Century Leadership Team
Meet the staff managing Century’s lending, housing, and finance activities throughout California. Our team of managers oversee staff at Century Housing Corporation and across our affiliates, including Century Affordable Development, Inc. and Century Villages at Cabrillo.
Oscar Alvarado
Vice President,
Housing
view bio
Oscar Alvarado
Vice President, Housing
As Vice President, Housing, Oscar Alvarado supervises Century’s real estate development team which currently has over 2,000 affordable homes in its pipeline. During his tenure with Century, Mr. Alvarado has assembled and established a very productive, creative, and effective team of development professionals. His efforts have helped position Century as a regional leader in multi-phase and master-planned communities — an innovative and high-impact approach to addressing the local affordable housing and homelessness crisis. Mr. Alvarado has worked in affordable housing development in Southern California since 2005 and in that time, he has managed diverse projects serving families, seniors, veterans, the homeless, and the local workforce. Prior to Century, he worked for Thomas Safran & Associates and A Community of Friends in Los Angeles.
In his role, Mr. Alvarado manages the development team’s relationships with key lenders, investors, contractors, and other partners working with Century to identify, finance, and construct affordable and supportive housing. He received a B.A. in Political Economy at the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. Mr. Alvarado is a board member of American Family Housing, headquartered in Orange County, California.
Karen Bennett-Green
Vice President,
Loan Administration
view bio
Karen Bennett-Green
Vice President, Loan Administration
Karen Bennett-Green, Vice President of Loan Administration, is responsible for managing Century’s loan portfolio. She has more than 15 years of real estate loan experience, including affordable commercial, multifamily, modular family units, and mixed use and AMI income niches. She has extensive experience in working with tax credit terms, tax-exempt bonds, and Fannie Mae “Direct Underwriting Service” transactions. Additionally, Ms. Bennett-Green manages the loan administration and closing staff, who have extensive expertise, training, and professional networking in the industry to deliver the service Century clients can rely on.
Ms. Bennett-Green’s previous roles have included Housing Specialist with the Housing Authority of the City of Inglewood before going to the Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group in Long Beach where she oversaw all aspects of risk management for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits of a robust Section 42 portfolio.
Ms. Bennett-Green received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Los Angeles. She has her Housing Development Finance Professional Certification from the National Development Council.
Tracey Burns
Vice President,
Construction Lending
view bio
Tracey Burns
Vice President, Construction Lending
Tracey L. Burns, Vice President of Construction Lending, is a seasoned professional who has been in the affordable housing industry for the last 18 years. Ms. Burns is responsible for Century’s urban infill construction and affordable housing lending programs throughout California. Most recently, Ms. Burns was selected to oversee the Century Emerging Developers Program designed to promote minority professionals by increasing their access to capital. Ms. Burns has underwritten more than $541 million in predevelopment, acquisition, and construction loans which resulted in more than 2,300 workforce and low-income housing units.
Prior to her employment at Century Housing, Ms. Burns worked with Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group as an Acquisitions Specialist, responsible for evaluating prospective deals and securing documentation for all land acquisitions.
Ms. Burns is a board member of the Executive Committee at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, a leading institution in real estate and affordable housing; and she is an advisory member of the Harbor Sustainability Gateway Project, a community-based advocacy organization in the Harbor Gateway South Community. She also oversees community funding for the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor Gateway. She is a member of the African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP) as well as an alumna in the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the USC Lusk Center. Ms. Burns is also a guest lecturer at USC in real estate development and financing.
Ms. Burns graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills, with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and a concentration in Criminal Justice.
Christine Byrne
Senior Director,
Fund Development
view bio
Christine Byrne
Senior Director, Fund Development
Christine Byrne is the Senior Director of Fund Development. She brings with her more than 28 years of grant management and oversight experience, 23 years of nonprofit management experience, and more than 18 years of nonprofit fundraising experience.
