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Who We Are

Mission

The Ohio CDC Association is a statewide membership organization that fosters vibrant neighborhoods and improves the quality of life in all communities through advocacy and capacity building of our member agencies.

Vision

OCDCA's vision is the creation of a community development environment that comprehensively improves life opportunities for all Ohioans.

Our History

OCDCA was organized in 1983-1984 through a grant made by the George Gund Foundation through the National Congress on Community Economic Development (NCCED), the then national trade association for CDCs. NCCED started four state associations in the early 1980's, Ohio's among them.

Over its 40 history, Ohio CDC Association has been listening to Community Development Corporations in Ohio and responding with resources to help its members with capacity-building, advocacy and public policy development with the mission of fostering socially and economically healthy communities.

Throughout the years, OCDCA has worked with its members to come closer to the realization of a community development environment that comprehensively improves life opportunities for all residents. We are proud to have been part of the development of Ohio CDCs, and are looking forward to the future.

Transparency

Ohio CDC Association is committed to fiscal stewardship and transparency.

View our 2022 Audit, 2021 Audit, 2020 Audit, 2019 Audit, 2018 Audit, or 2018 990 Form.

View our 2023 Annual Report.

View our 2023 - 2025 Strategic Plan Addendum and 2020-2022 Strategic Plan Summary.

View our by-laws which were updated September 2022.

Ohio CDC Association Board of Trustees

Joy Johnson, President
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc.

Victor Leandry, Vice President
El Centro de Servicios Sociales

Tiffaney Shaver, Secretary
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership

Sarah Allan, Treasurer
Toledo LISC

Bambi Baughn
The CAC of Fayette County

Mary Delaney
Community Matters

Judy Jackson
National Equity Fund 

Nathan Keirns
LEADS Community Action

 

Board of Trustees Interest Form

 

The Ohio CDC Association, or OCDCA, is a statewide membership organization dedicated to fostering vibrant neighborhoods and improving the quality of life in all Ohio communities through advocacy and capacity building of its member agencies.

Community Development Corporations are non-profit organizations created to support and revitalize communities, especially those that have high concentrations of poverty, disinvestment, or are struggling with other challenges. In this context, ‘community’ is often geographically specific, however since the establishment of the first CDCs decades ago, the concept of ‘community’ has grown. Community could be any group with common identifying factors, or a physical location, also dedicated to improving the quality of life and growing healthy, vibrant places. CDCs are self-identified. There is no specific certification or tax category that distinguishes a CDC from any other non-profit organization. Your organization could be a CDC in practice, and may benefit from membership in the Ohio CDC Association.

The Ohio CDC Association continually strives to grow its membership in order to best leverage resources, grow skills, and learn from the experiences of others, across the spectrum of community development work. Community work is hard, and OCDCA is dedicated to creatively finding ways to help each other in this difficult work.

Based on feedback from our membership, Ohio CDC Association currently focuses its efforts in five initiative areas, including: Community Engagement, Food Access, Financial Empowerment, Affordable Housing and Community Economic Engagement.

As a non-profit 50a(c)3, the Ohio CDC Association is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees represents a vibrant cross section of community development organizations and advocates, reflecting diversity in many ways: including, but not limited to, geographic location (urban, suburban, rural), agency size, area of professional or lived expertise, race, gender, education, etc.

Per its by-laws, all OCDCA Trustees must be active Members of or employed by a Member of the Ohio CDC Association. The Board of Trustees shall consist of no fewer than ten (10) and no more than twenty-one (21) Trustees. Trustees are elected by the Membership at its Annual Membership Meeting.

Are you interested in serving as a Trustee with Ohio CDC Association?

All interested individuals are encouraged to complete and submit the Trustee Interest Form, available on the OCDCA website. Interest forms are accepted year-round, and will allow OCDCA to develop a pool of candidates for consideration when a Trustee position becomes available.

