BCCC Advisory Board
ELIZABETH (LISA) CUESTAS
Ms. Cuestas is currently Chief Executive Officer of Casa Familiar, a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-based organization in San Ysidro, CA. She has worked for Casa Familiar for nearly 17 years and has 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Her passion is the development of programs for at-risk youth and she has supervised many service programs and contracts while at Casa Familiar.
Casa Familiar was founded in 1973 and is dedicated to serving residents in south San Diego County. Originally established in 1968 under the name Trabajadores de la Raza, Casa Familiar has grown and expanded its efforts to provide services and programs to all South San Diego County residents. Early on, Casa Familiar recognized that its predominantly low-income clients have changing and varied needs and its approach allows them to adapt to community needs through a multi-faceted program and funding strategy. Casa Familiar is the leading service and community development organization in the community of San Ysidro, providing over 40 bilingual programs and services at six different sites in the community. Programs range from Civic Engagement to Health & Social Services, Arts & Culture to Education.
Ms. Cuestas oversees a portfolio of 1,300 units of affordable housing set aside for low-income households in San Diego’s South Bay. With her leadership, Casa Familiar secured $10 million of New Markets Tax Credit Financing for its Living Rooms at the Border project, which is a 13,469 square-foot mixed-use project in San Ysidro, a predominantly Latino community in the City of San Diego.
She currently serves on the 1st Captains Community Advisory Board for the Police Departments Southern Division as a representative of the community and Casa Familiar. Because of her organizing and advocacy work in the community, Ms. Cuestas has been invited to be part of the San Diego Prevention Research Center Advisory Board, SDPD Southern Division Captain Advisory Board and the South Bay Partnership for Youth Health Equity. Ms. Cuestas has developed collaboratives with: The San Diego Prevention Research Center, San Diego State University, University of California San Diego, San Ysidro Health Center, South Bay Community Services, and other Community Based Organizations.
She holds a bachelor degree in Human Services and Management from University of Phoenix.
Tom Dubose
Mr. Dubose has served as President of Development Design & Engineering, Inc. in El Centro, CA since 1998, which focuses on liaison work with governmental agencies involved with planning regulations and approval of development projects in Imperial County, CA. Mr. Dubose has over 14 years’ experience as a construction superintendent and field supervisor. Mr. Dubose is very active in his community, serving as current Board member and President of Brawley Union High School (17 years); current Member and Chairman of the Air Pollution Control Hearing Board (12 years); and Second Vice President on the Executive Committee and Board Member of Building Industry Association, Desert Chapter. He has also formerly served as Board President, Board Member and Trustee of the Brawley Boys and Girls Club; Member and President of the Imperial Valley Community Foundation; Board Member of the Brawley Chamber of Commerce; Board Member of the Economic Development Commission; past Member and Vice-Chairman of the Brawley Planning Commission (8 years); and Founding Member and past President of Imperial Valley Regional Economic Development, Inc.
Joe Fernandez
Mr. Fernandez has served on the board of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) for the City and County of El Paso. The CRRMA is a collaborative partner in developing transportation solutions within the El Paso region with the goal of establishing a comprehensive transportation system to directly benefit the traveling public through the development of transportation alternatives.
He previously served as the Chairman of the Housing Authority of El Paso, the El Paso Cable Communications Commission, United Way Board Member, EPISD Fund Board, Kiwanis President, Volunteer Police Association, past president for The Five Points Development Association and Junior Achievement.
Mr. Fernandez has over 40 years of banking experience and begun his banking career with El Paso National Bank. He started in the data processing department and in 1973 became National Accounts officer where he managed Accounts for Fortune 500 company accounts. From 1982 through 1988, he was the Southwest correspondent banker. Mr. Fernandez served as Branch President at the First State Bank for JP Morgan from 1988 through 1991 as part of commercial lending group and became District Sales Consultant for JP Morgan where he managed and underwrote loans, investments and insurance for Small Business in El Paso, Austin, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley. From 2000 - 2015, he was part of United Bank of El Paso and served on its executive management team.
Mr. Fernandez has a degree in Banking from New School of Banking - University of New Mexico.
Greg LaVann
Mr. LaVann is President and CEO of the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation which contributes to expansion of economic activity within Yuma County, Arizona by attracting commerce and industry to the region and striving to develop the region's existing industry to its fullest potential. Mr. LaVann is active in the community, serving on the Yuma County Workforce Investment Board and as Secretary of Yuma's Young Professional Leadership Council. He is also a member of the Arizona Association of Economic Development Business Retention and Expansion Coalition, the Yuma Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee, the Arizona Rural Economic Development Initiative, the Arizona Western College Business Development Committee and Ex-Officio member of The Greater Yuma Port Authority Board. In addition, he is the Administrator of Yuma County Foreign Trade Zone #219 and a member of Arizona Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.
Michael McSweeney
Michael McSweeney is the Career Technical Education Coordinator for the California Homebuilding Foundation and a 30 year licensed general contractor in the State of California.
From 2013 through 2016, Mr. McSweeney served on the Board of Directors for the Southern California Housing Collaborative (SCHC). As Chairman, he helped continue the Board’s mission of locating housing opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. In 2015, Mr. McSweeney received a Ruby Award from the San Diego Housing Federation for his work on Independence Point, the first affordable housing community built in San Diego County with housing set aside forresidents with developmental disabilities.