Christine began her work in the nonprofit sector shortly after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of California at San Diego, providing case management and housing services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. During that time, she acquired her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Counseling at Pepperdine University and began working at a domestic violence shelter while she gained counseling hours towards her licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Christine then moved into various management roles, overseeing the shelter and outpatient counseling programs for that organization. Over the course of the next 13 years, Christine served as a Clinical Director, Deputy Director, and then Executive Director of the South Bay Children’s Health Center, where she developed and honed her executive management, grant writing and fundraising skills to support low-income children and families in need of mental health services and dental services.
In the six years prior to joining the Century team, Christine was the Executive Director of the Peninsula Education Foundation, leading the organization to raise millions of dollars to support essential programs and staffing positions for local public schools.
Christine is an alumnus of Leadership Torrance (2015) and has sat on various community committees over the years. Currently, she is a volunteer with the National Charity League, Peninsula Chapter, Los Hermanos, and she is also a board member for the Peninsula High School Drama Booster Club and the Peninsula High School Athletic Booster Club.
Howard Chan
Vice President,
Housing
view bio
Howard Chan
Vice President, Housing
As Vice President, Housing, at Century Housing Corporation, Howard Chan is responsible for all aspects of accounting, tax, and financial reporting for Century’s portfolio of real estate assets operated and managed by its housing division. Mr. Chan also assists in the asset management functions of the housing projects.
Mr. Chan joined the team with more than 10 years of experience in the affordable housing and low-income housing tax credit industry from his tenure at Novogradac and Company and Highridge Costa Investors. Mr. Chan began his professional career at KPMG LLP and also worked at The Walt Disney Company and a private real estate investment management company in the greater Los Angeles area.
Mr. Chan received his B.S. degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Accounting from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Masters of Business Taxation degree with high honors from Golden Gate University. He is also a graduate of USC Ross Minority Program in Real Estate. Mr. Chan is a certified public accountant in the State of California.
Brian D’Andrea
Senior Vice President,
Housing
view bio
Brian D’Andrea
Senior Vice President, Housing
As Senior Vice President of Housing, Brian D’Andrea oversees Century’s affordable housing development, investment, management, and resident service activities that span five distinct businesses involving nearly 70 professionals. Century’s housing portfolio consists of more than 2,100 homes with several thousand in the pipeline. Since starting at Century in 2006, Mr. D’Andrea has been involved in more than $530 million worth of affordable housing transactions entailing more than 1,600 affordable homes. These include campus-based new construction developments, preservation projects, acquisition-rehabilitation projects, NOAH investments, and infill developments.
In furtherance of these activities Brian serves as president of two Century affiliates, Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC) and Century Affordable Development, Inc. (CADI). In his CVC role, Mr. D’Andrea is responsible for the 27-acre Villages at Cabrillo supportive housing campus that is home to more than 1,500 individuals on any given night, including nearly 700 Veterans, and features a collaboration of more than 30 nonprofit and public agencies, including 12 that are based on-site. Brian also serves as President of CADI, Century’s real estate development and asset management arm.
Building on Century’s experience at CVC, Century has expanded into other large-scale redevelopment efforts, including the 21-acre Rancho San Pedro site, the 388-acre West LA VA campus, the 12-acre CDU/MLK Wellness Campus, along with the LA County/USC Restorative Care Village site. Beyond these multi-phased communities, Century continues to develop and acquire affordable housing communities throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Prior to Century, Brian worked for Toll Brothers, a public homebuilder, where his responsibilities varied from acquisitions to project management. Previously, Brian was a Program Manager for an economic development organization. Brian graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a liberal arts degree. In 2005, Brian earned his MBA in real estate and finance from UCLA’s Anderson School and is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California since 2010. He is a 2012 graduate of NeighborWorks America’s Achieving Excellence in Community Development, an 18-month performance-driven leadership program administered in collaboration with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Brian is also a proud board member of Mammoth Lakes Housing, The Veterans Collective, and One San Pedro.
Karen Davis
Vice President, Loan Officer
Southern California
view bio
Karen Davis
Vice President, Loan Officer
Karen Davis, Vice President, Loan Officer, has been in the affordable housing industry for the last 20 years. Ms. Davis’s primary role at Century is to provide early-stage financing for affordable housing developments while broadening relationships with existing clients and building bridges with new clients in the Southern California region.
