Open toolbar The following individuals have dedicated their time to serve as a board member for one or more of the various entities that collectively comprise the National CORE enterprise. Jeffrey S. Burum Chairman In 1991, using his own resources, Mr. Burum co-founded National CORE in response to the need for affordable housing in San Bernardino County. Five years later, wanting to provide more than shelter to low-income families and seniors, he co-founded the Hope through Housing Foundation to offer programs and services that transform the lives of residents. Today, National CORE is one of the largest national nonprofit affordable housing developers in the country. Burum is a long-time affordable housing advocate. Early in his career, he was one of 22 real estate professionals to be appointed by Congress to serve on the Millennial Housing Commission, whose mission was to make recommendations for Federal housing policy to legislators. During his 30 years in the development field, Burum established three successful real estate companies in addition to National CORE and Hope through Housing: (1) Diversified Pacific Communities, a builder of custom quality single family home communities throughout Southern California; (2) Diversified Pacific Opportunity Fund, founded in 2008 in response to the market downturn and has raised more than $60 million in private capital to purchase and develop land and other real estate assets; and (3) Colonies Crossroads, a land investment group that has developed a 400+-acre master planned community featuring more than 1,000 residential homes and more than one million square feet of commercial space, of which Burum is a managing partner. Burum is active in the community serving on many nonprofit and for-profit boards and previously served on the board of Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity and AIG Sun America’s Asset Management Company. John Bremond Mr. John Bremond is the current Division President of Bremond Company LLC, an organization he founded in 2010 for the purposes of pursuing real estate investment and business opportunities in Southern Arizona. He retired from KB Home in 2010 as Regional Vice President of the company’s Desert Region with more than 33 years of experience in the homebuilding industry. In his final position with the company, Bremond oversaw joint ventures within the region, managed political affairs, and provided guidance and support to divisional management in the pursuit of corporate objectives. Bremond is a veteran of the US Navy, serving from 1969 to 1973, following which he completed his studies in business at the University of Arizona and commercial banking at the American Institute of Banking. Active in his community, Bremond serves as the president of the St. Philip’s Preservation and Endowment Foundation and is a member of the DM 50, the Tucson Airport Authority, and the Tucson Conquistadores. Armando J. Bucelo, Jr. Mr. Bucelo is an attorney in Coral Gables, Florida, specializing primarily in corporate, banking, real estate and transactional work. In 1991, he was appointed by former President George Bush as the first Hispanic as well as the first Floridian ever selected to the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). In 2002, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as Chairman of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), one of the highest appointments ever made to a Hispanic by any administration. On July 14, 2006, Mr. Bucelo became the first Cuban-American ever to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Susan Burton Drawing on personal experience, Susan Burton founded A New Way of Life Reentry Project (ANWOL) in 1998, dedicating her life to helping other women break the cycle of incarceration. ANWOL provides resources such as housing, case management, employment, legal services, leadership development and community organizing on behalf of, and with, people who struggle to rebuild their lives after incarceration. Susan has earned numerous awards and honors for her work. In 2010, she was named a CNN Top Ten Hero and received the prestigious Citizen Activist Award from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is a recipient of both the Encore Purpose Prize (2012) and the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award (2014). In 2015, on the 50th Anniversary of Selma and the Voting Rights Act, Susan Burton was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of 18 New Civil Rights Leaders in the nation. Released in 2017, her memoir, Becoming Ms. Burton, received a 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in the category of Biography/Autobiography. Becoming Ms. Burton is also the recipient of the inaugural Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. James D. Cashion Mr. Cashion is a principle of Cashion, Go & Company, LLP, a CPA firm, and Cashion Consulting, Inc., a valuation and litigation support firm. Together his businesses provide accounting, auditing, tax, business valuation, and litigation support to small and mid-sized business clients. He is a member of an array of professional associations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of CPAs and has served on more than 20 civic organization boards in his community. Gavin Clingham Mr. Clingham is a Principal with Woodberry Associates, a Washington, D.C. public and government affairs firm. He assists corporations and not-for-profit organizations develop and implement strategies to get their voices heard before Executive Branch Agencies and the United States Congress. Mr. Clingham’s expertise focuses on the education, health care, financial services and appropriations sectors. Previously, Mr. Clingham served as staff for a senior Member of the United States House of Representatives. Mr. Clingham holds a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from The Catholic University of America. He resides in Bethesda, MD. Raymond Crebs Mr. Crebs currently serves as President of New Direction and is recognized as a leading expert in mortgage banking. He served as Chairman of the Board and President/CEO of Directors Mortgage Loan Corporation, a full service mortgage banker with permanent servicing of $15 billion dollars. Under his direction, the Company grew to become the