SFHDC Board of Directors

Lena Robinson is the director of community development for First Republic Bank. In this role, Ms. Robinson works to identify lending and investment opportunities that support affordable housing, economic development and asset building in the Bank’s core markets. Through collaboration with nonprofit organizations, community groups and government agencies she also plays an important role in the development of strategies that support and achieve optimal outcomes for financially underserved households and communities. Prior to joining First Republic, Ms. Robinson worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in varying roles culminating as the Regional Manager overseeing community development in Northern California.

Daniel Wong is a long-standing community advocate and real estate investor. Previously, he served as Vice President / Senior Mortgage Consultant at Union Bank. Daniel is a long-time advocate for sustainable homeownership in San Francisco and has put together education programs and consumer outreach events via different organizations he is involved with. He specializes in jumbo and portfolio home mortgage lending with experience working with high net worth individuals/families and real estate investors.

Ben possesses decades of experience in managing all aspects of residential and mixed-use developments. His work in affordable housing includes leadership in rebuilding public housing projects critical to neighborhood revitalization. Ben’s capacity for community and team building is evident in his long-standing relationships and his reputation for integrity across public, private and non-profit sectors.

Antoinette serves as Director of Legal Services for LifeLong Medical Care, a provider of health services for four Bay Area counties.   Previously, she was corporate counsel for Anka, an integrated behavioral healthcare services provider. In this capacity, she managed and negotiated all contracts and lawsuits, and interfaces with numerous private and governmental bodies in the contract execution process. Antoinette is a Juris Doctor graduate from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, California. She has worked for Oakland’s City Attorney’s Office and has worked with several private practices over her career. Additionally, she is a professor of corporation law at the St. Francis School of Law.

Melissa brings 10+ years of real estate development experience in both market-rate and affordable residential. Melissa worked for MidPen Housing and Lendlease, leading district-wide coordination, transactions, negotiations, and the delivery of critical path milestones for projects such as the entitled Downtown West mixed-use district in San Jose. While at MidPen Housing, Melissa worked in cities across the Bay Area to secure new affordable housing projects. Melissa currently works on property development at BART, converting BART properties into transit-oriented, mixed-use neighborhoods.

Cecilia is a passionate leader who drives social impact through technology and business. As Managing Director at Tiderise Technologies Inc., she helps lead the company in transforming lives by creating sustainable employment opportunities in Malawi. Cecilia  is directly involved in  training and employing educated, ambitious Malawians to support companies worldwide with essential business processes.

A champion for diversity, Cecilia co-founded Synergy Executive and Boards Consulting Group in Canada, specializing in recruitment that helps build diverse management teams and boards and; providing board governance training.

Previously, Cecilia served as the Chief Operations Officer at WeBC, a federally funded organization where she started as a Business Advisor soon after earning her MBA from Simon Fraser University. Cecilia helped thousands of women business owners achieve their dreams through tailored advisory solutions, training, and funding. She was also part of the WEConnect International team, certifying women business owners. With 25 years of experience and exceptional interpersonal skills, Cecilia is considered a small business expert.

Named one of British Columbia's most influential women in finance by B.C. Business Magazine in 2019, Cecilia's journey as a champion for women business owners began in Malawi, working for a development lending organization.

In San Francisco, Cecilia is eager to contribute her leadership, financial, strategic, and operational expertise as a board member of San Francisco Housing Development Corporation, whose mission is to foster financial stability through affordable housing development, home ownership facilitation, and economic empowerment.

• Managing Director at First Citizens Bank, CRA Residential Lending – Northern California

Former attorney with Gubb & Barshay,.

Leslie Trutner has spent her entire professional career as an attorney specializing in real estate acquisition, finance and development.  As a Deputy City Attorney with the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, she represented primarily the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development in affordable housing development transactions.  She was subsequently associated with Gubb & Barshay LLP, where she represented nonprofit affordable housing organizations in all aspects of their proposed developments.

Chuck Turner has been the Executive Director of the Community Design Center since 1970.
His background includes work as an urban planner, management intern at HUD Public Housing Administration in San Francisco and social worker in Oakland, California. Mr. Turner has a BA in Political Science and Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of several professional and civic organizations. Mr. Turner is married and has three children and lives in San Francisco.

Eddie J. Walker, a licensed broker in the State of California, has a 30-year history in retail banking, mortgage lending and community economic development. Eddie established the Oakland-based Walker Realty Group in July of 2004 and, throughout his career, Eddie has held key positions at leading financial institutions.