Prior to her employment at Century, Ms. Davis worked in a variety of roles as project manager and asset manager for both a non-profit developer and a for-profit developer. As a project manager, she focused on activities related to pre-development through construction completion and subsequently to permanent loan conversion. Her duties as an asset manager included managing stabilized asset operations, refinancings, and capital improvements. From these roles she transitioned to banking, underwriting both construction loans and equity investments at Bank of America and CIT/First Citizens Bank. Ms. Davis’s breadth of experience in the full life cycle of the development process brings a unique perspective in her role as a Loan Officer at Century Housing.
Ms. Davis received an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a concentration in Real Estate. She currently serves as a mentor to the Merritt Scholars program and is a Board Member at Heritage Housing in Pasadena, which is an affordable housing developer of for-sale homes.
Nick Friend
Director, Northern California
view bio
Nick Friend
Director, Northern California
As Director, Northern California, Nick Friend leads Century’s Northern California office origination activities. Since joining Century, he has structured over $400 million of financing for primarily land acquisition. Mr. Friend enjoys providing clients with critical early stage-loans and treasures the moments when Century can offer a helpful insight into the development process and speed the delivery of affordable housing.
Mr. Friend previously served as a Mortgage Officer at the Community Preservation Corporation originating construction and permanent debt, and as an Associate at Citi Community Capital providing credit facilities to CDFIs, placing CRA-driven equity in affordable housing and venture funds, and financing charter schools. He also worked in project management at the NYCEDC in the Bloomberg administration, administering the construction of the High Line along Manhattan’s lower west side.
Mr. Friend received his MBA in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship from Columbia University where he was a Bodini fellow and his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Urban Studies from Yale University. He is a past board member of Cal-ALHFA and a current board member of Operation Dignity.
Shiva Gower
Director, Information Technology and Security
view bio
Shiva Gower
Director, Information Technology and Security
Shiva Gowder joined Century in April 2022 as Director of Information Technology and Security, providing strategic oversight of Century-wide information technology activities, sponsoring IT committees, and working with business units across the company.
Shiva brings 20+ years of experience in information technology and has a diverse background in corporate and nonprofit settings, with extensive experience in Infrastructure, applications, and Security. At Century, he oversees the Information Technology operations, sets IT direction, and coordinates infrastructure and service delivery across the company. He is responsible for supporting enterprise applications, enterprise data, user support, Infrastructure, communications, and information security.
Previously, Gowder served as the Director of Infrastructure at Securitas, a global security leader with a similar portfolio. He managed IT infrastructure and operations in the US, South America, Latin America, and Canada. He was responsible for multimillion dollars projects and worked hard to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of IT services.
Before Securitas, Gowder worked for a global automotive Tata Technologies as a Design Engineer in India. He spent the first three years of his professional life in academics, teaching Engineering courses.
Gowder has been active for many years in nonprofit organizations. He serves as president of Kannada Academy, a nonprofit organization with 4000+ students and 1000+ volunteers in 15+ countries providing language classes. Gowder developed an 8-level curriculum to teach the language to English learners.
Gowder has a master’s degree in Technology for Design Engineering from the Indian Institute of Bombay and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Mysore. He holds many professional certificates in IT and Security.
Ronald M. Griffith
President & CEO
view bio
Ronald M. Griffith
President & CEO
Since 2007, Mr. Griffith has served as President and CEO of Century Housing. Prior to his current position, Mr. Griffith was Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Before joining Century, he was a partner in a national law firm specializing in all aspects of real estate law and finance. He also established the office of general counsel at Union Federal Bank. Earlier in his career, Mr. Griffith served as Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mr. Griffith graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
Mr. Griffith was the recipient of the Combat Infantry Badge and Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.
Josh Hamilton
Senior Vice President,
Lending
view bio
Josh Hamilton
Senior Vice President, Lending
As Senior Vice President of Lending, Josh Hamilton oversees Century’s affordable and workforce housing lending platform. He is a seasoned professional with more than 15 years of experience in affordable housing finance.
