Chair John Restrepo is the director of the Division of Housing and Community Development at Jersey-City-based Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC). He has been involved with the planning, development, and management of over 500 scattered site housing units and 35,000 square feet of commercial space to increase the affordable housing stock in high cost markets. In the early stages of his career, Mr. Restrepo was once a community scholar and in 2016, served as the co-chair of the inaugural year of the Housing Scholars program. He previously served on the Board of Directors as Board President in 2015.
Vice Chair Leslie Stivale is the President/CEO of Triple C Housing, Inc. (Triple C), a non-profit community housing development organization (CHDO) and supportive services provider. As a vision driven, results oriented leader, she has expanded Triple C’s supportive housing program, leveraging multiple funding sources to develop high quality housing and grow opportunities to enhance supportive services for individuals, families and veterans who have been formerly homeless and disabled. Ms. Stivale possesses twenty eight years of experience in behavioral health, human services and the supportive housing industry having worked within the private and non-profit sectors in senior and executive management. In 2010, Ms. Stivale was appointed to the NJ Interagency Council for Preventing and Reducing Homelessness. In 2017, Triple C was awarded the Governor’s Excellence Award in Supportive Housing, and in the same year, Leslie was presented with the prestigious Mort Gati award by the NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. She has served on the Network’s Board of Directors since 2014.
Treasurer Dan Antonellis has served as President of Region Nine Housing Corporation (RNHC) since 2012, developing high-quality affordable housing and providing services to families, seniors and disabled individuals. Prior to becoming RNHC President, he served as a Staff Representative for the Communications Workers of America, Local 1038 and spent nearly 25 years at the New Jersey Department of Labor prior to that. He is a former Vice President and Board President of the ARC Mercer and a founding member of the Board of Orphan Sponsorship International (OSI). Mr. Antonellis joined the Network Board of Directors in 2018.
NEW BOARD MEMBER CORE
Edward Bethea serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gateway Community Action Partnership. He oversees all financial, managerial and revenue-generating departments and activities within the agency. He is the chief negotiator of all contracts and leases and serves as chief developer on all construction projects. He is responsible for the Operations, Finance and Human Resources Departments as well as, Head Start, Health Services, Economic Development, Social Services, Information Technology, Weatherization, Property Management and Facility Maintenance. He brings years of experience in tax consulting, financial planning, cash flow projection and asset management to Gateway, and maintains approval authority on all agency spending. He is also directly responsible for the interactions between Gateway and financial institutions and governmental entities. Mr. Bethea current serves as President of the Bridgeton City Municipal Council. Vicky Hernandez, a native Newarker, joined Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) as its Executive Director in December, 2019. She is the first woman, first Latina, and first multi-lingual Executive Director at ICC. She has led the organization’s response to the Coronavirus and its impact on Ironbound community members. This has included mobilizing all of ICC’s resources and programs to address the most basic and pressing needs, which are impacting our community members including access to food, money and housing. Prior to joining ICC, Ms. Hernandez most recently served as Chief Program Officer at New Jersey Community Development Corporation in Paterson, where she led implementation of a Strategic Plan and the Great Falls Promise Neighborhood Initiative to ensure that children reach adulthood career and college ready.
Michael G. Johnson serves as Regional Director of Community Life for New York/New Jersey for The Community Builders, Inc. in New York City, a position he has held since January 2020. He leads strategic priorities for Community Life in New York City, the Capital District, Westchester County and New Jersey, working closely with TCB’s real estate development, property management and fund development teams. Previously, he served as Vice President in Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he was responsible for the firm’s Affordable Housing and Community Development portfolio for the New York Tri-State area and a national portfolio involving affordable housing seed capital and data driven solutions for neighborhood revitalization through Partnership for Raising Opportunities (PRO) Neighborhoods.
Jaymie Santiago has been working for the progress of New Brunswick’s residents since 2004. Jaymie began his work with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension and was instrumental in creating a citywide network of Food Hubs consisting of farmers markets and community gardens. In 2009, he served on the initial planning committee that developed the New Brunswick Community Food Alliance. And in 2011, he was the Co-Director of Rutgers Against Hunger, a university-wide initiative offering temporary relief to families faced with hunger across New Jersey. Mr. Santiago joined New Brunswick Tomorrow as Director of Operations in 2012, becoming President in 2016. He managed the Healthier New Brunswick initiative; designed to improve the overall health of city residents.
NEW BOARD MEMBER ASSOCIATE Kafi Lindsay, Esq., serves as Regional Community Development Manager at TD Bank, covering Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As a Regional CDM, Ms. Lindsay is responsible for coordinating Community Reinvestment Act initiatives to ensure compliance with OCC guidelines. Leveraging her deep knowledge of this region's communities, she works to identify and recommend community development loans and investments to fulfill TD Bank's CRA goals. She establishes and maintains critical relationships with community development corporations, housing authorities, consumer advocacy groups as well as government agencies and local officials. Prior to joining TD Bank, she served as Market Manager for Community Development Banking at PNC in Philadelphia, where she oversaw the creation and implementation of high-impact programs, loans and investments for nonprofits serving low- and moderate-income communities throughout the tri-state area. She also once served as Senior Counsel for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Special Assistant to the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, and a commercial real estate broker.