In 1990, Mr. McSweeney joined the Board of Directors of Developmental Services Continuum (DSC), a local service provider who operated (at the time) 7 group homes for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Today, DSC operates 10 group homes, offers a day program for adults and owns 7 of the homes they operate. He continues his service to DSC as an advisor to their facilities committee.
Mr. McSweeney was appointed by Governor Wilson to serve on the Area Board 13, which is responsible for reviewing the local Regional Center, the clearing house for all services related to the area’s disabled population. He served for two terms on the Area Board.
Marco Antonio “Tony” Reyes
Mr. Reyes is Executive Director of Comite de Bien Estar, Inc. in San Luis, AZ, which works to empower Mexican-American immigrants who encounter many barriers, including low wages, little access to conventional financing, and limited political representation. Mr. Reyes is a former Mayor of the City of San Luis Arizona, a US-Mexico border city and is currently serving as a member of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors. Mr. Reyes has represented low-income communities for the past 30 years as an elected official and serving as a member of multiple national advisory boards concerned with housing and other economic development issues.
Jerry Santillan
Mr. Santillan is currently the Board Chair for Radio Bilingue. He previously served as City Manager for the City of Coachella (Riverside County). His responsibilities included oversight of management of the City of Coachella, coordination of all City Departments, the implementation of the budget, keeping the City Council informed of the condition of the City, intergovernmental relations, and public information. Mr. Santillan also served as City Manager for the City.
JENNY TORRES
Ms. Torres is currently Acting City Manager for the City of San Luis. She previously served as Economic Development Manager since August 2013. Her work emphasizes establishing and coordinating economic and community development projects including infrastructure development. Ms. Torres is responsible for directing economic development activities, grant development and administration and business retention. This includes administering binational/international economic development and business incubator programs.
She serves as a Board Member for the San Luis Facility Development Corporation, Yuma County HOME Consortium, Northern Arizona University – Yuma Advisory Council, Yuma Education Advocacy Council, the San Luis Industrial Park, and currently serves as President of the San Luis Facility Development Corporation. She was formerly a Board Member of the Border Trade Alliance and the Yuma County Workforce Development Board.
Ms. Torres previously served as an Asset Manager for Comite de Bienestar (Comite) in San Luis, Arizona. Comite is a membership non-profit who works to empower Mexican-Americans and new immigrants to help them overcome the many barriers they face, including very low wages, little access to conventional financing and limited political representation. Founded by farm workers in 1977 and incorporated in 1981, Comite is a membership non-profit that focuses on helping members build assets and strengthen the whole community. Additionally, Comite owns and manages 324 units of rental housing set aside for low-income persons and financed through the LIHTC program and a mixture of public and private financing including market rate equity, AHP financing, HOME financing, USDA financing and others.
Ms. Torres holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Public Management from Northern Arizona University.
Joyce Wilson
Ms. Wilson serves as the Board Chair of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority. The mission of the CRRMA is to assist in the establishment of a comprehensive transportation system to directly benefit the traveling public within the El Paso region through the development of additional transportation alternatives within the region. She previously served on the board of the El Paso Mental Health Authority, which advocates for access to high quality mental health and intellectual disability services; facilitates inter-agency collaboration for the development of solutions to problems in the mental health system; and trains peace officers, medical professionals, social workers, guardians and others on how to access emergency mental health services.
She was previously Chief Executive Officer of Workforce Solutions Borderplex which is a non-profit organization providing employers with skilled workers and helping individuals develop skills and abilities needed to thrive in the workplace. These efforts include going to family crisis centers and helping those individuals find employment and helping migrant seasonal workers find educational and training opportunities and employment.
She served as City Manager of El Paso from 2004 through 2014 and was the City's first City Manager subsequent to a city charter amendment establishing a council/manager form of government.
Ms. Wilson is a nationally recognized leader with over 25 years of extensive local government management experience at senior management and executive levels. Her experience includes working in demographically diverse areas and bi-national settings including El Paso County, TX and Yuma County, AZ. Specific areas of expertise include: economic development and community revitalization, community capacity building and exemplary fiscal management skills. She has demonstrated oversight of significant infrastructure investments in rapid growth communities, as well as those experiencing substantial economic decline.
Ms. Wilson has a B.S. in Business and Economics from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MPA from Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government. She is a fellow with the Kellogg Foundation’s national fellowship program and active in various community organizations, with a focus on youth and families in crisis. She also is an avid supporter and promoter of the arts and cultural sectors.
MARY ELLEN SHAY
Ms. Shay serves as Executive Director of the California Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, a position she has held for 31 years. Founded in 1991, CAL-ALHFA has served local housing agencies and professionals in California for over 32 years. It provides legislative advocacy, educational conferences and workshops, and professional networking opportunities for local housing finance agencies and their colleagues. Its membership includes local housing finance agencies and planning departments, for-profit and non-profit developers, investors, lenders, consultants, and affordable housing advocates.
CAL-ALHFA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and preservation of all types of affordable housing, with an emphasis on working with smaller local agencies who often lack the personnel and resources to meet their affordable housing goals.
Mary began her career as a VISTA volunteer in 1970. She worked in Shasta County and founded the Self Help Home Improvement Project with her VISTA colleagues. She has worked at the local, state, and federal levels in developing affordable housing and has had a private consulting business since 1986.