Mr. Hamilton graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, he served in state government as a California State Senate Fellow, and a legislative analyst, with a focus on affordable housing and local government policy. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton earned a Masters in Real Estate Development through the School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He currently serves on the Housing Commission for the City of Santa Monica.
Fern Hendrickson
Vice President,
Human Resources
view bio
Fern Hendrickson
Vice President, Human Resources
Ms. Hendrickson has been with Century Housing since 2001 and is responsible for directing Human Resources functions. Her responsibilities include identifying sources for talent acquisition, implementation and monitoring of compensation and rewards systems required to retain talent, and assuring the health and welfare of employees. She is responsible for the management of policies to provide a supportive employee environment including maintaining good employee relations and providing equal opportunity. Ms. Hendrickson manages the Human Resources budget and staff along with the general administrative staff.
Ms. Hendrickson is certified by the Human Resources Certification Institute as SPHR-CA and a graduate of California State University, Dominquez Hills, where she earned her B.S. in Business Administration with honors. She is an active member of Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA) and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Before joining Century Housing, Ms. Hendrickson worked for two multinational manufacturing firms, a microwave engineering firm, in banking, and in sales training.
Alan R. Hoffman
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer
view bio
Alan R. Hoffman
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Alan Hoffman is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Century Housing. With more than 30 years of experience in management and finance, Mr. Hoffman is currently responsible for all corporate finance, risk management, investments, financial planning, and tax functions.
Mr. Hoffman has spearheaded capital markets and corporate finance functions for such companies as Exxon Corporation, GM-Hughes Electronics, K & B Home Corporation, and Lockheed Martin Finance Corporation. To date he has raised over $5 billion in debt and equity capital for companies in various industries in public and private markets, including 3 IPOs.
Mr. Hoffman received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Political Science and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Social Systems Science from UCLA. He has also instructed as an adjunct professor of finance in Pepperdine University’s M.B.A. program and at UCLA Extension.
Mr. Hoffman first moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and is active in the Los Angeles finance community.
Marisa Hoffman
Director,
Property Management
view bio
Marisa Hoffman
Director, Property Management
Marisa Hoffman is the Director of Property Management overseeing Century’s property management operations in support of our mission to provide quality affordable housing that connects residents with mental health services and many other valuable resources. She has over 20 years of experience in the property management industry, specializing in permanent supportive housing with the John Stewart Company and Thomas Safran and Associates.
Mrs. Hoffman is a current member of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and her master’s degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy from Argosy University. Mrs. Hoffman has attended several industry-specific courses in fair housing, tax credit compliance, and permanent supportive housing (PSH). PSH courses include trauma-informed care, de-escalation techniques, and crisis intervention.
Beulah Ku
Vice President,
Strategic Partnerships
view bio
Beulah Ku
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Beulah Ku brings over 20 years of marketing and management experience to Century as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Ms. Ku focuses on identifying, assessing, and developing new business opportunities. She is involved in strategic marketing and operations and works closely with the lending team.
Prior to joining Century, Beulah held various management positions in a diverse arena including architecture, media, and venture capital. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and an undergraduate degree in dietetics. She was a Managing Editor of AsianWeek (Southern California), one of the only AsianWeek news publications (1979-2009) that proudly chronicled the growth and development of Asian Pacific America within American history.
She serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH) and the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC). Beulah is an Executive Fellow Alumni of CORO, Southern California and a current Senior Fellow, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs (2022-2023). She is also a member of the LABC Legislative Affairs Committee and the Housing California Policy Committee. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Beverly Hills Women’s Club and co-owns Joss Cuisine in Beverly Hills, California.
Christopher Larkin
Associate Director,
Housing
view bio
Christopher Larkin
Associate Director, Housing
Chris Larkin is an Associate Director at Century Housing. He leads a team that manages a range of affordable multi-family projects, including in-fill and master planned community developments. Chris has over 13 years of affordable housing development experience, that spans six states and both large and small municipalities. Chris is well versed in all phases of the development cycle and is experienced in layered financing, securing entitlements and environmental approvals, managing design processes and development teams, garnering community support, and monitoring construction through lease-up.
