Leadership Team

Ortensia Lopez, Chair

Ortensia Lopez is a nationally recognized leader and innovator with over 40 years of experience creating partnerships and coalitions, resulting in successful initiatives that inspire, empower and ensure low-income communities’ participation as solution-based partners; Ms. Lopez has held nonprofit sector, executive management positions for over 42 years, serving as a change agent for disenfranchised communities. Ms. Lopez brings four decades of energy efficiency experience to CHOC, the last six years focused on statewide electrification programs for low-income communities.  As the second of 11 children born to parents from Mexico, Ms. Lopez was the first to graduate from college. Her studies in Psychology & Chicano Studies helped deepen her insights into disenfranchised communities, and her Master's Degree in Urban/Social Planning from the University of Southern California inspired her life-long commitment as a global change agent. Ever since that time, she has developed and successfully managed innovative programs that address social, economic, environmental, housing, education, employment and health inequities among low-income communities in San Mateo County. She is widely regarded as a skilled advocate and driving force for policy changes that benefit and elevate low-income populations. Ms. Lopez currently serves the following organizations, as follows: Co-Chairperson of Greenlining Institute, Director; Chicana/Latina Foundation, Director; Chairperson, Community Housing Opportunities Corporation; Co-chair Energy Efficiency Council, Director; California Community Builders, Director Solar Oversight; San Mateo County C/CAG Resource Management and Climate Protection Committee; Leadership 200; PG&E’s Community Renewables Program Advisory Group.

Charles Rabamad, Vice-chair

Charles Rabamad is a disaster recovery assistance expert with more than 25 years of field experience handling disaster response and recovery in California. Over the course of 25 years with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), he was involved with every state and federally declared disaster since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Charles four times to lead disaster recovery efforts at the highest level of state government. Between 2003 and 2019, Charles served a significant role in more than 283 disaster declarations. He was designated as the State Public Assistance Officer for 162 of those events, which included 10 presidentially declared major disaster declarations, 146 fire management declarations, and 115 state-declared events. With more than 30 years of professional experience, Charles brings a vast spectrum of knowledge and practice in disaster mitigation, response and recovery, as well as infrastructure, disaster housing solutions, debris removal, environmental and historical preservation processes, project monitoring, project management, and federal and state procurement processes. He has testified before the California Legislature and other governmental bodies on behalf of Cal OES and the California Department of Water Resources.

Rahn Carmichael, Secretary/Treasurer

Rahn Carmichael has a robust record of service spanning over forty years. Carmichael began his career as a Community Service Officer in Vallejo, CA, where he learned that the best way to help residents and champion civil rights was to be in service of a community in need; this led him to becoming a City of Richmond police officer. During his time in law enforcement, Rahn spearheaded a paradigm shift for police training, successfully bridging the gap between public safety and community need. Carmichael served was a Richmond Police Watch Commander, managing all emergency services personnel responding to critical incidents, as well as public holidays and festivals.

Imani Woody, Ph.D.

Imani Woody is the Founding Director and CEO of Mary’s House for Older Adults, Inc., Washington, DC (MHFOA), D.C.’s first affordable, communal living space for older LGBT/SGL individuals. Leading her organization to support the relational housing and environmental needs of LGBTQ+ elders, Dr. Woody provides strategic leadership, direction, and support of advocacy and educational efforts on issues affecting seniors including health, social isolation, retirement security, asset protection, housing, and livable communities. Woody also leverages Mary’s House relationships with local and national policy leaders and consumer advocate organizations. As a Principal with IWF Consulting, Dr. Woody provides issue expertise, advises, and counsels on economic and health disparities in aging; Black and people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/same gender-loving (LGBT/SGL) communities. Expertly versed in the development and implementation of Diversity and Inclusion Programs, Woody also trains service providers and government agencies on aging. Dr. Woody’s current experience, as well as past professional engagements with AARP, Washington, DC and the National Caucus and Center of Black Aged, Inc., make her an established thought leader in aging, elder abuse, discrimination, health and economic disparities of older adults, black/African Americans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Dr. Woody is also an expert in community organizing, advocacy and community outreach; has conceptualized, developed, and implemented educational and programmatic events to target specific needs and populations. Dr. Woody holds a Ph.D. in Public Service Leadership with a Management of Nonprofit Agencies specialization from Capella University, and a Master of Human Services (MHS) from Lincoln University.

Anyse R. Smith, Esq.

