Meet Our Staff

Ricardo Flores was named Executive Director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) San Diego in April 2017. He joined the non-profit funding agency after serving for 12 years in leading roles with top San Diego elected officials.

In his role, Mr.  Flores oversees LISC’s extensive network of investment-based collaborations that support San Diego’s underserved neighborhoods, including City Heights, Colina Park, and Greater Logan Heights. LISC San Diego supports neighborhood revitalization efforts by assisting community groups through financing, grants, loans and equity capital, in addition to providing technical and management assistance, training opportunities, and additional resources.

A native of City Heights, Ricardo and his wife live in Kensington. Prior to serving as Councilmember Emerald’s chief of staff, Flores was a senior aide to Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA), dating back to 2005.  Flores has always taken an active role in his community. A long-time Meals on Wheels volunteer, he also served on numerous advisory boards and committees including the San Diego Chicano Democratic Association; San Diego Community College District; and United Way Plan to End Chronic Homelessness Resource.

After graduating from UCLA with a BA degree in Theatre, Film & Television, Flores spent several years in Los Angeles as a production assistant, most notably on the movie “Shrek 2” (2004). He also taught English in Barcelona, Spain.

DIRECT LINE: (619) 541-8017

Karina Velazquez joined LISC San Diego in July 2017. She oversees multiple programs including AmeriCorps, Business Development Organizations network, Financial Opportunities Center/Bridges to Career Opportunities, SEED, and our grants portfolio.

Prior to joining LISC, Karina was Program Manager at the Diamond Business Association, where she directed a number of economic development initiatives and coordinated several large events such as the Diamond Street Festival, Taste of the Diamond, and quarterly networking mixers. Notably, before being hired full-time at the Diamond Business Association, Karina was served as their LISC AmeriCorps member for 10-months. 

Karina is a double-major graduate of the University of California Berkeley, with a BA in Chicano Studies and a BA in Political Science. Karina has interned for several elected officials across various levels of government and has also volunteered on a multitude of political campaigns. 

DIRECT LINE: (619) 541-8016

Jimmy Chen, Graduated from University of California San Diego in 2010 with a degree in Economic Management Science. Jimmy has been in lending industry for over 10 years, working for Wells Fargo as loan officer and Loan Depot as loan underwriter helping to provide for the lending needs for borrowers.

Jimmy has been a San Diego for over 20 years, and has strong connections with local San Diego communities. In his free time, Jimmy enjoys watching drama, movies, sports events, and outdoor activities

Jimmy joined LISC team as Lending Program Officer, providing lending focus on affordable housing, small business, charter school, and mission driven projects. Jimmy also works as a part of the San Diego Black Homeownership Program, which provides down payment assistance to first-time Black homebuyers.

Michele Silverthorn is one of seven Program Officers across California leading the Local Partner Network for the historic $5.2 billion CA Covid-19 Rent Relief Program. She provides high-level support in multiple geographies to ensure client access to financial assistance for unpaid and future rent and utilities to income-eligible California renters and their landlords impacted by COVID-19.

Michele has more than 16 years of experience in nonprofit management, philanthropy and grant-making, and community development with organizations focused on vulnerable populations. She most recently led San Diego and Imperial counties to the best US Census response rates in 20 years through a $3.5 million outreach and education campaign to ensure our hardest to reach communities were counted in the decennial 2020 census. She is a strong program leader and effective project manager that concentrates on strategic implementation, community engagement, and multi-sector collaboration. With her work spanning grassroots community-based organizations to multi-million dollar funders, she is a successful communicator across stakeholder constituencies and has a robust understanding of San Diego and Imperial county’s community organizations and philanthropic landscape.

Her previous work has focused on grant programs for homeless, vulnerable children, and working poor populations; immigrant worker health issues; food systems; and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador. Michele received her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in City & Regional Planning and a master’s degree from Brandeis University in Sustainable International Development. After hours you can find her with her husband, boys, and Aussie in the mountains.

DIRECT LINE: 619-369-2622 

Ivonne Rojas joined the LISC San Diego team in July 2022. Prior to LISC, Ivonne spent five years with Casa Familiar, the San Ysidro-based social service organization. In her role, she served as a Social Services Supervisor and Program Manager for the agency’s Immigration and Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) departments. In addition, she supervised the AmeriCorps member, as well as FOC staffers. LISC and Casa Familiar have long been closely aligned to offer a wide range of programs for low-income South County individuals and families.

A bilingual graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in social work, Ivonne will coordinate many of LISC’s outreach efforts.

Christian Fonseca joined LISC in late 2022. He oversees social media and communications for our local office, while also assisting with processing disbursements. Christian also assists with overseeing and managing fundraising opportunities for our local office.

Prior to joining LISC, Christian worked as the Administrative Assistant for the Campaign Legal Center, a national watchdog organaztion based in Washington, D.C. that works to advance Democracy through law. At CLC, Christian oversaw internal communications, event coordination, and office management for the organization. He also worked to assist deparments outside of his own on a regular basis, having worked on several Policy and Advocacy assignments, as well as serving as a backstop for positions within the Human Resources and Communications teams.

Christian is a graduate of University of California, Irvine, receiving his Bachelor's of Arts degree in Political Science with honors. He also interned at the League of United Latin America Citizens (LULAC), serving as their Policy and Technology intern. In his free time, Christian enjoys hiking, travel, and exploring new cuisines.