National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) members today elected new members to the organization’s board of directors, and the board has elected new officers.
Catherine Crosby, Chief of Staff, City of Toledo, Ohio, takes over as chair from immediate past board chair Bob Dickerson, Executive Director of the Birmingham Business Resource Center in Alabama, who held the position for nearly a decade and remains on the board.
“We are forever grateful for Bob’s leadership,” said NCRC President and Founder John Taylor. “He and I have been in this fight for economic justice together for a long time, and now it’s our turn to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders, and Katy is the perfect person to lead the charge.”
“It has been such an honor to work so closely with John Taylor and Jesse Van Tol over the last few years, and to have a front-row seat to some really amazing work,” Dickerson said. “We’ve done some incredibly big things in my time with NCRC, like negotiated community benefits agreements with 15 banks worth an astounding $300 billion to the communities served by those banks. I congratulate Katy, and I’m excited to see to what new heights she brings the organization.”
“I was initially introduced to NCRC through my mentor who passed away some time ago, former board member and Dayton City Commissioner Dean Lovelace. He ignited my passion to fight for economic justice and I feel I should honor and acknowledge that I am here because of him,” said Crosby, an NCRC board member since 2014. “Serving on the board of NCRC has been a labor of love. I am humbled to follow Bob Dickerson as Chair. I have big shoes to fill. More importantly, I am honored to work with our founder, John Taylor, who has been relentless in ensuring access to opportunity for all, and excited to work with Jesse VanTol in the fight for a just economy at this moment in time. I do not take the responsibility lightly.”
The new board members, elected at NCRC’s annual membership meeting today (May 3, 2021), are Cornell Crews, Jr., Executive Director of Community Reinvestment Alliance of South Florida, Miami, Florida; and Phyllis Edwards, Executive Director of Bridging Communities, Detroit.
Also re-elected to the board were Jean Ishmon, Consulting Executive Director, Northwest Indiana Reinvestment Alliance, Hammond, Indiana, and Bethany Sanchez, Fair Housing Director, Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, Milwaukee, Wisconssin.
The new board officers are:
- Chair: Catherine Crosby
- Vice chairs: Bethany Sanchez and Irv Henderson, Trustee, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Henderson, North Carolina
- Treasurer: Peter Hainley, Executive Director, CASA of Oregon, Sherwood, Oregon
- Secretary: Elisabeth Risch, Assistant Director- Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing & Opportunity Council, St. Louis, Missouri
“Our strength is in the commitment and impact of our members across the nation,” said NCRC CEO Jesse Van Tol. “Our board members are leaders in their communities and their expertise, voices and stewardship give strength to our collective voice and influence on national policies and programs. Katy is the embodiment of this leadership, and we couldn’t be more pleased and honored to have her as board chair.”