Anyse R. Smith is a dynamic, Coachella Valley-based legal professional. Of Counsel with Anderholt Evans LLP since 2022, Smith specializes in civil litigation focused on real property, contracts, construction, business litigation, with an additional focus on real property transactions, probate, and estate planning. With Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG), Smith’s work included helping individuals and families experiencing houselessness, with outreach services and case management for housing. Smith’s work with CVAG, as well as Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in Indio, CA, makes her a subject matter expert on houselessness, hunger, and client life challenges, as well as emergency services, recovery programs and broad community outreach. Smith holds a JD from California Desert Trial Academy (Valedictorian), a Masters in International Law, International Relations, and Diplomacy Paris Sorbonne Université, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and a BA, International Affairs from The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs.

Robert apodaca

Robert Apodaca has a professional and civic career that spans the non-profit and private sectors and has served on numerous city, county, state, and national commissions advisory boards and boards of directors. For 53 years, Apodaca has been directly (staff) and indirectly (board) involved with serving low-income, primarily ethnic communities through non-profit organizations. He co-founded Casa Joaquin Murrieta (university housing for 24 students) in January 1970 while attending UC Berkeley. He was also the Executive Director of the Educational Guidance Center. Apodaca transitioned into employment training (ex-offenders, ex-heroine addicts, and women on welfare) as the Deputy Director of Peralta Service Corporation. His last executive position in a non-profit organization was as New Mexico Community Foundation’s Executive Director. As a board member and chairman of the investment committee for The Greenlining Institute (17 years), he initiated revisions of the investment policies and supervised an asset management firm that increased a small endowment fund, $2,000,000 to $20,000,000 in 15 years. Currently, he is the co-founder, board member, and Executive Director of The Two Hundred for Homeownership, focused on mitigating the increase of poverty through homeownership and eliminating regulations that contribute to poverty. Apodaca serves on the board of directors of California Community Builders, and Casita Coalition, respectively, and has launched several businesses and held executive and partner positions in the private sector. As Senior Vice-President and Partner of the (Kennedy Companies), an institutional pension investment management firm, he raised nearly $1 billion from CalPERS, NY City Firefighters, San Diego County, Chicago Transit Authority, and others. As MVE Architects’ Senior Vice-President of Business Development, Apodaca opened the firm’s Oakland office, secured contracts to sustain a 38-employee firm, winning numerous design awards. Apodaca is the founder of private capital fundraising firm ZeZen Advisors, Inc., which focuses on private/public partnerships, as well as public affairs firm ZeZen Alliance, Inc. Originally from Las Cruces, NM, where his family settled in 1701, Apodaca current resides in Oakland and Burbank, CA.

Hector A. Fernandez

Hector A. Fernandez has extensive experience in policy and program development in housing, community development, and organizational capacity.  He worked for over 10 years in the nonprofit sector, developing programs for Farmworker housing and health, and researching/advocating for rural, affordable housing.  Hector brings practical experience in developing organizational capacity, funding strategies, strategic planning, community assessment, and grassroots rural leadership.  Mr. Fernandez has previously served on statewide boards including: Housing California, the California Coalition for Rural Housing, and the California Reinvestment Coalition.  He attended: Cal Poly, SLO, and CSU, Fresno.  Currently, Mr. Fernandez works as a legislative advocate at Fernandez Cervantes Government Affairs.

KEvin Gerber

Kevin Gerber is the retired President and CEO of Covia, a progressive, not-for-profit organization providing housing and services to older adults in northern California. Covia operated six continuing care retirement communities, nine affordable housing communities as well as a broad array of innovative national community service programs. Kevin structured and guided the affiliation of Covia with Front Porch in early 2021 to create the 13th largest not-for-profit senior living organization in the United States. Prior to joining Covia in 2005, Gerber was President and CEO of The Episcopal Home Communities in Alhambra, California and also served as Vice President of Operations at The Internext Group (now Front Porch). Earlier in his career, Gerber held a number of positions at California Lutheran Homes from 1987 until 1999, including Chief Operating Officer. Gerber received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and graduated with a M.P.A. in Heath Services Administration from the University of Southern California; he holds a certificate in Long-Term Care Administration also from USC. Board service has been integral to Gerber’s career: he is the Board Chair of On Lok, Inc., the first program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), now replicated across the nation. Gerber also serves on the board of Heritage on the Marina, a continuing care retirement community in San Francisco, CA.