Executive Director, Bay Area

Background

Today in America, and especially in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the need for resilient, healthy, and inclusive communities with quality life, affordable housing, and wealth opportunities is greater than ever. The shortage of safe, affordable homes, skilled job training, education, and quality healthcare affects everyone and everything. With the post-pandemic inflation, many are struggling even more in the midst of unprecedented challenges to stay in their homes amid declining neighborhoods. For 45 years, LISC has supported people and places in need to achieve stability and resiliency—the very attributes everyone, and every community, requires. In 2023, LISC had another year of unparalleled support, investing $2.4 billion to catalyze opportunity in hundreds of historically underserved urban and rural communities and doubled down on their work to create affordable housing, catalyze financial opportunity, and promote climate resiliency.

Working with residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America–great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. As America’s leading Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), LISC creates opportunities for people to thrive: better housing, living wage jobs, quality schools and childcare, safer recreation space, and vibrant places to shop and grow. To achieve these opportunities, LISC serves holistically as investor, capacity builder, advisor, convener, and systems innovator that pools public and private dollars to be invested in people and places. LISC offers an array of financing, consulting services, and project support across all program areas, including financial investments of grants, loans, and equity for economic revitalization projects; management and strategic services for partners; and policy and program expertise, development, and implementation.

Since 1979, LISC and its affiliates have invested approximately $32 billion in businesses, affordable housing, health, educational mobility, community and recreational facilities, public safety, employment, and other projects that help to revitalize and stabilize underinvested communities. In addition, LISC has supported the creation of 506,300 affordable homes and 82.5 million square feet of commercial space representing $87 billion in total leveraged investments. Headquartered in New York City, LISC’s reach spans the country from East coast to West coast in 38 metro offices and a wide-ranging rural program that reaches more than 2,400 counties in 49 states and Puerto Rico.

LISC now aims to invest over $3 billion to catalyze opportunity for people and places, with 20% of investments targeted to rural places and communities of color. LISC work: (1) empowers people so that more can contribute to and take advantage of economic growth; (2) transforms places experiencing district and underinvestment; (3) supports enterprises in building robust economies and communities; (4) drives systems innovation by working to address institutional challenges. In April 2024, LISC and a coalition of the country’s most trusted housing, climate, and community investment groups was awarded a $2 billion, seven-year National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide capital for affordable residential decarbonization throughout the country, with a specific focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities. This major grant will play an important role in key metro LISC offices, particularly their LISC Bay Area office.

Summary

An energetic, influential, and inspirational leader, LISC’s Executive Director role represents an exciting and distinctive opportunity to experience deep purpose and a fulfilled sense of mission in leading the growth of local programs, funding, and services in the Bay Area that will positively impact the lives of thousands of individuals and families, particularly in less-invested communities and neighborhoods. LISC and its affiliates have served the Bay Area for over four decades as one of its first regional offices. Since 1981, LISC has provided $881 million in grants, lending, and equity investments, which have leveraged an additional $3.7 billion in investment. LISC has attracted over 1,167 businesses to local corridors, created 1,360 new Bay Area jobs, helped create over 14,000 affordable homes and apartments, and financed over $1.5 million square feet of commercial, retail, and community space.

The Executive Director, an entrepreneurial and dynamic self-starter, will provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and guidance for all aspects of LISC Bay Area’s current programmatic structure. This position reports to Joe Horiye, the West Region Program Vice President and works closely, effectively, and harmoniously with other members of the LISC national management team, programs and affiliates. This position will be responsible for expanding LISC’s role primarily in San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, and San Jose. LISC Bay Area has a strong operating base of nonprofit and private sector funding partners that includes recent partnerships with BMO, Capital One, First Republic Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Sobrato Family Foundation, and Wells Fargo. The Executive Director manages a $3.5 million operating budget and a talented team of 9 housing and economic development professionals. This position is based in LISC’s downtown Oakland office and provides flexibility for working remotely as needed.

The position requires a strong commitment to the role of community-based non-profit organizations as agents of positive change as well as an understanding of, and appreciation for, other key public and private partners who can offer additional resources to the work of community development in the Bay Area. Most importantly, the Executive Director builds strong, beneficial relationships throughout Bay Area, facilitates greater regional engagement and alignment with LISC, and raises funds and capital locally that will be leveraged by national LISC’s support to support their community partners. This leader will also recruit, manage, and collaborate closely with a diverse, skilled, and broadly representative 8-member Local Advisory Committee that provides civic leadership and strategic guidance on investments, policies, and programs and supports resource development efforts. To be successful, this goal-oriented leader must be a strong implementer of operational and programmatic excellence who can effectively partner with colleagues on the LISC national team collaboratively, strengthen cross-team communication, increase revenue sources and philanthropic funding, and instill a culture of philanthropy across the organization.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director will have the following primary responsibilities:

