Meet FAC’s dedicated Management Circle and Board of Directors.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle de la Uz
Executive Director
Michelle de la Uz is the Executive Director of Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc. (FAC) and has over 25 years of experience in public and community service. Michelle oversees the organization’s mission and comprehensive programs serving more than 5,500 low- and moderate-income people; a budget of nearly $10 million and several non-housing affiliate corporations with annual budgets of nearly $8 million, real estate assets over $180 million, and a housing development pipeline of over 1,700 units, representing more than $800 million in total development costs. Under her leadership, FAC became a NeighborWorks America member.
Prior to FAC, Michelle was Program Director for the Center for Urban Community Services in Washington Heights and Harlem and was Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez’ first Director of Constituent Services and directed her South Brooklyn District Office. She was active in advancing transportation, environmental justice, immigration reform, and employment policy initiatives. Michelle is the first in her working-class immigrant family to graduate from college, is a product of bilingual education, a former trustee of Connecticut College, and recipient of the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award.
Michelle serves on the National Board of Directors of the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), and recently served on the New York Housing Conference, and the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development Boards, among many others. Additionally, Michelle was appointed to serve as a City Planning Commissioner on the New York City Planning Commission from 2012-2021. Michelle is an alumna of Connecticut College, Columbia University and of Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education Program.
MANAGEMENT CIRCLE
Read Bio Emily Blank
Deputy Director of External Affairs and Strategy
Emily Blank
Deputy Director of External Affairs and Strategy
Emily Blank is FAC’s Deputy Director of External Affairs and Strategy. She directs the organization’s fundraising, communications, evaluation, and strategic planning. Emily has over 25 years’ experience working for and with New York community based organizations. Prior to joining FAC, she served as a Senior Community Development Officer at LISC NYC, and at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, first as Director of Community Organizing and then as Director of Planning and Development. Emily is a graduate of Brown University and the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
Yannerys Castillo
Community Services Manager
Yannerys serves as the Community Services Program Coordinator and has been with FAC for ten years. She is a member of the REDI Core Team and Strategic Planning. During the COVID-19 crisis, Yannerys managed the COVID Relief Funds which saw hundreds of thousands of dollars directly distributed to the community and served on the COVID Crisis Team. Previously, Yannerys worked at the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership for four years where she completed Section 8 recertification, scheduled inspections and input data entry.
Yannerys earned her Associates Degree in Business Administration from Hesser College in Salem, New Hampshire.
Bora Lee
Chief of Staff
Bora Lee serves as FAC’s Chief of Staff, managing organizational development and special projects, including FAC’s current Strategic Planning process and Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) efforts. Bora’s non-profit management experience includes administration, operations, fundraising, communications, and special projects management at Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, the Center for an Urban Future, and the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. Bora started her career in the public sector as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the MinKwon Center for Community Action.
Bora is a native New Yorker and received her BA in Sociology and Urban Studies from Queens College, CUNY and her MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Jay Marcus
Director of Real Estate
Jay Marcus is Director of Real Estate at FAC and has over 20 years of experience working for and with nonprofit and government agencies in financing and developing affordable housing and economic development projects and programs.
Prior to FAC, Jay worked as a consultant for LISC, Enterprise Community Partners, New York Housing Development Partnership, Delaware State Housing Authority, Renaissance EDC,. Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Housing Authority, and St. Nicolas HDC, overseeing the financing and development of affordable housing/mixed-use projects including both the 9% and 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), evaluating and making recommendations to financing programs, improve asset and property management system and increase the capital available for local Community Development Financial Institutions.
Jay also worked at the Enterprise Foundation for over 11 years, as Director of Housing Initiatives, Senior Program Director, Finance and Lending Group, and Program Director and at the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, including overseeing the industrial and residential redevelopment areas.
Jay is on the Board of Directors of Indian Land Tenure Capital Corporation and Native American Community Development CDFI and on the Advisory Board of NYC Regional Center LLC CDE. Jay has a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University and a Bachelors of Art Degree from Columbia College.
Read Bio Charmaine Marizan
Affordable Housing Marketing and Leasing Manager
Charmaine Marizan
Affordable Housing Marketing and Leasing Manager
Charmaine Marizan is the Affordable Housing Marketing and Leasing Manager who oversees FAC’s Affordable Housing Unit to ensure applicants meet strict NYC Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) & Housing Development Corporation (HDC) guidelines.
