RESPONDING TO THE NEED OF QUALITY, SUSTAINABLE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING
South Florida Community Land Trust is a non-profit corporation that protects land to keep housing affordable forever. With a mission “to provide and preserve quality, sustainable, affordable housing for underserved populations in South Florida,” the group is committed to ensuring that individuals and families – particularly low-income households – can afford housing without comprising on quality or location. It is the only established organization in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties currently committed to the long-term affordability of housing.
SOUTH FLORIDA CLT STAFF
Mandy Bartle | Executive Director
Mandy is a visionary with the proven ability to shift community outcomes. She has published over 30 reports identifying strategies for distressed areas, resulting in over $15M in investment to South Florida’s underserved communities. Ten years ago, she organized South Florida’s first regional housing conference, first countywide housing needs assessment, and first coalition of businesses, community groups and government to address affordable housing. The efforts resulted in the formation of South Florida Community Land Trust, in which she has served as the Executive Director since 2010.
Mandy holds a Bachelor’s from Carnegie Mellon University in Architecture and Urban Studies, where she also completed graduate coursework in Public Policy and Management. She has been a leader on local issues, serving on numerous boards and committees, including most recently as Chair of the Fort Lauderdale Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and on the Board of the Community Reinvestment Alliance of South Florida.
Clark Stephens | In-House Counsel
Clark Stephens serves as the South Florida CLT’s In-House Counsel. Clark has a Juris Doctor from Florida International University and Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida Atlantic University. He specializes in land use and complex planning issues, and is an instrumental part of the CLT’s real estate development program. In 2018, he drafted a white paper for the CLT, “A Blueprint for Success – Connecting Miami’s Affordable Housing Policy to Results”, which, in part, inspired the City of Miami to explore drafting a blueprint to implement the City’s $100 million affordable housing bond. As corporate counsel and a project specialist he is responsible for: reviewing zoning and land use issues, negotiating and structuring partnerships, and compliance issues.
Charles Dabney | Director of Real Estate Development
Charles T. Dabney, Jr. serves as South Florida CLT’s Director of Real Estate Development. Charles recently arrived from Jacksonville where he most recently served as Senior Program Officer for Real Estate and Lending with the Jacksonville Program Office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation. However, Charles is no stranger to South Florida, having served with both the Greater Miami LISC office and Miami-Dade County.
Charles was raised on a farm in Tidewater Virginia and hails from a family of public school teachers. He is a graduate of Hampton University, where he received his B.S. degree in Business Management, and Carnegie-Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, where he was awarded the M.S. degree in Public Policy and Management with a major in Environmental Planning. Charles has also completed additional studies at the University of Maryland – College Park, where he earned a Graduate Certificate in Housing Finance.
Alena Alberani | Grants & Program Manager
Alena serves as South Florida CLT’s Grants and Program Manager. Prior to her position at the SFCLT, she worked with the Broward Regional Health Planning Council as the Healthy Eating Active Living Program Manager where she co-lead the Healthy Community Zones initiative. For the City of Fort Lauderdale and the Museum of Discovery and Science’s Smart Watts Home Energy Saver Program, Alena taught residents how to save resources for the planet, while saving money in their homes. She was an active member of the Sustainability Advisory Board of the City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County Complete Streets Technical Advisory Committee. Alena is the first in her family to graduate with a college degree and proudly holds a Master of Arts degree from NYU in Hispanic Culture & Civilization, and a Master of Arts in English Education from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. Alena promotes healthy living, loves to travel and is a yoga teacher and Rieki master.
SOUTH FLORIDA CLT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jerry Heniser, Chair
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BBVA COMPASS
Jerry Heniser has over thirty years of professional business experience, spending the last two decades in the banking industry specializing in public, institutional and nonprofit finance. He joined BBVA Compass after 23 years as Vice President at Regions Bank. He obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana University and a Bachelor’s of Science from Ball State University. Jerry has served on numerous boards and committees providing leadership on redevelopment, bonds, investment and finance.
Steve Werthman, Vice Chair
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, HOPE SOUTH FLORIDA
Steve Werthman has dedicated his career to helping serve the homeless, working with faith-based and community-based organization as well as County government. HOPE South Florida – holistic services – Homeless Initiative Partnership Administrator overseeing $18 million in federal, state and local contracts. Steve also worked with Miami Rescue Mission to expand their operations into Broward County and helped The Salvation Army open Broward’s first local transitional shelter for homeless families. As a local leader on the issue, Steve has spoken at numerous conferences, including an invitation to the White House Conference Center to present to the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. He received a Bachelor’s of Psychology from Florida International University where he graduated with honors. Steve continues to lend the South Florida CLT his expertise on local and federal programs as well as ongoing homeless needs.
Benji Power, Treasurer
PRESIDENT, POWER URBAN THINKERS
Benji Power was born in Santiago, Chile, where much of his family still resides, and has lived in Miami since he was a young child. He is a trained urban planner and real estate development professional with 15 years of experience working on complex urban redevelopment projects. Academic life took him to Philadelphia, Boston and Cartagena, Colombia. His professional work has focused on Miami’s urban redevelopment space through roles working for the City of Miami, for a non-profit affordable housing group, and most recently through a design-build focused construction and fabrication firm where he led the company’s operations as COO. Recently, he has broken out on his own, and through Power Urban Thinkers LLC he is bringing value to clients’ urban redevelopment projects through real estate development process, public policy and community development innovation work.
Mileyka Burgos, Secretary
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT, MIB CONSULTING SERVICES
Mileyka Burgos is a Dominican-American young activist living in Miami, Florida. Currently, she is the Principal Consultant at MIB Consulting Services. Previously, she was a Senior Program Director at the YMCA of South Florida overseeing youth development programs, contracts and partnerships. She has dedicated much of her time to advocating for social justice in marginalized communities by establishing and assisting organizations focused on developing youth, empowering people, celebrating culture and advocating for communities to foster sustainability, identity and economic development. Ms. Burgos is the Vice President of Miami Next Leaders and a Board Member of Dade Heritage Trust, Allapattah Community Advisory Council, The Advocate Program and FIU Research Center for Minority Institutions and active member of numerous other nonprofit organizations. Mileyka holds a bachelor degree from the University of Miami in Communication and International Studies and a master degree in Performing Arts Management from Florida International University, and has continued her professional education with recognition as a South Florida Community Real Estate Development Fellow, Miami New Leader’s Fellow and Radical Partner’s Leadership Lab Neighborhood Heroes Fellow.
Fitzgerald Budhoo, Board Member
SFCLT HOMEOWNER
Fitzgerald Budhoo moved from New York to South Florida, graduating from college with an opportunity to work at Miami-Dade County. He worked his way up the totem pole at Solid Waste Management, eventually being selected as one of the customer service representatives in a brand new division, 311 Contact Center in Miami-Dade County. His role was to assist Miami-Dade residents, providing fast, simple and convenient ways to get information on local government services. Now that he is retired, he lives with his three boys in the house he purchased from the SFCLT.
Barbara Guerrero, Board Member
SFCLT RENTER
With a heart of gold, Barbara Guerrero is known around her apartment building as the woman always willing to lend a helping hand. She is multitalented – speaking several languages, launching her own businesses, and constantly creating new crafts. She has lived in the building since SFCLT purchased the property in 2010. She lives with her husband, and is often visited by her children and grandchildren.