Executive Staff

Rob Solano, Executive Director

Bruno Daniel, Director of Programs & Operations

Christian Peguero, Director of Development

Ruben Flores, Coordinator-Organzier

Board of Directors

Daisy Lopez, Chair

Monica Adorno, Vice-Chair

Yessenia Alvarez

Sam Beck, Ph. D., Recording Secretary

Anita Dunbar

Daisy Fermin

Carmen Acevedo Kimper, Secretary

Juan Ramos

Erving Vega, Treasurer 

CUFFH Advisory Board 

Anita Dunbar, Chair	Daisy Lopez
Monica Adorno	Father Stephen Lynch
Ramon Emilio Alvarez	Zuni Madera
Yessenia Alvarez	Father Ed Mason
Omar Barragan	Natali Medina
Sam Beck Ph.D.	Bishop Louis Milazzo
Patricia Bramwell	Rev. Pastor Rafael Morales
Lucy Castillo	Annie Morales
Father Joseph Ceriello	Eugenia Nolasco
Father William Chacon	Modesta Nolasco
Rev. Pastor Jose Colon	Msgr. John Powis
Claudia Cortes	Pastor Jonathon Priest
Francisca Cruz	Juan Ramos
David Dobosz	Pastor Tiffany Sacarello
Pat Dobosz	Pastor Ricardo Sacerello
Esteban Duran	Rob Solano
Daisy Fermin	Sister Mary Ellen Thomas
Kristina Gonzalez	Erving Vega
Kelly Gonzalez	Father Robert Vitaglione
Carmen Acevedo Kimper	Matt Zinser

CUFFH Interns, Cornell University

CUFFH Committees 

Education Committee

David Dobosz, Chair

Yessenia Alvarez

Sam Beck

Pat Dobosz

Carmen Acevedo Kimper

The CUFFH Education Committee strives to identify the failures and the successes of the current education system and to improve the educational opportunities available to the North Brooklyn youth. Specifically, this Committee has investigated the impact of public school closings and the establishment of charter schools in relation to the Black and Latino populations. In particular, it has explored the connection between the shift to a charter school based education system and the fragmentation of Black and Latino neighborhoods. The Education Committee stays informed with regards to the recent decisions of the Department of Education that directly influence the reality of the educational system structure. Additionally, this Committee supports other local organizations that are laboring to achieve similar goals in education reform.  The Educational Committee, in sum, works to defend the right of all children in North Brooklyn to have access to a worthwhile education, while helping to prevent the further rending of these communities. Meetings are held monthly at CUFFH headquarters.

CUFFH Youth

Kristina Gonzalez, Chair

Omar Barragan

Lucy Castillo

Kelly Gonzalez

Modesta Nolasco

The CUFFH Youth Committee discusses various issues that are significant to the North Brooklyn youth, endeavors to enhance youth service involvement and organizes events to benefit children and young adults.  For instance, this committee organizes an annual Christmas party for three-hundred kids aged five to fifteen years old. The attendees are served dinner and presented with gifts in celebration of the holiday season. Other events, such as concerts and dances, are planned for adolescents and young adults in order to build and maintain friendships and neighborhood ties.  These occasions aid in the preservation of the critical relationship structure between the residents of the North Brooklyn community. The committee is directed by Ruben Flores, a teenager, who also works to recruit more young CUFFH members. This affords CUFFH a greater range of perspectives from which strategies for goal achievement and information distribution can be generated. Meetings are held monthly at CUFFH headquarters.

Housing Committee

Natali Medina, Co-Chair

Claudia Cortes, Co-Chair

Patricia Bramwell

Esteban Duran

Daisy Lopez

Zuni Madera

Sister Mary Ellen Thomas

The CUFFH  Housing Committee endeavors to guarantee that all proposed housing developments in North Brooklyn include a minimum percentage of affordable housing units. The Rose Plaza site developers, for instance, finally conceded to a commitment of twenty-eight percent affordable housing, in part, as a result of pressure from CUFFH. This committee supports rezoning efforts that may result in the procurement of new possible affordable housing locations, such as those concerning the Greenpoint Hospital and the new Domino sites. It also conducts mapping projects to identify various community institutions and organizations that may be interested in becoming CUFFH supporters. It discusses recent resolutions and attends meetings held by the city government or other community-based organizations that have implications for the availability of affordable housing sites. The Land Use Committee embodies the core of CUFFH’s mission to ensure that community members are not displaced as a result of the gentrification of North Brooklyn and that fair housing is accessible to the Black and Latino communities. Meetings are held monthly at CUFFH headquarters.

Fundraising Committee

Erving Vega, Chair

Monica Adorno

Sam Beck

Anita Dunbar

The CUFFH Fundraising Committee obtains monetary resources for Churches United for Fair Housing by receiving grant money from private foundations and by seeking donations. This Committee is responsible for applying for both previously acquired grants, such as the large award provided by the New York Foundation, and for possible new sources of funding. Furthermore, the Committee plans events at which individuals and organizations may easily make contributions to CUFFH. For example, the Annual Awards Dinner, which honors community members who demonstrate leadership and solidarity, raised $12,179.00 in 2009 and approximately $30,000 in 2010. In the future, the Fundraising Committee will continue to apply for awards from multiple foundations. It will, moreover, generate new opportunities for supporters of CUFFH to donate, while improving those avenues, such as the aforementioned Annual Awards Dinner, that have proven to be profitable in the past. Meetings are held monthly at CUFFH headquarters.

Social Committee

Anita Dunbar, Chair

Daisy Lopez

The CUFFH Good and Welfare Committee promotes the emotional well-being of CUFFH and gives general community announcements to the organization. As such, the committee recognizes joyous occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries, by coordinating parties and presenting cards or gifts. Moreover, the committee is responsible for acknowledging lamentable occurrences, such as the death or illness of a friend, which have affected community members. The committee generally communicates through email; although, in order to coordinate larger events, such as the CUFFH anniversary celebration, the committee may hold meetings at CUFFH headquarters.