Hosted By: SANTA CRUZ BARRIOS UNIDOS

Please arrive around 5:30 for a Meet & Greet and introductions. Barrios Unidos' Executive Director, Nane Alejandrez, will welcome everyone and then the speakers will begin at 6 PM. The speakers will each have about 15 minutes to make their presentations and then around 7:30 we will have time for Q&A and discussion.

Register for this free event here: https://forms.gle/4YYsxhVmzNDSkkXZ6 

PANELISTS:

Geoffrey Morgan

Geoffrey Morgan, President and Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for the overall operations, strategic growth, and advocacy for CHISPA in its service to low and moderate income households across Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. Mr. Morgan has over twenty years of experience in housing development and ownership for a variety of income levels and populations. He most recently was President and CEO of First Community Housing (FCH) for almost a decade and was a leader in sustainable development of affordable housing in the Silicon Valley and surrounding areas. Prior to this, Mr. Morgan was Vice President of Real Estate Development for CCH, a national leader in the production of low-income affordable Housing for older Americans. Geoffrey is involved in numerous policy and community initiatives to support affordable housing such as the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, Leading Age, the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, and the California Coalition for Rural Housing. Mr. Morgan holds a Bachelors degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Real Estate Development from MIT.

About CHISPA

Since 1980, CHISPA has developed more than 1,400 affordable apartments and 800 single-family homes in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties. CHISPA manages all of its 32 apartment developments and supports apartment residents with on-site classes and community services. CHISPA’s construction subsidiary Central Coast Residential Builders is the general contractor for all of CHISPA’s construction. CHISPA is a 501 (c)(3) California Not for Profit Corporation. 

Dr. Miriam Greenberg

Miriam Greenberg is a Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz, with a research and teaching focus in critical studies of sustainability, housing, and urbanization. Her books in these areas include  Branding New York:  How a City in Crisis was Sold to the World (2008); Crisis Cities: Disaster and Redevelopment in New York and New Orleans (2014); and The City is the Factory: New Solidarities and Spatial Tactics in an Urban Age (2017). She has also undertaken a series of community-engaged, public-facing research projects exploring these issues in California. These include “Critical Sustainabilities” https://critical-sustainabilities.ucsc.edu/, and (with Steve McKay) “No Place Like Home” on the experience of the affordable housing crisis in Santa Cruz County http://noplacelikehomeucsc.org/. Currently she is interim director of the UCSC Center for Labor & Community, and co-director of the UCSC Center for Critical Urban and Environmental Studies.  Together with students, colleagues, and community partners, she is developing two new projects. The first, “WUI Research for Resilience” explores the relationship of the California housing crisis to the growth of the Wildland Urban Interface. The second, “An Anti-Displacement Vision for Santa Cruz” will include a displacement risk mapping tool alongside an interactive map of anti-displacement policies and visionary initiatives throughout our region.  Miriam is a former planning commissioner for the City of Santa Cruz.

Julie Conway

Julie Conway got involved with affordable housing in 1983 through limited equity housing cooperatives. She has worked with nonprofit organizations, community groups and local government to address housing challenges of people facing poverty, disability, homelessness and domestic violence.  Julie retired as the Housing Manager for the County of Santa Cruz and currently chairs the City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission.

Matt Huerta

Matt has over 23 years of experience in affordable housing and community development. He has developed hundreds of affordable homes including rental and for sale in the Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and Monterey Bay Areas. In his consulting capacity he serves in several leadership roles including as the Director of Northern CA for PATH Ventures, as Housing and Community Development Director for the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, and on the core statewide campaign team to Lower the Voter Threshold and Expand Allowable Uses for Local Housing Measures. He has led nationally recognized housing programs including a HUD Certified Counseling Agency and Fannie Mae 1st Mortgage Seller and Servicer as the former Executive Director of Neighborhood Housing Services Silicon Valley. Matt serves on the Boards of the Non Profit Housing Association of Northern California Action Fund and the California Coalition for Rural Housing. He earned a B.S. in Community and Regional Development from the University of California at Davis where he also served as the President of the Associated Students during his senior year. Matt is based in Salinas where he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and 3 teenage children.