California Reinvestment Coalition is pleased to announce that it has elected a new slate of officers, including a board chair, and a new member to its Board of Directors. Sharon Kinlaw, executive director of the Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, will serve as CRC’s new Chairperson of the Board, and Shirley Yee, economic justice director and policy lead at MyPath, was elected to serve as a member of the board.

“We are proud to welcome Kinlaw and Yee, as well as a new slate of officers to our Board of Directors,” said Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, Executive Director of CRC. “Their backgrounds, expertise and commitment to housing, economic and racial equality will be invaluable as we continue our work of disrupting the systems of oppression that extract wealth from communities of color and make it difficult for people of color to build wealth. There is no doubt that the dedication they bring to the boardroom will help strengthen our work.”

Kinlaw replaces Luis Granados, who moves into the role of the ex-officio.

“This is an awesome and intimidating role to step into, as CRC is a fantastic organization with an outsized impact throughout California,” Kinlaw said. “But, I am delighted to be assuming the role of chair and I’m equally excited to partner with CRC staff to help carry out our mission of making an inclusive and fair economy that meets the needs of both communities of color and low-income communities.”

Although a new member of the board, Yee has been actively involved with CRC for several years, having been a member of the Coalition’s Here to Stay and Racial and Economic Justice cohorts.

Along with Kinlaw, Gloria Bruce and Elba Serrano Schildcrout also step into new roles on the board. Bruce as vice-chairperson and Schildcrout as secretary. Paul Ainger returns as treasurer of the board. They began their terms on Jan. 29.

CRCs Board is made up of executives in the fields of housing, social and economic justice. Board members serve three-year terms and must demonstrate a commitment to upholding the Community Reinvestment Act, exhibit freedom from conflicts of interest with CRC’s mission, and participate in activities that align with CRC’s core work, including holding banks accountable to Black, Indigenous, people of color.

“We thank each and every member of our board of directors as well as our previous officers for their tenure,” said Gonzalez-Brito.

About the newly-elected officers and member:

Bruce is the Executive Director at East Bay Housing Organizations, where she oversees all aspects of organizational development and leads several policy and coalition campaigns. Bruce also serves on the board of EveryOne Home and the Alameda County Measure A1 Oversight Committee. She lives in Oakland with her wife and two young sons.

Schildcrout is the Director of Community Wealth at East LA Community Corporation, where she has worked since 2010. In her current role, Schildcrout oversees all ELACC’s Asset Building programs, including ELACC’s First Time Homebuyer Program, financial education and counseling, free tax preparation through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, peer lending circles, oversight of services provided at ELACC’s affordable housing portfolio and ELACC’s work supporting local small businesses including street vendors.

Ainger is the senior development director of the Affordable Housing Northern California at Volunteers of America National Services, where he oversees housing development within the northern California market. Prior to his role with the VOA, Ainger directed the real estate development and acquisitions for the nonprofit Real Estate Development. He has been a leader in the affordable housing industry for over 20 years.

Yee, an alumnus of the Women’s Policy Institute (State) -Economic Security Cohort (2019-2020), is the Economic Justice Director and policy lead at San Francisco-based national non-profit MyPath, where she works in collaboration with BIPOC youth to advance key policy and systems-level changes to improve economic pathways for youth. Yee also serves as a committee member for California Women Rising.