About NACEDA

our Directors | our Staff

Today more than 4,600 Community Economic Development (CED) organizations (also known as Community Development Corporations, or CDCs) from coast to coast are working with residents to strengthen their communities by building affordable and mixed income housing, spearheading ambitious neighborhood economic development strategies, and providing essential services for youth, families, seniors, people with disabilities and the homeless.

There are 4,600 CDCs nationwide located in inner cities, small cities and in rural areas; 25% of all CDCs are faith-based.

CEDs generally perform these functions:

Develop affordable housing
Create economic opportunity for distressed communities
Empower low-income people to create positive change in their lives
Provide social services

From 1988 to 2005 CDCs produced/created 1.3 million homes, 774,000 new jobs and 126 million sq feet of commercial/industrial space.

When Community Economic Development practitioners work together they can more effectively learn from their colleagues, receive training and technical assistance, influence policy and create change at a macro level. For that reason, many Community Economic Development organizations have banded together to create state associations. Direct services State Associations provide members include:

State policy work
Training, technical assistance, peer support and other capacity building programs
Research

Concerned about not having a national voice, fifteen state community economic development associations came together in 2006 to form NACEDA – the National Alliance of CED Associations – as a vehicle for developing and pursuing a national community agenda. NACEDA also works to strengthen and expand the role of state community economic development associations in promoting the efforts of local CDCs, and building the capacity and reach of the CDC field. NACEDA serves its membership through:

Public policy advocacy
Providing peer-to-peer support and development for state association staff
Supporting new and emerging state associations

Our NACEDA Fact Sheet contains more detail about NACEDA, its mission, its programs, its projects.
Our CDC Fact Sheet contains more facts and figures about CDC accomplishments.

Our Board of Directors

Diane Sterner, Housing & Community Development Network of NJ (Chair)
Bernie Mazyck, South Carolina Association of CDCs (Vice Chair)
Kate Little, Georgia State Trade Assoc. of Nonprofit Developers (Secretary)
Joseph Kriesberg, Massachusetts Association of CDCs (Treasurer)
Michael Anderson, Oregon Opportunity Network
Patricia Barnes, Ohio CDC Association (Retiring)
Terry Chelikowsky, Florida Association of CDCs
Angie Gaabo, Community Economic Development Association of Michigan
Chris Hannifan, Housing Network of Rhode Island
Patricia Spring, Connecticut Housing Coalition
Andy Fraizer, Indiana Association for Community Economic Development
Brigette Rasberry, North Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations
Rick Sauer, Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations

STAFF DIRECTORY

		Jane DeMarines Executive Director With a 25-year record of government affairs, advocacy, fundraising, and capacity building in Washington, Ms. DeMarines has contributed her expertise in the community development and affordable housing field for numerous national nonprofits and banking non-profits and for-profits. More recently, as Executive Director of NACEDA, Ms. DeMarines quadrupled membership in 2.5 years, raised funds and launched major programs including Managing Neighborhood Change and the Economic Impact Study of the Community Development Field. [ Read Full Bio ]

		Rachel Audi Director of Government Relations As Director of Government Relations, Ms. Audi manages the advocacy and educational efforts for NACEDA and its members. With fourteen years of professional service for two U.S. Senators, the U.S. Executive Branch, the State of Maryland, and a leading national medical association, Ms. Audi is a senior public executive with a successful advocacy record and advanced understanding of federal and state legislative processes, executive operations, and the value of coalitions and action. [ Read Full Bio ]

		Sarah McKinley Director of Special Projects Sarah McKinley serves as NACEDA Director of Special Projects, where she heads up the Managing Neighborhood Change (MNC) and Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) initiatives as well as the Economic Impact Study of the Community Development Field. She oversees the pilot sight testing and implementation of MNC, works to successfully market and apply OCA, and manages the completion and reporting of the Study. Sarah is deeply committed to the ideals of community empowerment and very excited to be on board at NACEDA where she can help to give a national voice to the needs of community groups. [ Read Full Bio ]

		Noreen Beatley Green Building/Energy Efficiency Advisor to NACEDA Noreen is a Program and Policy Consultant on Green Building, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Communities. She has worked with a range of partners, from nonprofits to State agencies, helping develop strategies to promote green building and energy efficient practices and policies. She has researched and written green building and energy efficiency primers for national funders, case studies on the benefits of green healthy housing, policy briefs on greening workforce development, and helped design the structure of a regional green and energy efficient retrofit program for affordable housing. [ Read Full Bio ]

		Joe McNeely Advisor Mr. McNeely serves as an Advisor to NACEDA and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Fellows program for the UB Schaefer center, and a consultant on community development and nonprofit management. Mr. McNeely’s background and experience has had an imprint on community development for over 30 years. [ Read Full Bio ]

		Robert O. Zdenek Advisor Robert O. Zdenek, DPA, is Principal of Robert Zdenek Associates which he formed in 2002. He has worked with over 30 national, regional and local clients including serving as Senior Consultant for two years to the U.S. Department of HHS/Office of Community Services. He has served in many professional leadership capacities including: President of New Jersey Community Capital and Interim Executive Director of the National Housing Institute in Montclair, New Jersey. Bob was also Executive Director Alliance for Healthy Homes (AFHH), the leading national advocacy and technical support organization for helping to eliminate environmental hazards in low-income housing. [ Read Full Bio ]