Currently, Ohio CDC Association is specifically seeking candidates with the following characteristics:

  • Office location / service area in Southeast and Northwest Ohio

  • Experience with legal services

Our Staff

Torey hollingsworth, Executive Director

Torey Hollingsworth is Executive Director of the Ohio CDC Association (OCDCA), a non-profit association for community development corporations that work to revitalize rural and urban communities. Prior to joining OCDCA in 2023, Torey served as the Director of the Office of the Dayton City Commission, where she managed the policy work and support staff for the city’s elected leadership. Before this role, she was Senior Policy Aide for Mayor Nan Whaley, where she focused on issues related to eviction prevention, police reform, and reducing gun violence. 

Prior to returning to her hometown of Dayton, Torey was the Manager of Research and Policy with the Greater Ohio Policy Center, where she researched and supported efforts to revitalize Ohio’s smaller legacy cities. Torey previously served as Senior Regional Organizer at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Greater DC Cares, both in Washington, DC.

Torey received her Masters of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and her BA from the University of Chicago. She is a 2021 graduate of Leadership Dayton and serves on the Dayton Art Institute Associate Board.

Torey and her husband, Michael, live in Dayton's Historic Huffman neighborhood.

Email: thollingsworth@ohiocdc.org
Phone: 614-461-6392 x 207

Suzanne Parks, Director of Economic Inclusion

Suzanne Parks, Director of Economic Inclusion, directs the Assets Ohio and JOLI projects. She joined OCDCA in August 2008 and is responsible for the administration of the Assets Ohio venture. Ms. Parks' additional responsibilities include the provision of training and technical assistance, resource development, as well as research, and the development of policy.

Prior to joining the OCDCA team, Ms. Parks was an independent consultant working with community development and other government funded agencies assisting with special projects designed to enhance organizational and program capacity. She is a former employee of two Head Start projects in the central Ohio area. In Head Start, she worked with the Family and Community Partnerships and Program Design and Governance components.

Ms. Parks was conferred a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ohio Dominican University and a Masters in Leadership Education from the Mid-America Christian University.

Email: sparks@ohiocdc.org
Phone: 614-461-6392 x 206

Andrew Dodson, Director of Capacity Building

Andrew Dodson, Director of Capacity Building, joined the Ohio CDC Association in November 2023. From steering business activities and implementing public policy at Heritage Works to championing guidelines and fostering community connections at the German Village Society, Andrew has consistently worked towards positive change.

As Marketing Director at MKSK, he secured national press coverage and local recognition for projects that truly made a difference. At TRIAD Architects, Andrew led strategy and business development, contributing to successful projects that fueled business and community growth.

With a Bachelor's in City & Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, Andrew brings not just a skill set but a commitment to community. A member of the American Planning Association and an alumnus of Leadership Columbus, Andrew actively engages in community initiatives. Whether serving on boards like Independents’ Day Festival, co-founding WAV: We Amplify Voices, or contributing to the Ohio vs The World History Podcast, his leadership extends beyond the professional realm.

In his role, Andrew is dedicated to empowering and strengthening community development initiatives across Ohio, fueled by his overarching mission - more opportunity for more people.

Email: adodson@ohiocdc.org
Phone: 614-461-6392 x 204

Mandi Arthur, Chief Financial Officer

Mandi Arthur is OCDCA’s Chief Financial Officer. Mandi is a Finance and Operations professional specializing in nonprofit and small business accounting. She has many years of experience in grant management, budgeting, financial analysis and reporting, fund accounting, both designing and implementing accounting information systems, and overall financial management of an organization. She also has the business operations experience that promotes a successful link with operational leaders.

Mandi’s knowledge of technology allows her to recommend the labor-saving benefits of technological solutions while balancing the costs of investment and implementation.

Her strong attention to detail coupled with seeking improvements in efficiency allows organizations to focus more on their mission.

