News from the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition
Indio, CA: The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) Board of Directors announces the appointment of Alice Salinas as its Executive Director, effective June 29, 2020.
As Executive Director (ED) of CVHC, Ms. Salinas will lead a nationally recognized organization with the mission to “improve the living conditions of low-income individuals and families by constructing and operating affordable housing infused with programs and opportunities that enrich, build, and grow their lives.”
Ms. Salinas comes to CVHC with more than 25 years of experience in non-profit affordable housing development and a lifetime commitment to community empowerment, social justice and racial equity. She began her career at Esperanza Community Housing Corporation in Los Angeles, where she worked to transform dilapidated housing conditions by acquiring and renovating properties for low-income garment workers. She next served as the California Director of the National Farmworkers Service Center where she developed affordable housing for low-income farmworkers throughout the State of California. More recently, Ms. Salinas has held key positions at East Los Angeles Community Corporation, where she led a department of real estate professionals working to develop and preserve affordable housing in Boyle Heights, a rapidly gentrifying community, and at PATH Ventures, a Los-Angeles based nonprofit housing developer, where she focused on developing Transit-Oriented Developments that targeted chronically homeless individuals.
Ms. Salinas currently serves as the Senior Loan Officer in Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s San Antonio, Texas office. In her role as lead loan underwriter, she has provided loan capital to community development projects aimed at empowering low-income Mexicanos/Tejanos in south Texas. Ms. Salinas earned a Bachelors in Public Policy from Occidental College and a Masters in Urban Planning from UCLA.
Ms. Salinas brings excitement and enthusiasm to her new position: “I’m ready to work hard alongside the extremely talented and committed CVHC team to increase the much-needed supply of affordable housing for low-income residents, to advance CVHC’s mission and to grow the organization’s impact on individuals, families and communities.”
Juliana Diaz, President of the Board of Directors, welcomes her to the role: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am very happy to welcome Alice Salinas to the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition. She brings a great deal of experience, commitment and passion for housing. As our new Executive Director, she will help CVHC expand the supply of affordable ownership and rental housing in Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties, with diverse, comprehensive community programs that increase opportunities for our residents and families.”
The selection of Alice Salinas by the Board of Directors followed a national search to find a successor to Julie Bornstein, who is retiring after a 30-year career in affordable housing, including roles as a CVHC Board member and its President, and most recently as Executive Director. To learn more about the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition or ways to support our programs, please call us at 760-347-3157 or visit our website at www.cvhc.org.