Susan M. Ifill is executive vice president and chief operating officer for NeighborWorks America, leading programs and staff who support network and field operations. She previously served as chief executive officer of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHSNYC), a NeighborWorks network organization, working to address affordable housing and fight displacement across New York City. Prior to joining NHSNYC, Ifill was the senior vice president and chief retail officer for Carver Federal Savings Bank in New York.

Marietta Rodriguez knows what it’s like to be a new homebuyer because she was one. "I was 25 and living in a high-cost area," she says. “There was absolutely no way I could buy a home without someone holding my hand and walking me through it.” The folks holding her hand were from a NeighborWorks network organization that provided counseling and financial assistance to first-time homebuyers. Soon, Rodriguez went to work for the organization that assisted her so that she could help more people in her hometown.