Leadership and Management

• Lead and manage a professional staff of nine and a Local Advisory Committee (LAC) to carry out LISC’s strategy and operate its programs.
• Coordinate strategic, programmatic, and annual planning/budgeting processes in collaboration with the LAC and LISC’s West Coast Program Vice President.
• Implement the three-year strategic plan with oversight from the Senior Vice President of Market Excellence and Market Excellence team.
• Recruit, build, manage, and orient a diverse, skilled, and broadly representative LAC membership and team.
• Ensure the staff structure is fully optimized for strong performance and efficiency.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with national LISC; participate in national LISC leadership structure and meetings.
• Bring visibility to local innovations and programs within the national LISC structure.
• Maximize the use of national LISC resources and expertise in the Bay Area.

Community Development and Program Activity

• Manage and implement Bay Area LISC’s signature affordable housing programs, including Partnership for the Bay’s Future; catalyze public-private partnerships to provide technical assistance, innovative programs and problem-solving.
• Assist in engaging a wide variety of community partners to help bring holistic and integrated services to targeted neighborhoods with local government, state agencies, other private and quasi-public financial institutions and intermediaries, advocacy groups, and community-based organizations.
• Develop and implement inclusive strategies for expanding affordable housing, economic mobility and using LISC’s financial resources to catalyze a pipeline of affordable housing, small business, and other real estate projects and catalytic programs.
• Promote effective community development strategies to attract resources to targeted under-served populations and neighborhoods.
• Identify and incorporate best practices gained from national LISC interaction into Bay Area program designs.
• Identify, increase, and implement opportunities for investment (grant, equity, debt) by LISC and its affiliates.

Public Policy and Advocacy

• Provide leadership on housing and community economic development policy issues in the Bay Area.
• Advocate on behalf of LISC and the policy networks at the local, state, and federal levels to secure the tools necessary to advance a comprehensive redevelopment strategy.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships at the highest levels of local, state, and federal government as well as in the corporate and foundation sectors.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with community organizations and other advocacy groups engaged in public policy issues.

Fundraising

• Strategically cultivate and steward a portfolio of existing funders, including philanthropic funders, financial institutions, corporations, and city, county, and state governments.
• Identify and cultivate leadership from key corporate, foundation, and other prospective donor sectors who share an interest in affordable housing, economic mobility, lending, and community development.
• Spearhead and achieve the annual multi-million-dollar fundraising goals to ensure operational sustainability and meet the outcomes for programmatic work.
• Work with the Local Advisory Committee to raise sufficient funds annually to finance LISC Bay Area’s operations, program activities, and projects.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will possess most of the following qualifications and skill sets:

• A passionate, enthusiastic commitment to LISC’s mission of forging resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America and advancing racial equity.
• A minimum of 10 years of senior-level experience in community development, real estate, capital development and community revitalization, and other related fields.
• Proven experience in shaping affordable housing and real estate projects through development or lending and growing organizational capacity.
• Proven experience in relationship building and engaging directly with stakeholders in the community, including local elected officials, legislators, public agencies, social service agencies, corporate and business leaders, and key funders.
• Ability to lead a major local team program that works closely and effectively with a national organization.
• Demonstrated management experience, including staff development, financial management, and office administration, with an ability to attract and sustain philanthropic funding from individuals, corporations, and government entities.
• Demonstrated ability to build successful relationships with constituents from communities of color and all socio-economic backgrounds.
• Experience in empowering, building, and maintaining productive relationships with volunteer leaders comparable to a board of directors or an advisory committee.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills with an effective and persuasive ability, including strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Experience building relationships, networking, and collaborating effectively with ethnically/culturally/socio‐economically diverse populations and community organizations.
• Ability to work with a flexible schedule and travel as needed.
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. An advanced degree would be an advantage.

Compensation and Benefits

LISC offers a highly competitive salary: $215,000 – $235,000. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, and voluntary life insurance; flexible spending accounts for out-of-pocket medical, dental, daycare, parking, or commuter transportation expenses; three weeks of vacation to start; 12 paid holidays, 10 sick days, and three personal days; paid parental leave of four weeks; tuition reimbursement program, up to $5,000 annually; retirement savings plans including a 401(k) with employer match and a 403(b) with employer contribution; Group Life Insurance and AD&D; Short Term & Long Term Disability; telecommuting program; and employee assistance program.

LISC is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

How to Apply

LISC has retained Campbell & Company to conduct this search. A full position guide and application instructions can be viewed here: https://insights.campbellcompany.com/LISC-ED