Robert “Bob” Zdenek, DPA, Interim Executive Director
Bob brings over forty-five years of leadership experience in community economic development, including serving for fourteen years as the President of the National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED) and other major leadership positions to CCEDA.
Bob has worked closely with numerous statewide initiatives in California for the past decade, was a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and co-authored with Dee Walsh one of the major textbooks in community development, Navigating Community Development, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2017. He has served on over 25 boards of directors and is currently Vice Chair of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Bob is excited to become Interim Executive Director of CCEDA and help position the organization for growth through frequent communication, designing public policy, providing technical support, forging new partnerships, and building membership. As one of the early founders of CCEDA, Bob is uniquely qualified and poised to bring his leadership, communication, and policy strengths to elevate CCEDA and its’ members to pursue new opportunities leading to greater impact on behalf of their communities.
Elena A. Frias, Chief Program Officer
Leading all programs and technical assistance project operations for CCEDA, Elena brings over 25 years of community engagement and economic development experience. An advocate for social justice, access to basic health care and education; her work has focused on community engagement and development, raising awareness on health care disparities and community and coalition building. Prior to joining CCEDA, Elena served as Director of Economic Development for the Mercado La Paloma, where she led all aspects of the economic development operations and previously served as the Director of Programs for UMMA Community Clinic where she successfully increased health insurance enrollments for residents, increased patient retention and successfully developed and implemented the health center’s first Community Outreach program. Through her extensive community engagement and expert level client management efforts, Elena has built strong connections to the Los Angeles community and a wealth of resources, which is vital to her role as Chief Program Officer. Elena is a current board member of the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communications from Emerson College and a Masters in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Northeastern University.
Board of Directors
Chairman
Kerry Doi, President & CEO
Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment
Northern Vice-Chair
Joe Duran, CFO
City Ministry Network
Southern Vice-Chair
Susan Howard, Retired
Treasurer
Kip Bowmar,
Director of Planning and Development
Big Sandy Rancheria
Jill McCullough, Vice President
Corporate Social Responsibility
Community Relations Manager | Greater Los Angeles U.S. Bank
Jose Sabala, Vice President and Community Development Officer
Oak Valley Community Bank
Pritika Ram, Chief Business Development Officer
Community Action Partnership of Kern
Alicia Sebastian, Executive Director
California Coalition for Rural Housing
Doni Tadesse, Southern California Organizer
Rise Economy