Chris is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Morehouse College and an M.S. in Real Estate from New York University.
Bartek Malecki
Assistant Vice President,
Marketing & Design
view bio
Bartek Malecki
Assistant Vice President, Marketing & Design
Bartek Malecki leads marketing activities for Century Housing and its affiliates, and provides creative direction for all campaigns and collateral. He administers Century’s marketing plan, including branding and design, and seeks opportunities to serve Century’s affiliates in support of their mission to provide more affordable housing options to California’s low-income residents.
Mr. Malecki holds a bachelor’s degree in Design and Media Arts from UCLA and was an active member of the Polish American Film Society’s Board of Directors, which hosted the Annual Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles for 20 years.
Rosa Menart
Senior Vice President,
Finance & Treasury
view bio
Rosa Menart
Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury
Rosa Menart is Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury for Century Housing. She has over 24 years of experience in finance, accounting, and treasury. Mrs. Menart is responsible for corporate accounting, cash management, treasury, capital raising, investments, financial reporting, compliance, loan accounting, loan servicing, and information technology. She manages the day-to-day activities of the finance, accounting, treasury, and loan servicing departments. She coordinates, formulates, and manages a capital and operational expense budget of over $40 million. Mrs. Menart coordinates the annual audit and tax returns of Century Housing and affiliates. She oversees the loan accounting and loan servicing departments, which are responsible for a loan portfolio of over $400 million. Mrs. Menart is responsible for helping to raise capital via the capital markets, lending institutions, and grants; she has raised over $835 million to date. She oversees the $120 million investment portfolio and is responsible for financial and compliance reporting. Mrs. Menart also oversees information technology for Century and all affiliates.
Prior to her employment at Century Housing, Mrs. Menart worked as a Planning Assistant at American Express Financial Advisors and as a Financial Assistant for Farmers Insurance.
Mrs. Menart graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelor of Science (with honors) in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.
Paige O’Donnell
Associate Director
Housing
Heather Sharp
Vice President,
Property Operations
view bio
Heather Sharp
Vice President, Property Operations
Heather Sharp is the Vice President of Property Operations, overseeing the internal and third-party managed portfolio of Century’s properties. She has over 20 years of experience in the affordable housing industry, working in operations and development with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), the John Stewart Company, and Thomas Safran & Associates.
Ms. Sharp is a current member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Consortium for Housing and Asset Management (CHAM). She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In addition, Ms. Sharp holds several industry-specific certifications from organizations such as the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA), including Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM), Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO), and Fair Housing Certification (FHC).
Patricia Valladolid
Director,
Community Development
view bio
Patricia Valladolid
Director, Community Development
Patricia Valladolid is the Director of Community Development with Century Housing. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and her Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills. Ms. Valladolid has spent over 15 years in the field of community development with a focus on affordable housing; her expertise is working with federal funding and community-based grant programs. She has experience in community-led campaigns that included data collection and analysis, public meetings, and building the capacity of residents. She has led multiple community-based strategies that promote community empowerment and health outcomes. Ms. Valladolid uses asset-based community development to focus on resilience, social capital, and empowerment to provide community-led solutions. She has a wealth of experience in affordable housing and across various divisions and communities in Los Angeles.
Ms. Valladolid started her career at Abode Communities. During her eight-year tenure, she was successful in culminating a 16-year revitalization project with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angles (HACLA) that resulted in 178 units of project-based permanent supportive housing with services. Her skill in service coordination, project management, and community development has been recognized by local officials and the affordable housing industry. In her current role Ms. Valladolid is tasked with leading the charge of a 15-year transformational plan in San Pedro, California. With her prior involvement in and around the Harbor/South Bay area of Los Angeles Council District 15, she has built sustainable relationships with non-profit, business, and governmental communities. Ms. Valladolid brings unique capabilities to expand and influence the impact of community development as it relates to equity in BIPOC communities.