In her time at FAC, Charmaine oversaw over thousands of successful tenant agreements and applications. She has been with the organization since 2016. She previously worked as an executive administration assistant at Peachtree Enterprises in Long Island City.
Charmaine completed several courses at SUNY Brooklyn, NeighborWorks and the Department of Housing and Preservation and is Tax Credit Certified. She also holds a New York State Notary License.
Lavina Maykut
Senior Fundraising Manager
Lavina “Viney” Maykut joined FAC in January 2018 as Development and Communications Coordinator. In January of 2021, she was promoted to Senior Fundraising Manager. Prior to FAC, from 2008-2011, she served as the first Director of Development and Communications for UPROSE, a grassroots environmental justice and youth organizing non-profit in South Brooklyn. In 2012, she transitioned to providing grant writing and development supports on a consultancy basis to a range of NYC based education, social service, social justice, and environmental justice non profits and institutions including Queens Library, Kingsborough Community College, the Arab American Family Support Center and Damayan Migrant Workers Association.
Lavina serves on the board of City Growers, a New York City-based grassroots environmental education nonprofit. She holds an MA and BA in Environmental Studies with a focus on the Urban Environment from the University of Pennsylvania.
Robert McCool
Director of Homeownership Programs
Robert McCool is NHN’s Director of Homeownership Programs and leads the organization’s first-time homebuyer and foreclosure prevention programs, as well as special projects such as NHN’s solar energy program for New York City homeowners. He is HUD-Certified and holds several NeighborWorks credentials, including Certification in Foreclosure Intervention and Mortgage Default Counseling. Robert has over 15 years of experience in financial coaching, gaining his start with a community development credit union in Upstate New York. He has experience in fundraising and grant writing, has served on the boards of two non-profits, and has lived and worked in Japan for several years.
Originally from Washington State, Robert graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BA in International Political Economy and received an MPA in Finance and Management from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Aura Mejia
Tenant Organizing and Advocacy Manager
Aura has been a member of NHN’s organizing and advocacy staff since November of 2013. She assists neighborhood residents to maintain or obtain stable affordable and decent housing through a range of services, including eviction prevention counseling and advocating for housing repairs. She leads NHN’s Tenant Organizing unit and helps to advance all community and city-wide organizing campaigns. She identifies and develops new leaders, staff and supports tenants impacted by housing issues of displacement and poor conditions that affect their health. Prior to NHN, Aura served at Fifth Avenue Committee as a Tenant Advocate & Organizer, Housing Advocacy Associate, and a VISTA Housing Management Associate where she assisted in coordinating community events, conducted preliminary work to reform the Resident Council, provided information to community tenants on GED programs and other programs that increase their individual capacity.
Brian Mendes
Director of Adult Education
Brian Mendes is the Director of Adult Education where he supervises all Adult Basic Education classes including English Language Acquisition, High School Equivalency, and Workforce Bridge Programming. In the 20 plus years he has been involved in Adult Education, he has been a teacher of ESOL, ABE, HSE, and Mathematics for Construction Workers, Carpenters, Caretakers, Pesticide Applicators, Electricians and Cable Installers. In his time with FAC, he has been the Family Literacy Coordinator, ESOL Coordinator, HSE Coordinator, and Associate Director. He has developed and implemented curricula for a wide variety of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development programming at Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, New York City Small Business Services, New York City Housing Authority, New York City College of Technology and Pathways to Apprenticeship.
He is the Director of the Sunset Park Bridge Program, a partnership between FAC and BWI that connects Foreign Born New Yorkers with careers as CDL Bus Drivers and Low-Voltage Cable Installers. He has a degree in Education from Boston College and is a member of FAC’s REDI Core team.
Roy Nielsen
Director of Finance and Information Technology
Roy Nielsen, Director of Finance and Information Technology, joined FAC’s staff in February 2000, after serving as Director of Financial Services for The Nonprofit Connection (formerly Brooklyn In Touch) from 1995-1999. Roy graduated from Baruch College in 1995 and received a BBA in Accounting. Roy is a lifelong Brooklyn resident, and served for 7 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sunset Park-based community organization, Neighbors Helping Neighbors.
Andrew Parkes
Associate Manager of Asset & Property Management
Andrew Parkes currently serves in the role of Associate Manager within FAC’s Asset and Property Management Unit, which manages and maintains over 480 units of affordable, mixed-use, cooperative and commercial housing in Brooklyn. Andrew has worked in the Asset & Property Management unit in FAC for over 15 years, including initially as an AmeriCorps VISTA, then eventually as a Management Associate and Compliance Manager.
