Homeownership Council of America

Gabe was named President & CEO of HCA in 2018.  Under his leadership, HCA has become a leading national voice for affordable homeownership, collaborating with CDFIs, HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, investors and lenders to increase credit access to underserved communities.  Gabe has been instrumental in providing leadership to nonprofit lenders through HCA’s CLIMB program.  Gabe has authored a white paper, “Untapping the Potential of Underserved Communities” for HCA.  Prior to joining HCA, Gabe was the President of Springboard CDFI and the Nationwide Mortgage Collaborative, where he created the first national CDFI mortgage bank.  Before that, Gabe was COO for Community Housing Works, while serving on several boards for housing & homeownership. Gabe also as at trained community development and housing counselors for 7 years with NeighborWorks America. Gabe has spent decades implementing and building best practices in housing counseling & education, down payment assistance lending, affordable housing, and mortgage lending for underserved communities. He currently serves on two Mortgage Bankers Association committees – the Consumer Affairs Advisory Council and the Small Loans Task Force. Gabe has a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University majoring in Psychology and Biology, with a minor in Art. Gabe is a graduate of the Mortgage Bankers Association School of Mortgage Banking with and Accredited Mortgage Professional designation – as the only AMP working in nonprofit nationally.  Gabe also completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Program; Achieving Excellence in Community Development.

Lupe joined HCA in 2019 as Chief Operating Officer.  Lupe provides direct oversight for all programs and operations.  She is responsible for supporting our National Leadership Advisory Council, oversight and coordination of the individual CLIMB organizations, and ensuring excellent service to our investor and nonprofit clients.  Lupe brings over 30 years of experience in banking, lending and homeownership services.  She brings a wealth of knowledge on serving disadvantaged communities from direct service provision to professional capacity building and training.  Lupe’s previous experience includes Vice-President of Community Development at Springboard CDFI where she was responsible for design and implementation of Nationwide Mortgage Collaborative; Homeownership Management Consultant for NeighborWorks America, Pacific Region; and Home Ownership Director of NeighborWorks of Orange County. Lupe also served as the Convener for the NeighborWorks America Homeownership Specialty Team for 9 years. Lupe has a Real Estate License and is working on accreditation with the Mortgage Bankers Association.  Lupe is a founding member of NAHREP, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.  Lupe has a two-year certification in Banking from the University of San Diego.

Jeff joined HCA in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer.  He manages fiscal and human resource operations.  Jeff is a licensed CPA in CA & VA and a California Real Estate Broker.  He has a long history of experience in real estate, lending and nonprofit management.  Jeff’s previous positions include Controller at Riverside Community Health Foundation; Senior Staff Accountant/Auditor at Roorda, Piquet & Bessee, Inc. CPAs; Staff Accountant/Auditor at Considine & Considine; Broker at Great Finds Realty, Mortgage Processor at U.S. Bank; COO at New Earth Capital and Lending Consultant at Citi.  Jeff has a Master’s of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from San Diego State University

Jennifer joined HCA in 2019 as Vice-President, Communications.  She is responsible for HCA’s communications, resource development, grant management, whitepapers, research, and implementation of programs and services.  Jennifer also provides technical support to HCA’s CLIMB participants. Jennifer has over 25 years of non-profit and community development banking experience.  She began her career in Housing Counseling in 1994.  She later moved to community banking then returned to non-profit leadership.  Jennifer has significant experience providing training, capacity building, and technical support to non-profit organizations.  Her specialty is incorporating housing counseling services into loan programs to increase access for low-to-moderate income homebuyers and homeowners.  Jennifer’s prior experience includes Executive Director of HomeSmart NY, New York’s coalition of HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agencies;  Director of Lender/Servicer Relations at the Center for New York City Neighborhoods; developing and managing loss mitigation for NJ Community Capital’s ReStart Home Preservation Program; Community Development Specialist at Bank of New York; Executive Director of All AHEAD, Inc.; and Counseling Director for NJ Citizen Action.  Jennifer serves on the advisory board of the National Housing Resource Center.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgian Court University with a major in History. 

Dee joined HCA in 2020 as Vice-President, Compliance & Underwriting.  She is responsible for HCA’s contract underwriting service providing external, comprehensive mortgage loan underwriting for nonprofit lenders.  Dee also oversees guidance and management of lending compliance, loan policies and procedures, and risk governance for HCA’s CLIMB participants.  Dee brings over 25 years of experience in all areas of mortgage lending.  This experience includes ten years at a leading CDFI with first mortgage, in-house DPA, and multiple municipal DPA management contracts. Dee is versed in Conventional, FHA, HFA, and all Affordable loan program types.  Her expertise includes current compliance regulations and best practices. Prior to joining HCA, Dee has worked with Banks, small and large companies and organizations as well as Wholesale /Retail lending operations and has direct lending experience. She has a deep understanding of what happens to a borrower and the transaction from start to finish as well as post-closing operations Dee is well versed in ways to make loans work and to be profitable. Dee has an NMLS license and California Real Estate Broker’s license. Dee holds a BA in Business from San Francisco State University.

Cruz joined HCA in 2018 as Systems Administration Associate.  Her responsibilities include IT Systems, Administration, and Project Delivery Support.  Cruz is an experienced professional with a history of work in the financial services industry.  Her areas of expertise are nonprofit organizations, program evaluation, contract and partner management, editing and CRM development.  Cruz’s previous positions include Administrator of Process Management for Housing Opportunities Collaborative, where she worked on their VCN program; and AVP of Compliance and Management Systems for Community HousingWorks. Cruz holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus on Electrical and Software Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Cheryl joined HCA in 2020 as an Underwriter.  She has been in the mortgage business since 1984. Cheryl's experience includes work as a processor, underwriter, sales manager, and loan originator.  This gives her a rich, multi-dimensional view of the mortgage industry.  Cheryl is versed in underwriting for both first mortgages and downpayment assistance programs.  Her ability to understand all aspects of loan origination provides a well-rounded perspective to her current role in HCA's contract underwriting team.

Clemente is the CEO of Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services in Southern CA

Yamila is an NMLS licensed Mortgage Professional working in CA and AZ

Sara is the COO of Fahe; one of the largest CDFIs in the nation and GSE Lender

Steve is the SVF of Affordable Housing at the Mortgage Bankers Association

Gabe is a Founding Board Member of the organization and our Chief Executive.