Chair John Restrepo is the director of the Division of Housing and Community Development at Jersey-City-based Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation (GSECDC). He has been involved with the planning, development, and management of over 500 scattered site housing units and 35,000 square feet of commercial space to increase the affordable housing stock in high cost markets. In the early stages of his career, Mr. Restrepo was once a community scholar and in 2016, served as the co-chair of the inaugural year of the Housing Scholars program. He previously served on the Board of Directors as Board President in 2015.
Vice Chair Leslie Stivale is the President/CEO of Triple C Housing, Inc. (Triple C), a non-profit community housing development organization (CHDO) and supportive services provider. As a vision driven, results oriented leader, she has expanded Triple C’s supportive housing program, leveraging multiple funding sources to develop high quality housing and grow opportunities to enhance supportive services for individuals, families and veterans who have been formerly homeless and disabled. Ms. Stivale possesses twenty eight years of experience in behavioral health, human services and the supportive housing industry having worked within the private and non-profit sectors in senior and executive management. In 2010, Ms. Stivale was appointed to the NJ Interagency Council for Preventing and Reducing Homelessness. In 2017, Triple C was awarded the Governor’s Excellence Award in Supportive Housing, and in the same year, Leslie was presented with the prestigious Mort Gati award by the NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. She has served on the Network’s Board of Directors since 2014.
Treasurer Dan Antonellis has served as President of Region Nine Housing Corporation (RNHC) since 2012, developing high-quality affordable housing and providing services to families, seniors and disabled individuals. Prior to becoming RNHC President, he served as a Staff Representative for the Communications Workers of America, Local 1038 and spent nearly 25 years at the New Jersey Department of Labor prior to that. He is a former Vice President and Board President of the ARC Mercer and a founding member of the Board of Orphan Sponsorship International (OSI). Mr. Antonellis joined the Network Board of Directors in 2018.
Edward Bethea serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gateway Community Action Partnership. He oversees all financial, managerial and revenue-generating departments and activities within the agency. He is the chief negotiator of all contracts and leases and serves as chief developer on all construction projects. He is responsible for the Operations, Finance and Human Resources Departments as well as, Head Start, Health Services, Economic Development, Social Services, Information Technology, Weatherization, Property Management and Facility Maintenance. He brings years of experience in tax consulting, financial planning, cash flow projection and asset management to Gateway, and maintains approval authority on all agency spending. He is also directly responsible for the interactions between Gateway and financial institutions and governmental entities. Mr. Bethea current serves as President of the Bridgeton City Municipal Council. 
Vicky Hernandez, a native Newarker, joined Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) as its Executive Director in December, 2019. She is the first woman, first Latina, and first multi-lingual Executive Director at ICC. She has led the organization’s response to the Coronavirus and its impact on Ironbound community members. This has included mobilizing all of ICC’s resources and programs to address the most basic and pressing needs, which are impacting our community members including access to food, money and housing. Prior to joining ICC, Ms. Hernandez most recently served as Chief Program Officer at New Jersey Community Development Corporation in Paterson, where she led implementation of a Strategic Plan and the Great Falls Promise Neighborhood Initiative to ensure that children reach adulthood career and college ready.
Michael G. Johnson serves as Regional Director of Community Life for New York/New Jersey for The Community Builders, Inc. in New York City, a position he has held since January 2020. He leads strategic priorities for Community Life in New York City, the Capital District, Westchester County and New Jersey, working closely with TCB’s real estate development, property management and fund development teams. Previously, he served as Vice President in Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he was responsible for the firm’s Affordable Housing and Community Development portfolio for the New York Tri-State area and a national portfolio involving affordable housing seed capital and data driven solutions for neighborhood revitalization through Partnership for Raising Opportunities (PRO) Neighborhoods.
Jaymie Santiago has been working for the progress of New Brunswick’s residents since 2004. Jaymie began his work with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension and was instrumental in creating a citywide network of Food Hubs consisting of farmers markets and community gardens. In 2009, he served on the initial planning committee that developed the New Brunswick Community Food Alliance. And in 2011, he was the Co-Director of Rutgers Against Hunger, a university-wide initiative offering temporary relief to families faced with hunger across New Jersey. Mr. Santiago joined New Brunswick Tomorrow as Director of Operations in 2012, becoming President in 2016. He managed the Healthier New Brunswick initiative; designed to improve the overall health of city residents.
Kafi Lindsay, Esq., serves as Regional Community Development Manager at TD Bank, covering Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As a Regional CDM, Ms. Lindsay is responsible for coordinating Community Reinvestment Act initiatives to ensure compliance with OCC guidelines. Leveraging her deep knowledge of this region's communities, she works to identify and recommend community development loans and investments to fulfill TD Bank's CRA goals. She establishes and maintains critical relationships with community development corporations, housing authorities, consumer advocacy groups as well as government agencies and local officials. Prior to joining TD Bank, she served as Market Manager for Community Development Banking at PNC in Philadelphia, where she oversaw the creation and implementation of high-impact programs, loans and investments for nonprofits serving low- and moderate-income communities throughout the tri-state area. She also once served as Senior Counsel for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Special Assistant to the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, and a commercial real estate broker.
