Hope Community, Inc. Board of Directors
Ann C. Henderson
Chair

Ann Henderson has been affiliated with Hope since the early '80s. She resided in East Harlem for over twenty years, before moving to the Bronx. She is dedicated to Hope's vision of improving East Harlem's housing stock. As Associate Director for Cooperative Preservation at the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, Ms. Henderson brings extensive experience working in the NYC not-for-profit housing field as well as her ties with East Harlem’s low-income co-ops. She strongly believes tenants should be involved in building repair, neighborhood policing, and supports selling buildings to tenants as an ultimate goal in encouraging their autonomy and success.
Stacy Crawford
Vice Chair

Ms. Crawford has been a board member since 1998, connecting with Hope Community through an organization called Volunteer Consulting Group, which matches professionals in the financial and business arena with non-profit organizations. She has strong interest in real estate development, education and homelessness. Although she stays busy working at Monroe College as Assistant Chairperson in its undergraduate Business Department, Ms. Crawford sees her work with Hope as a necessary part of her life. Ms. Crawford is an active member in her community. In addition to volunteering at Hope, she also serves as a team parent/manager for the Riverbank Mites Youth Hockey Team and a team manager with Harlem Little League's Tee Ball Division. Ms. Crawford encourages all Hope tenants to share their feedback and ideas with the Board and its management.
Carlos Diaz

Carlos Diaz, one of six children, was born and raised in East Harlem to a humble blue collar household. Carlos is a shining example of dedication and love for his community.  This is evident in the amount of time and effort he constantly expends in civic activities for his beloved “Barrio”. 

Carlos sits on the New York Telephone and Con Edison Advisory Committees and is involved with the George Conroy Educational Fund, an organization that gives scholarships to elementary school youngsters.  He is a founding member of the East 111th Street Old-Timers made up of past and present East Harlem residents; many of which have become doctors, lawyers, judges, elected officials, professionals from all walks of life that are committed to supporting the youth of today’s El Barrio.  

Carlos also serves on the East Harlem Council for Community Improvement (EHCCI) Board, is currently the Chairperson of PROGRESS Inc. a prominent longest standing provider of Technical Assistance services to Latino Community Based Organizations throughout New York. 

Mr. Diaz is currently a Consultant to the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center promoting significant health care initiatives to the special needs population in the East Harlem community.
Lisa Otterbeck
Treasurer

Ms. Otterbeck is a longtime East Harlem resident, as well as a tenant association activist, small business owner and mother. Her extensive experience in the home improvement field, both with various construction firms and with her own business, Beck Builders, where she offers services ranging from design consultation to carpentry, has prepared her to contribute practical neighborhood solutions that take into account the interests of all of our tenants and neighbors.
William Ofenloch
Secretary

Hope’s founding Executive Director, George Calvert, invited Mr. Ofenloch, a Long Island native and graduate of Cathedral College in Douglaston, Queens, to join the Board in 1979. He had lived on 103rd Street and was active in the Revive 103 planning process – one of Hope’s first building initiatives. Mr. Ofenloch is a self-employed handyman and plumber and longtime Board member within his own building on 102nd Street, contributing his diverse skills and experience. He is also a peace activist.
Kathleen Benson

Kathleen Benson has worked in East Harlem all of her professional life and has been actively engaged with the community for over 20 years. She serves as Project Director, Exhibitions and Publications, at The Museum of the City of New York. The first exhibition she organized at the Museum was Growing Old in Spanish Harlem, presented in collaboration with Mount Sinai Medical Center (1991). Other exhibitions mounted in partnership with East Harlem institutions included Union Settlement Association: 100 Years of Leadership in East Harlem (1995) and The Mount Sinai Hospital, 1852-2002: Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Medicine (2002). In 2005, Kathy worked with the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College to present the major exhibition El Barrio: Puerto Rican New York. She is a member of the East Harlem Historical Organization and a board member of East Harlem Preservation, Inc. In 2008, Kathy was the recipient of an East Harlem Community Service Award from Hope Community.
Roger Cabán

A proud native of El Barrio, Roger Cabán has been a resident of East Harlem for most of his life. In addition to his vocation as a social worker for Casa Mutua and Pathways to Housing, Mr. Cabán is also a well-respected photographer and a founding member of En Foco, a non-profit organization that highlights the work of Latino shutterbugs. Now retired from the workforce, Roger focuses his attention on advocating for East Harlem housing and culture. Mr. Cabán became a Board member in 1993 and helped found the agency’s annual poetry series, Poetas con Café, as well as the Ortiz-Wittenberg Art Gallery. He served as Chair from 1997 to 2002, and most recently from 2005 to 2009. “Soy hijo legitimo de el Barrio,” Roger is fond of saying, to explain his lifelong passion.
Rubye C. Wright

Participation on Hope's Board of Directors is just one of Ms. Wright's many civic activities. A dedicated 45-year East Harlem resident, Ms. Wright was elected to the Board in 1981 and she served as Treasurer from 1983 to 2002. In addition to working in the field of social work for more than 30 years, Rubye then turned her attention to local economic development projects. She has seen Hope Community grow strong and has always been supportive of new, innovative approaches in its community building efforts. Hope's inventiveness as an organization appeals to this independent fashion designer and private entrepreneur. Ms. Wright strongly advocates the collaboration of tenants, management and the Board to accomplish cooperative goals.