01/13/2025

It’s a brand new year and NeighborWorks America is moving forward with plans and strategies for the months ahead, including a new, three-year strategic plan. Today, we hear from some of NeighborWorks America’s leaders as they look forward to what 2025 has in store.

Mel Willie“I am looking forward the Native Partnership Gathering in February 2025 in San Joaquin Valley in California. We will have a site visit with Self Help Enterprise to learn more about their partnership with Tule River Tribe. These Native Partnership Gathering are phenomenal where we have created a space of sharing, learning and deep connection to the work.” 

– Mel Willie, Director, Native American Partnerships and Strategies

Hui Min“Looking ahead, I am excited about continuing to foster this culture of learning within the Training Division. We will keep building on our foundation of trust and distributed leadership, encouraging team members to explore innovative solutions and new ways of thinking. The enthusiasm and initiative shown by our team members in 2024 set a strong precedent for the future. Together, we will continue to grow, learn, and excel in what we do, making our division a place where creativity and collaboration thrive. 

 – Hui Min, Vice President, Training

“I am really looking forward to putting into action ideas we have to build stronger connections across NeighborWorks to support our organizations in their comprehensive community development (CCD) work. For example, how can our communications team help the network tell their CCD stories? How can the Corporate Strategy and Impact team support organizations in making their community data accessible? How can our lending team and our Community Initiatives team support organizations to find ways to finance the work they are doing?  This year we will be supporting a new cohort of organizations who are digging into how to build stronger relationships with residents, connect with partners and advance robust work in their communities using a place-based approach. I am looking forward to engaging deeply with these groups to help them advance important work in their communities.”

 – Elizabeth Druback Celaya, Director, Community Initiatives

Michael Butchko“I’m not sure I’m ‘looking forward’ to this, but national housing and economic data tells us that the country is in its third or fourth year of a housing crisis, where affordability, availability, and access to capital continue to aggravate individuals’ housing needs. But the NeighborWorks network, through rental housing construction, homebuyer education and counseling, and other innovative strategies, is rising to meet the challenges of this unique time in the nation’s history. I am energized by the creativity of the nearly 250 NeighborWorks organizations in our network, and I am excited about how we can use analytics to advance their success.”

 – Michael Butchko, Vice President, Business Intelligence

“Retirement!” 

– Susan M. Ifill, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Sarah Parmenter“Expanding the use of Building Leaders, Building Communities (BLBC), a resident leadership experience designed by NeighborWorks America and facilitated locally by community development non-profit organizations in partnership with residents of the communities they serve. The BLBC curriculum includes core concepts around personal leadership, team building and taking action in your community. We have several plans in the works to make BLBC more widely accessible and to test it out in different types of communities.” 

– Sarah Parmenter, Director, Community Building and Engagement

Valerie Navy-Daniels“I’m excited about the opportunity for my team to implement a new fundraising model for resource amplification designed to help meet our growing enterprise needs. And most importantly, the plan represents input from our sister divisions!” 

– Valerie Navy-Daniels, Senior Vice President, Resource Development  

 

Dr. Christie Cade"I am excited about the NeighborWorks network organizations who continue to help families navigate through economic crisis with counseling and training for the dream of home ownership."

– Dr. Christie Cade, Vice President, Southern Region