Kimberly Wee
Vice President, Residential Services
Executive Director, Century Villages at Cabrillo
view bio
Kimberly Wee
Vice President, Residential Services
Executive Director, Century Villages at Cabrillo
Kimberly Wee oversees the services offered to residents in Century’s supportive housing developments. Ms. Wee has more than two decades of program development and contracts experience, which enables her to oversee Century’s intensive case management county contract, develop and evaluate programming for adults and youth, as well as support the larger backbone role that Century Villages at Cabrillo plays within the community. She supports a dedicated team of case managers and clinical staff who serve Veterans, youth, and families that experienced homelessness. At Century Villages at Cabrillo, she has worked collaboratively to strengthen and expand the community resulting in thousands of lives being transformed.
Ms. Wee began her work in social services and as an advocate for women in Connecticut more than 30 years ago. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology at Central Connecticut State University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Women’s Center and the Counseling Center where she first began her work as a certified domestic violence counselor and sexual assault advocate. Her work as an undergraduate led to a prestigious graduate fellowship to study substance abuse and sexual assault on college campuses throughout the state. In 1998, she relocated to California where she began working at a domestic violence shelter in Orange County which led to her career path in the field and to Long Beach.
In 2000, she started her work in Long Beach at a domestic violence agency as Program Coordinator. She worked to integrate the shelter and agency into the new community and to build the program into the success it is today. She held several leadership positions in the agency including the Senior Director of Contracts and Quality Assurance. Ms. Wee remains active in the domestic violence movement as a graduate of BlueShield’s Strongfield Leadership Program, an intense 18-month statewide initiative for leaders in the domestic violence field and as a long-time member and former president (and current treasurer) of End Abuse Long Beach. She is a graduate of the Leadership Long Beach Institute, class of 2020, and is a current member of their board of directors. Ms. Wee is also currently serving as the Co-Chair for Long Beach Continuum of Care Board.
Jaylene Westfall
Director,
Resident Services
view bio
Jaylene Westfall
Director, Resident Services
As Director of Resident Services, Ms. Westfall oversees the services offered to residents in Century’s supportive housing developments. She supports Century’s Oasis Resident Services (Oasis) team of case managers and clinical staff that serve formerly homeless veterans, youth, and families.
Ms. Westfall has more than 20 years of experience in case management, program development, crisis intervention and trauma work specifically with domestic violence and sexual assault victims. She is certified as both a sexual assault and domestic violence advocate and holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She also has an advanced degree in education and worked in special education for two years. Her experience in these fields gives her a unique perspective in creating programming and services that fits the unique needs of the residents living in supportive housing.
Ms. Westfall began working with victims of sexual assault as an advocate with the Rape Crisis Center in San Luis Obispo first as a volunteer and then as staff. She answered the crisis hotline, accompanied victims to interviews with law enforcement and medical exams and provided education to middle and high school students. After moving to Los Angeles County in 1996, she began working at a domestic violence shelter which eventually led to the Villages at Cabrillo and her career with Century starting in 2011.
In 2013, she joined the board of the Long Beach Homeless Coalition and currently serves as the treasurer. As a member of the board, she has served on the steering committee for the City of Long Beach’s Point in Time homeless count since 2017. Realizing her commitment to the Long Beach community, Ms. Westfall joined the Junior League of Long Beach, an organization committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. Ms. Westfall credits the league with providing her ongoing leadership development and served as President in the 2022-2023 league year.
Sara Williams
Director,
Communications & Marketing
view bio
Sara Williams
Director, Communications & Marketing
As Director of Communications & Marketing, Sara Williams develops and leads strategic communications for Century Housing and its affiliates. She oversees the marketing and communications department which promotes Century’s work in affordable housing and advocates for equitable community development. In addition, Ms. Williams is responsible for media relations, digital content, and special projects.
Ms. Williams has nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit external affairs and television news production. Most recently, she worked at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. At the outset of her career, she served as a local television news producer at CBS and ABC affiliates.
Ms. Williams holds a master’s degree in public administration from New York University and bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international relations from the University of Southern California. She is a member of Coro Southern California’s Housing and Houselessness Leadership Network and the Public Relations Society of America.
