Robin Hughes, President and Chief Executive OfficerMs. Hughes is the President and CEO of the Los Angeles Community Design Center (LACDC). She has more than 20 years of experience in the affordable housing and community development industry. She has worked with for-profit and non-profit developers in the syndication, financing, construction, development and management of affordable housing. Prior to rejoining LACDC in January 1996, Ms. Hughes served as the Housing Director for the organization between 1990 and 1994. In addition to her non-profit experience, she has held positions in the private and public sectors with The Richman Group of Companies, Citibank, the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles, and the Office of the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.
She is a Planning Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles and is Co-Chair of the city’s Housing Element Task Force. She also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Low Income Investment Fund and CityLife Downtown Charter School, the Board of Governance for the California Housing Consortium, and the Federal Home Loan Bank’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of Drew Economic Development Corporation, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, Mercy Charities Housing of California, and the Southern California Association of Non-profit Housing.
Ms. Hughes received her Master and Bachelor degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a certification from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Program Achieving Excellence in Community Development.
Ezra Bolds, Chief Financial OfficerMr. Bolds is the Chief Financial Officer for the Los Angeles Community Design Center (LACDC). He has more than 20 years of experience in the fiscal management of large and complex businesses, including six years of senior level experience in the affordable housing industry. Mr. Bolds uses his expertise to plan, develop, implement and maintain effective accounting strategies, policies and procedures in compliance with evolving regulations, legal requirements and industry trends; maintain effective communication and business relationships with financial institutions, regulatory authorities, and investors; and asses the effectiveness and efficiency of internal controls that ensure corporate responsibility and accountability.
He has also led various project teams to identify cost savings opportunities; automate and streamline business processes; and assess and minimize business risks.
Mr. Bolds received his MBA in Business Management from Golden Gate University, and his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University.
Mark Green, Chief Operating OfficerMr. Green serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Community Design Center (LACDC) where he manages the day-to-day activities of the organization, and develops and implements strategies for operations improvement to fully realize the mission of LACDC.
Prior to joining LACDC, Mr. Green was a Manager for Quality and Performance Excellence at Corning Incorporated, a Fortune 500 technology company of more than 20,000 employees working across four divisions. While there, he designed, developed and implemented a company wide improvement process.
Mr. Green also served as President of the Mid-South Minority Business Council (MMBC), which provides a direct link between Fortune 500 companies and minority/women-owned businesses located in the Mid-South region. He managed all facets of the core services provided by MMBC, increasing corporate membership, supplier certification and business trade fair profitability. Mr. Green held a similar position as the Executive Director of the Cincinnati Minority Supplier Development Council (CMSD). He created and implemented a $1 million contract financing initiative, increased corporate membership, created 40 business partnerships through CMSD’s mentor program and, while partnering with a Fortune 500 member company, brokered a $25 million business opportunity for certified minority-owned businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area.
In addition, Mr. Green has close to 13 years of experience in community development with nonprofit and civic community development agencies.
Mr. Green has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history and political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Holly Phillips, Housing DirectorMs. Phillips serves as the Housing Director of the Los Angeles Community Design Center(LACDC) and, as such, is responsible for the development and financial packaging of LACDC’s affordable housing projects, and for the training and supervision of the project management staff. She is instrumental in the identification of funding sources and negotiation of investment terms, the selection and management of development contracts, and the syndication of low-income housing tax credit projects. In addition, she works to ensure neighborhood participation in LACDC’s developments by consulting with local community groups and government entities about the composition and structure of affordable housing programs.
Ms. Phillips has more than 10 years of experience in affordable housing. Most recently she served as LACDC’s Senior Project Manager overseeing the development of more than 100 affordable housing units. Prior to joining LACDC, Ms. Phillips worked for Mercy Housing California. While there, she managed the development of more than 350 affordable housing units and secured an estimated $45 million in loans, grants and equity from both private and public sources. Ms. Phillips also worked for the County of Orange Housing and Community Development Department where she was responsible for underwriting and making recommendations for loans to affordable housing developments as well as shaping the County’s community development policies. Ms. Phillips is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Kennedy Commission.
Ms. Phillips earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Tim Kohut, AIA, LEED AP, Director of ArchitectureAs Architectural Director of the Los Angeles Community Design Center (LACDC), Mr. Kohut oversees all phases of coordination, design and construction of architectural projects. In addition to the 15 projects he has participated in during his nine-year tenure at LACDC, he has more than 19 years of experience in the architectural and development community. Highlights include three years with the U.S. Peace Corps in Western Honduras and also work on the master plans for new towns in Civano, Arizona and Quemazon, New Mexico.
At LACDC, Mr. Kohut uses his knowledge and skills to balance the myriad requirements imposed on projects by investors, donors, and government agencies with the needs of LACDC and the communities it serves. Additionally, he focuses on sustainable (“Green”) design, passive cooling, and the implementation of energy efficient design techniques. His research into alternate cooling strategies and indoor air quality for affordable housing is ongoing. He has conducted workshops for the Los Angeles Chapter of the US Green Building Council, the Southern California Association for Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH) while contributing papers to the American Solar Energy Society and Home Energy Magazine. In November 2007, Mr. Kohut presented a paper to a national audience at the US Green Building Council’s Annual Convention (Greenbuild) in Chicago.
Mr. Kohut recevied a Master of Architecture from University of California Los Angeles, a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
His professional achievements and affiliations include: LEED Accredidation, U.S. Green Building Council, AIA Scholarship, UCLA Design Thesis with Distinction, Full Academic Scholarship--University of Illinois, Fellowship--Architectural League of New York.
Richard Bradley, Property Management DirectorRichard Bradley is the Director of Property Management for the Los Angeles Community Design Center (LACDC) and oversees a portfolio of more than 30 affordable housing properties. With 25 years of property management experience, Mr. Bradley began as a site manager in California working for Infinity Management and then as a Regional Manager in Washington, D.C. for Housing Resources Management, managing some of the most troubled Section 8 properties in the U.S.
In 1987 he returned to California to work in Commercial Property Management for Grubb & Ellis, Goldrich and Kest and Gateway Property Management in San Francisco where he was Vice President.
Mr. Bradley returned to the East Coast for nine years working for organizations such as Community Management, Inc., Triangle Communities and Palms Associates.