Community ownership is gaining attention as a tool for building wealth, preventing displacement, and giving residents greater control over the future of their neighborhoods. But achieving those outcomes requires more than creating new ownership models. What does it take for residents to have the knowledge, relationships, and power to shape what community ownership looks like in their communities? This conversation will explore how practitioners are pairing community ownership with popular education, shared learning, and peer exchange to build residents’ knowledge, agency, and decision-making power. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of any one model, the discussion will consider how learning can be part of the practice of community ownership itself, helping equip residents to design, govern, and steward community assets in ways that reflect their priorities.
Speakers:
Nicolas Holmes a life long resident of the historic “Central City” Community of New Orleans. He is a community leader, organizer, co-founder of Civic Studio New Orleans Co-Op, historian, urban planner. Nic finds the utmost fulfillment from service to others. Nicolas serves on the steering committee for the Village Real Estate Investment Cooperative.
Kristyna N. Jones is the managing principal of K. Jones Advisors, a strategy and community development consulting firm. She brings more than 20 years of experience in community development finance, affordable housing, organizational strategy, and nonprofit leadership. Her work has helped advance more than $200 million in community investments and strengthen organizations serving communities across the South and Midwest. A longtime New Orleans resident, Kristyna holds a B.A. in Economics and Metropolitan Studies from New York University and an M.S. in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School. Kristyna serves on the steering committee for the Village Real Estate Investment Cooperative.
A New Orleans native, Jenga Mwendo has been engaged in community land development since 2009 with over a decade of experience in affordable housing finance and community land stewardship. A graduate of the Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development (MSRED) program at Tulane University (2016), she works as a Project Manager for a regional affordable housing developer where she has managed over $50 million in projects. Prior to her real estate development work, Jenga spent a decade working locally to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina with a focus on growing food and community. Jenga serves on the steering committee for the Village Real Estate Investment Cooperative.
As Director of Finance and Operations at PODER Emma / Colaborativa La Milpa, Becky Brown brings a popular education framework to creating systems and tools that help make it possible for community to own and collectively steward assets. She founded and managed Power in Numbers Bookkeeping Cooperative for five years and is a resident member of Sourwood Mobile Home Cooperative. At PODER Emma, Becky accompanies and guides our ecosystem of worker cooperatives, mobile home housing cooperatives, a real estate cooperative, and a collective of grassroots organizations as we work together to build the world that our community has envisioned.
Moderator:
Omar Carrillo Tinajero is the Executive Director of the Center for Community Investment. Since joining CCI in 2017 he has helped develop and lead a variety of initiatives to support leaders and teams working to advance their communities’ investment priorities. Omar was previously the Director of Programs responsible for overseeing both leadership development and team-based cohorts. He has managed partnerships with Main Street America, NeighborWorks, Healthcare Anchor Network, and the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund among others. Omar previously worked in housing, health, and community development policy in Oregon. He earned a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Harvard and a Bachelor’s from Princeton University.