largest independent mortgage company in the country with 127 branch locations and more than 3000 employees. Drawing from more than 25 years of experience in real estate finance, Crebs successfully negotiated the sale of Directors Mortgage to Norwest Bank. Later, Wells Fargo Bank acquired Norwest Bank. As a former President of the California Mortgage Bankers Association, he frequently serves as a consultant in the mortgage banking industry. Crebs also served on the Board of Governors of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America in Washington, DC and the boards of WMC Mortgage, PSP Financial Services, and Pioneer Savings Spring Mountain Group. Crebs is a graduate of the School of Management from the University of California, Riverside and the School of Mortgage Banking from Northwestern University School in Michigan. He is a licensed real estate broker and a founder and board member of Golden State Business Bank. Richard Dawson Richard Dawson has lived in National CORE’s Talmadge Senior Village Apartments in San Diego since 2014. Now retired, Richard worked for 40 years at his family-owned car dealership and for 10 years as the Operations Director for Sportlands Team Sports. He served two tours in Vietnam as part of the United States military and is now active in promoting opportunities for veterans. Previously, Richard served for six years on the board of the Alpine American Little League as he helped connect youth with positive role models through athletics. Born and raised in San Diego, he enjoys traveling and outdoor activities. Laura Kurtz Kuhns Ms. Kuhns currently leads the efforts of Vandalia Heritage Foundation and Vandalia Redevelopment Corporation, sister non-profit organizations dedicated to economic revitalization through the built environment. Since their inception in 1998, she has managed the successful completion of more than fifty impactful projects, ranging from small community improvements and plans to restoring landmark historic properties, and developing large R&D and manufacturing facilities on behalf of other non-profits. Formerly managing director of a versatile real estate firm that championed public-private partnerships, she served two terms on the Governor’s Council for Community & Economic Development and is an advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Stephen G. Larson Mr. Larson, a former United States District Court judge, is a founding partner of Larson LLP, a litigation firm located in Los Angeles which handles litigation, appeals, white collar defense, and internal investigations. Mr. Larson also served as federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where he was chief of the organized crime section. Among the notable cases he presided over as a federal judge was United States v. Duro, in which he blocked the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs’ decade-long effort to close down a major migrant worker camp on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation in the Coachella Valley and appointed a receiver to transition the occupants to suitable housing. Venus Lujan Venus Lujan moved from Los Angeles to our Renaissance Village development in Rialto 18 years ago. She became an important part of the community, volunteering in Hope through Housing’s afterschool program on the property and joining our Inland Empire CHDO board. She and her husband have four children, including two currently on full-ride scholarships at UC Riverside and Cal Baptist University. Her family eventually moved out of Renaissance Village after no longer being income-qualified to live there. Her husband is a former structural steel welder who now manages a company that makes hair dye products, while Venus focuses on raising her children, nephew and grandson. She has a passion for education and athletics, and hopes to one day visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums on an RV trip across the country. Alan B. Mollohan Alan B. Mollohan is former Member of The United States House of Representatives, where he served 14 terms. He was first elected in 1982 to represent West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. Mr. Mollohan was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee where he served on five of its Subcommittees from 1986 to 2010. He served as Chairman of Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (NASA, NSF, OSTP, PTO, LSC) and as Ranking Member on the Subcommittee which funded the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mr. Mollohan was an active supporter of the Department’s affordable housing programs. Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Mollohan practiced law in West Virginia and Washington, DC. His practice included civil tort litigation, administrative law and counsel to trade associations in the areas of health and safety, environment, manufacture and transport of explosive products. A native of Fairmont, WV, Mr. Mollohan graduated from Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg, WV. He earned an A.B. degree from the College of William & Mary and his LL.D from West Virginia University College of Law. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1970-1983. Mr. Mollohan is married to the former Barbara Whiting of Glenville, WV. They have five children. Nora Mendez Nora Mendez serves as the Executive Director of the Orange County Community Housing Corporation, SteppingUP (OCCHC). In her role, she is responsible for the planning and operation of OCCHC’s housing development and property management activities. She started her career with the affordable housing nonprofit in 1997 as an intern and is committed to providing low-income families with a home and a future. She first became of member of the OCCHC family when the nonprofit revitalized her neighborhood, formerly known as the slums of Santa Ana, to create a healthy and safe community for underserved families. Today, OCCHC has a portfolio of more than 226 affordable housing units throughout Orange County and is growing. The most recent development, Luminaira at the Great Park in Irvine, CA, provides 84 affordable housing units for families in need. Through her efforts with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program over the years, Nora has been a part of providing additional