Delores A. Brown has more than 35 years’ experience in the private and nonprofit sector in the fields of banking/financial administration, community and economic development (specializing in organizational development), fund development, financing, and project management for housing, childcare and youth facilities.
As a trained banker, Ms. Brown built her career serving as SVP of Administration and Branch acquisition for numerous institutions including Home Savings, Gibraltar Savings, Great Western Savings, and First Interstate Bank. After transitioning into community development, she served as Executive Director for several non-profit agencies as well as President of Community Development and Associates, a successful consulting firm working with jurisdictions outside of LA, such as North Las Vegas and New Orleans.
Ms. Brown currently serves as the President of the Institute for Maximum Human Potential (IMHP) and has maintained long term client relationships with several other prominent non-profit organizations including: Concerned Citizen of South-Central Los Angeles, Jeffery Foundation, and Shields for Families, Inc.
With a passion to combine her banking skills with Real Estate and Community development, Ms. Brown served as the Director of Fund Development and program operations for the Good Shepherd Center (Catholic Charities of Los Angeles) a mixed-use 61-unit housing project which included transitional and permanent housing, an economic development center and childcare facilities. She funded the first two phases, with a total cost of $15.5 million and annual operating budget of $1.8 million.
Ms. Brown was also instrumental in the famed Jordan Downs Housing Development, creating programs for relocation and home ownership, as well as community design review for the early phases of the 700-unit Affordable Housing Project. Furthering her reach in Real Estate and Community Development, Ms. Brown sits on the Board of Clearinghouse CDFI New Markets Tax Credit Committee, USC LUSK Real estate Development Program, and Resources for Infant Educators.
More recently following “The Great Recession”, Ms. Brown created The Affordable Housing Recapture Initiative (TAHRI). Working with major banks such as Chase and Wells Fargo, the TAHRI program was developed as part of a strategy to mitigate and reduce the number of vacant and abandoned properties, reduce the absorption period for sales of foreclosed properties, and stabilize home values in target neighborhoods. To date, under CEDC, 55 homes with a retail value of $5.5 million have been purchased,
rehabbed and sold to first-time home buyers in under-served communities.
Given her years of experience and success in community service, Ms. Brown shares her knowledge as the Director of The Center for Social Enterprise, a division of the non-profit 501c3 Community Economic Development Corporation (CEDC). The Center for Social Enterprise acts as an intermediary, providing capacity building technical assistance to non-profit and government agencies fostering housing, economic development and social services in underserved communities within the counties of Los Angeles and
Fresno, California, as well as the cities of Atlanta, Georgia and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Working in partnership with scholars, economists, politial representatives, business executives and nonprofit industry leaders, the center offers its services through a series of symposiums and workshops designed to provide capacity development at every organizational level.
In an attempt to maximize community impact and diversity, Ms. Brown, a Woman Minority in Business (WMBE) is also working closely with The National Association of Minority Contractors to identify and procure the numerous unmet job opportunities totaling approximately $4.4 billion annually in minority setasides for participation in construction projects.
Ms. Brown attended the University of California, Northridge majoring in business administration, followed by the Institute of Financial Education for banking operations and finance. She was also one of the first graduates of the USC Lusk Minority Real estate Development Program and has raised more than $80 million dollars for community-based organizations.
