Associate Board

WHEDco’s Associate Board is a growing group of young professionals in their 20s and 30s who are passionate about WHEDco’s mission to create thriving neighborhoods for families in the South Bronx, the nation’s poorest urban Congressional District.

The Associate Board supports this mission through a number of volunteer and fundraising projects around WHEDco’s work in areas including: education and youth development; urban farming and healthy living; commercial revitalization and small business development; and arts programming.

The Associate Board plays a strategic role in developing awareness of WHEDco’s programs, and providing opportunities for WHEDco’s growth by leveraging social media, events, and individual fundraising to support overall goals. Associate Board members have opportunities to create, plan and participate in service activities (volunteer days, volunteer drives, awareness campaigns, etc.); help plan and host fundraising events (happy hours, crowd-funding campaigns, etc.); and interact with WHEDco staff and Board of Directors. Learn more about the Roles & Responsibilities.

WHEDco is currently accepting new applicants! In partnership with WHEDco staff, current members will review applications, conduct panel interviews and elect new candidates on a rolling basis based on application submissions.

If you’re interested in applying, please fill out the form through this link.

Subscribe to WHEDco’s e-list and follow us on Facebook to receive updates from the Associate Board!

Contact Hannah Gaither at hgaither@whedco.org or 718.839.1149 for more information.

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Current Associate Board Members

Brian Cropp

Ashley Doukas

Ashley Doukas is a partner at Adler & Stachenfeld LLP and chairs the firm’s Land Use Practice. She represents clients in a broad range of real estate development matters with an emphasis on land use, zoning, and related environmental issues. She has specialized in land use and zoning in New York City for over eleven years and has successfully led some of the largest private land use applications presented to the City. Most recently, she obtained approval for the Sheridan Boulevard Rezoning, which will allow for the development of approximately 1,000 affordable homes. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys summer time in Rockaway Beach with her husband, two kids, and dog.

Latchmi Gopal

Latchmi Gopal is a campaign strategist who focuses on electoral based issue campaigns. She is currently the Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at Unemployed Workers United, (UWU), and specializes in community organizing, coalition development, electoral and grassroots training, and fundraising strategies. She is a first generation Guyanese- American, Bronx Native, and the eldest daughter of immigrants who taught her how to invest in community and fight for justice. She began centering economic liberation as a necessary aspect of all her campaigns after working at Demos, a national public policy think tank that focuses on issues such as raising the minimum wage and reducing student debt. She was previously on the national leadership team with By The People, a movement holding the presidential administration accountable by building local support throughout the country to call for the impeachment and removal of Trump. Most recently, as the National Distributed Organizer for the Bernie 2020 Presidential Campaign, she created and executed a national canvassing program to mobilize thousands to vote and participate politically.

Latchmi graduated from Boston University with a degree in Political Science and Public Health. Latchmi prioritizes creating spaces that are full of people power and elevating stories that are too often silenced in order to encourage civic engagement and personal healing to create a more equitable and just world.

Erika Hval

As the Director of Institutional Giving at Project Renewal, Inc., Erika oversees the organization’s corporate, foundation, and public fundraising strategy. She also works to heighten visibility and reach by managing the agency’s own Associate Board. Erika has worked for leading New York City social services providers for more than a decade, including for five years at WHEDco. She holds a master’s degree from Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree from NYU.

Mayra Juarez Gutierrez

Mayra is an affordable housing professional. In her current role, she underwrites LIHTC equity opportunities that become affordable housing investments for the bank. She also has asset management responsibilities over those assets. She is also a member of the CRE sustainability taskforce. Prior to this role, she was a screener in the Multifamily Capital Group where she screened +$1bn in affordable housing permanent financing transactions across the United States. Outside of work she is an active member of Urban Land Institute (ULI), currently servicing on the Young Leaders Group Professional Development Committee. She was also a Work Place Coordinator for Big Sister for Big Brother Big Sisters (BBBS) of New York City. Mayra gradated with her undergraduate degree in accounting and a minor in real estate in 2015 and then with her master’s in accounting and information analysis in 2016.

She remains a member of the Black and Latino Alumni Network at Lehigh University as well as an active alum with the Goodman Center for Real Estate at Lehigh University. Outside of work she’s passionate about fitness and loves spending time with her niece and nephews.

Cassandra O’Hearn

Cassandra is an urban planner dedicated to preserving and developing affordable housing and walkable, equitable neighborhoods. Her passion for urban life grew out of an instant love for New York City on her first visit in June of 2001. She finally moved from the West Coast to the West Village while completing her Masters in Urban Planning at New York University and settled in Fort Greene, Brooklyn after graduation. Her degree culminated with a capstone project researching the growth of the technology sector in the South Bronx which she collaborated on with four other students and presented to the Office of the Bronx Borough President. Cassandra has worked and volunteered for several community focused nonprofit organizations across the city. Cassandra remains dedicated to protecting and preserving affordability and diversity, especially for residents of low and median income communities.

Kaylee Organista

Kaylee is a Financial Investment Professional in the Asset and Wealth Management Division at Goldman Sachs. She interned at GS in 2018 and 2019 and joined the firm full time in 2020 in Private Wealth Management. Kaylee earned her BS from Mercy College in 2020, graduating Summa Cum Laude. At Mercy College, she was a member of the Business Honors Program and played Varsity field hockey. She is also currently a Junior Board Member at The New York Foundling.

Ariadne Reza

Ariadne Reza is an Associate Relationship Manager with Citi Community Investing and Development. In this role, she represents Citi among community partners in The Bronx and Queens. In this role, she has additionally supported programs supporting economic empowerment for vulnerable populations, including EmpoweredNYC, the first municipal financial empowerment program tailored for people with disabilities. Ariadne was born in Mexico City, grew up in Queens and holds a B.A. from the City University of New York. In her free time, she is a volunteer tutor, practices yoga, and enjoys reading.

Associate Board Alumni

Digser Abreu

Vedan Anthony-North

Lovie Arthur

Danielle Ash

Jesse Baumgartner

Becca Broches

Kaitlyn Cawley

Brooke Cramblitt

Bret Collazzi

Will D’Avella

Maya Ephrem

Ally Fermin

Kate Gallagher

Triveni Gandhi

Roger Gill

Scott Harris

John F. Kenny

Daniel Lipschutz

Dre Manning

Danielle Nicholson

Mary Paranac

Michael Paranac

Martha Perez-Pedemonti

Anthony Ramirez II

Paul Ramirez

Cristian Ramos

Kimberly Thibault

Emerita Torres