affordable housing throughout Orange County with the acquisition and rehabilitation of Real Estate Owned (REO) and/or abandoned properties, helping to stabilize at-risk neighborhoods. Nora currently serves on several Boards, including the Kennedy Commission, NeighborWorks OC, and Community Housing Resources, Inc. She has been recently honored for her advocacy and service to her community by the American Association of Community Colleges, LULAC, and the 65th Assembly District. Jim Previti A longtime and well-respected Southern California home builder, James (Jim) Previti is president and CEO of Frontier Communities and Frontier Enterprises. Jim was named in 2004 to the prestigious Builder 100 list compiled annually by Professional Builder Magazine, and he has been honored as the Builder of the Year by the Building Industry Association. In 2009, Jim Previti created the John P. Previti Memorial Foundation to honor the memory of his brother, John, and to provide philanthropic support to worthy organizations. Dr. Joe D. Thigpen Dr. Thigpen has been consulting with business and industry since 1979 in the areas of executive assessment, executive coaching, and team development. Dr. Thigpen served two years in the Peace Corps in rural Brazil. He was assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff while in the US Army. He is a past President of the American Association of Suicidology, and he received the Edwin Shneidman Award for outstanding scientific contributions to the field of suicide and life-threatening behavior. Dr. Thigpen received his Master’s Degree in Business from George Washington University and his Ph. D. and undergraduate degrees from the University of Florida. Jovita Schofield Jovita Schofield has lived in National CORE’s Villaggio development in Rancho Cucamonga since it opened in 2009. She currently works part-time for the County of San Bernardino, doing assisted care for the elderly and has previously worked as a Customer Services Manager for Walmart and as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. She has also served on an advisory board for First 5 San Bernardino, which was created to oversee the implementation of California’s Children and Families Act. She said she loves where she lives and participates in every community event. She has a great relationship with the property management staff at Villaggio and sees joining the National CORE board as a tremendous learning experience. In the future, she would like to go back to school to study social service delivery and would like to become a homeowner. She has three children and several grandchildren, two of whom live with her and her daughter at Villaggio. Larry Van Noy For more than 40 years, Mr. Larry Van Noy has been an independent residential income property owner and operator, with properties in Oklahoma, Hawaii, and throughout Southern California. He has founded and managed real estate development, construction and property management companies, and has served as an officer of several California-based entities and as a director of both private and non-profit organizations. He has a wide-ranging background and broad experience in the acquisition, finance, management, and divestment of apartment properties. EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS G. Allan Kingston Mr. Kingston, as President and CEO of Century Housing Corporation for 18 years directed the financing of more than 14,000 affordable/workforce households, in 250 housing developments, in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. While originating more than $450 million in housing loans, he also led Century to initiate “More Than Shelter® Services, Inc.” to assist underserved communities and families with after-school tutoring, job training and placement, transitional housing for homeless veterans, childcare, health and wellness for seniors, and creation of two charter middle schools. Now retired, Mr. Kingston served three years as the Chairman of the National Housing Conference, the nation’s oldest advocacy organization for affordable housing. He is a member of several national and state non-profit boards, including the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the NHC, and the California Housing Consortium, and is a long-time member of the Urban Land Institute. Sebastiano "Seb" Sterpa Mr. Sterpa founded and operated Sterpa Realty Inc. from 1962 to 1985, and today serves as Chairman of The Sterpa Group, a real estate investment and management firm. In 1982, he was elected President of the California Real Estate Association and in 1987, Vice President of the National Association of Realtors. In 1983, Governor Deukmejian appointed him Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Housing Finance Agency (CHFA). Mr. Sterpa served for 12 years as a director of the SunAmerica Asset Management Corp., AIG Mutual Funds and Countrywide Mutual Funds. In 1990, he received from President Cossiga of Italy the award of Commendatore of the Italian Republic. Andrew B. Wright Mr. Wright co-founded National CORE in 1992. Mr. Wright led a prestigious career in real estate development spanning more than 30 years. He served as a partner for Diversified Pacific Development Group and was President of the Inland Empire division of KB Homes. Throughout his real estate career, Mr. Wright built more than 5,000 entry level homes, was a three-time president of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association and was named Builder of the Year in 1979. BOARD ROSTERS National Community Renaissance of California National Community Renaissance, National Community Renaissance Development Corporation Hope Through Housing Foundation San Antonio Gateway Housing, Southern California Housing Development Corporation of San Diego, The Southern California Housing Development Corporation of Orange, The Southern California Housing Development Corporation of Rancho Cucamonga, Southern California Affordable Housing Corporation National Community Renaissance of Florida, Inc. Southern California Housing Development Corporation of Inland Empire, The Southern California Housing Development Corporation of Los Angeles, Southern California Housing Development Corporation of Riverside • • • • Building the Future of Community • • • • © National CORE | Privacy Policy