homes, and owns and manages 1,121 affordable rental homes. CEDC plans to complete the construction of more than 200 affordable homes for low-income renters, including seniors, in the next three years. Since 1998, CEDC has been a proud member of the NeighborWorks® network (www.nw.org). Since 2004, CEDC’s NeighborWorks® HomeOwnership Center has assisted thousands of individuals and families in achieving or preserving homeownership through education and counseling services. CEDC is a chartered member of NeighborWorks, a national network of more than 235 community development and affordable housing organizations. This year marks CEDC’s 34th year of operation. CEDC’s NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center is located at 702 County Square Drive, Ventura, CA 93003.
About NeighborWorks America: For 35 years, NeighborWorks® America has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $22.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals. Visit www.nw.org/ for more information about NeighborWorks and how it builds communities across the nation.
About Home Matters®: CEDC is a proud supporter of Home Matters, a national movement uniting America around Home. For more information visit www.HomeMattersAmerica.com.
Social Media: Follow CEDC on Twitter @CabrilloEDC or on Facebook at CEDCVC.