Email: finance@ohiocdc.org
Phone: 614-461-6392 x 210

JULIA ROBINSON, MEMBER CAPACITY MANAGER

Julia Robinson is the Member Capacity Manager for the OCDCA. With a personal investment to equity, diversity, and inclusion practices, Julia has led program- based initiatives in California, Montana,  Ohio, and Mumbai, India. Of her work within the United States, Julia has alternated between campaign work, non-profit programming, and policy based volunteer opportunities. Recently, she collaborated with the Ohio Education Association to create a data base of 30,000+ elected officials throughout Ohio’s municipalities to create a fourstep strategic plan for the 2023 election. Prior to that experience, she served as the finance assistant and scheduler for candidate Nan Whaley in the 2022 Ohio Gubernatorial election. Julia received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science and minor in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, she studied abroad three times to practice and witness alternative collaboration, organizing, and coping methods not only within the academic and political world, but within local communities. Julia fills her free time with self created design projects, hosting professional development seminars, and backpacking.

Email: jrobinson@ohiocdc.org
Phone: 614-461-6392 x 209

ARABELLA ZAMBITO, COMMUNICATIONS & POLICY ASSOCIATE

Arabella Zambito is OCDCA’s Communications and Policy Associate. Before joining the OCDCA team in April 2024, Arabella interned for the Public Policy Team at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence. There, she synthesized research, analyzed legislation, and communicated complex social issues to a variety of audiences. Through her experience, she grew a passion for community advocacy and improving the lives of others and is committed to upholding these values through her role.

Arabella received her Bachelor of Arts in both Criminology and Political Science with a minor in Psychology from West Virginia University where her main research focus was on violence against women and transportation policy. Arabella also shares an interest in women and gender studies and finding ways to guarantee the security of all people. In her free time, Arabella enjoys kayaking, reading activist literature, and exploring the Cleveland area.

Email: azambito@ohiocdc.org
Phone: 614-461-6392 x 211

Careers

Ohio CDC Association is not currently hiring, but click here to view other opportunities in the community development industry in Ohio.

Solidarity Statement

April 21, 2021: We are relieved that Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all counts for the murder George Floyd. We celebrate this step towards police accountability, and we are hopeful that this moment is a catalyst towards real change in this country.

Sadly, while America awaited the verdict yesterday, at the same time, Columbus police shot and killed a sixteen year old girl: Ma’Khia Bryant. Justice for George Floyd means he’d still be alive. Justice for Ma’Khia Bryant means that she'd still be alive, able to grow up healthy and safe in her community. Since the massive protests last summer in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others, central Ohio have lost at least three Black lives by the police: Casey Goodson Jr., Andre Hill, and now, Ma’Khia Bryant. Ma’Khia Bryant joins a tragic list of children, mostly Black and Brown, that have been killed by the police: Tamir Rice, Tyre King, Joseph Haynes, Adam Toledo, and more. 

Courts cannot bring about justice that is needed at this scale. We need a transformation of policing in this country, and Ohio is not exempt. According to a June 2020 Ohio Capital Journal article:

“Ohio is an especially bad offender when it comes to racial disparities in police killings. From 2013 to 2019, 215 Ohioans were killed by police, 80 of whom were black. That means over a third (37%) of people killed by police over that time period were black, despite the fact that only 12% of Ohioans as a whole are black according to Census Bureau estimates. This 25-percentage-point disparity makes Ohio a top 10 worst state for racial disparities in police killings and constitutes a bigger disparity than all of its neighboring states.” 

There is a bill in Congress - and countless more policy recommendations, such as the BREATHE Act and the New Deal for Housing Justice - which can help reimagine this system to be more just for everyone. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is waiting for a vote in the Senate. OCDCA’s vision is “the creation of a community development environment that comprehensively improves life opportunities for all Ohioans.” We cannot achieve this vision until systems that disproportionately harm Black Ohioans are changed. 

At the heart of community development and our movement is to listen to and support those most affected. If your organization is engaged in racial justice work, please let us know. We want to share, support, elevate the work that you are doing.

In solidarity,

OCDCA

June 2, 2020: The last week has been heavy and heart-breaking for so many around the country. We stand together against the system of structural racism that led to the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. Read the full statement.