Andrew received his B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens in 2004.
Zully Rolan
Director of Asset and Property Management
Zully Rolan, Director of Asset and Property Management, oversees the management of FAC’s portfolio of affordable housing, including capital improvement projects. Zully joined Fifth Avenue Committee in April of 2008 after more than twenty years of experience working in a range of non-profit housing development and management capacities at St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation and UHAB as well as working at the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Zully oversees FAC’s management of nearly 400 units of affordable housing in over three dozen properties throughout South Brooklyn, many of them mixed-use properties with ground-floor commercial space. Her past experience as a tenant organizer and long-time affordable housing advocate informs how she approaches her role and leads the largest unit, in terms of staff size, within the organization.
Read Bio Aaron Shiffman
Executive Director of BWI and Director of FAC Workforce Development Programs and Activities
Aaron Shiffman
Executive Director of BWI and Director of FAC Workforce Development Programs and Activities
Aaron has served as BWI’s Executive Director since the organization’s inception, growing BWI from a single neighborhood‐based program into a well‐respected citywide non‐profit workforce development organization serving more than 850 new individuals annually.
BWI helps unemployed and working poor New Yorkers establish careers in sectors that offer good wages and opportunities for advancement. BWI’s mission is to empower low‐ and moderate‐income people by creating living‐wage employment opportunities and access to career paths. BWI has enabled more than 10,000 unemployed and working poor New Yorkers to secure employment and launch careers.
Aaron leads a staff of 30 workforce development, fundraising and communications professionals, and remains closely involved in BWI’s continual program development efforts and new, collaborative initiatives to match unemployed men and women with career‐path jobs.
Among these effective and innovative collaborations are one with the New York City Housing Authority (the NYCHA Resident Training Academy) and with leaders and business owners at Industry City and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (via BWI’s Brooklyn Workforce Collaboration program).
Prior to launching BWI in January 2000, Aaron served as the Fifth Avenue Committee’s Director of Economic Development for five years and as an urban planner with Abeles Phillips Preiss & Shapiro, a Planning and Real Estate consulting firm. At Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC), Aaron established FAC’s job‐generating community enterprises, including its award‐winning staffing company, FirstSource Staffing, and oversaw the expansion of FAC’s Neighborhood Employment Services program and job preparedness training.
Aaron received his M.S. in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute and his B.A. in Political Science from Vassar College.
Aaron is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition’s Board of Directors.
Denise Torres
Director of HR and Administration
Denise is an experienced Human Resources Director with a demonstrated history of working in the nonprofit sector.
She has worked at FAC and NHN in a variety of roles for more than eight years, including her current position as Director of HR & Operations.
Denise graduated from Baruch College.
Bill Yates
Director of Housing Development
Bill Yates is Fifth Avenue Committee’s Director of Housing Development. With more than 15 years of experience in NYC community development and affordable housing, Bill has a strong commitment to ensuring that NYC is inclusive and diverse. Bill’s professional life includes eight years as Director at Citi Community Capital. In this role, he helped finance new and existing multifamily affordable housing developments and community facilities throughout NYC and the Northeast. Bill also served as VP and Director of Strategic Planning with Citibank Community Development. He is a graduate of Columbia Business School and Connecticut College. Bill serves on the Board of the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society.
Pictured: (Back Row) Eric Magnus, Erik Paulino, Melanie Ash, Michelle de la Uz, Julio Peña, III, Juan Barahona.
(Front Row) Kate Gilmore, Pristine Johannessen, Ayana Muhammad, Jessica Yager, Carolina Gonzalez
Not Pictured: Dany Cunningham, Sam Marks, Gawain Patterson, Mariadele Priest, Christine Zinnel, and Cesar Zuniga
FAC & NHN Board Members
*Melanie Ash, Co-Chair
*Juan Barahona, Treasurer
*Dany Cunningham
*Kate Gilmore
**Carolina Gonzalez
*Pristine Johannessen, Co-Chair
Eric Magnus, Staff Representative
*Sam Marks
*Ayana Muhammad
*Gawain Patterson
**Erik Paulino, NHN Board Treasurer
**Julio Peña, III, NHN Chair
*Mariadele Priest
**Jessica Yager, Secretary
**Catherine Zinnel
***Cesar Zuniga
*FAC board member
** FAC board member and Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) board member
*** NHN board member