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DC LISC Local Advisory Committee

DC LISC Staff
Peter Banks, Consultant
Ramon Jacobson, Senior Program Officer
Martin Mellett, Senior Program Officer
Michelle Bowman Mengel, Program Officer
Oramenta F. Newsome, Executive Director
Callahan Seltzer, Administrative Assistant

Peter Banks, (pbanks@lisc.org) consultant, joined LISC in the fall of 2008.  His responsibilities include working on LISC’s Sustainable Communities Initiative in Congress Heights and Southwest, helping structure a post purchase assistance initiative, and assisting on a variety of other projects.  Before coming to LISC, Peter worked for a local non-profit housing counseling organization, Montgomery County’s Office of Human Rights for a real estate settlement attorney, and wrote a book about public and subsidized housing with his father.  He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master in City Planning from MIT.

Ramon Jacobson (rjacobson@lisc.org), Senior Program Officer, joined LISC in 1998. Ramon's focus is on providing predevelopment, construction, and permanent financing for affordable housing and community facilities. Primary responsibilities include real estate underwriting, loan administration, and helping nonprofit community organizations structure deals that benefit their neighborhoods. He holds a BA from Harvard University and a Masters degree from the Yale School of Management.

Martin Mellett (mmellett@lisc.org),Senior Program Officer joined LISC in 1996. Martin manages all aspects of the Community Development Support Collaborative a multi-year funders collaborative and project of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers administered by LISC. Responsibilities include fundraising, grantmaking and management, technical assistance, and training and internships; management of Steering Committee and Sub-Committees, program evaluation and advocacy/education; ongoing technical assistance and guidance to nonprofit leadership.

Under a LISC contract with the Office of Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Martin also administers the grant review process for the Neighborhood Investment Fund - Predevelopment Grant Program. Prior to LISC, Martin worked as the manager of a grants program with the Archdiocese of Washington and also served as a partner in a small law firm specializing in matters of immigration law. Martin has a law degree from Antioch Law School and is licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Martin has an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Michelle Bowman Mengel (mmengel@lisc.org), Program Officer, joined LISC in April 2003. Michelle manages all grant making activities and provides technical assistance to nonprofit organizations on a variety of topics. She also helps manage LISC's targeted neighborhood efforts in Congress Heights, green building initiatives, and all communications - including quarterly newsletters, website development, tours and presentations. Prior to joining LISC, Michelle worked for the Fannie Mae Foundation, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and USA Today. She holds Business and Music degrees from Taylor University and a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Maryland.

Oramenta F. Newsome (onewsome@lisc.org), is Executive Director of the Washington, DC office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).   Ms. Newsome has been working in the field of neighborhood revitalization and community development for over 20 years.

Prior to joining LISC, Ms. Newsome worked as a Program Director for the Enterprise Foundation; City Planner and Homeless Services Coordinator for the City of Fort Worth Texas, and Planner for Cobb County, Georgia. She has traveled extensively across the United States, writing funding proposals and providing technical assistance to small and mid-size towns.

She was a Fannie Mae Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives.  She is a graduate of Leadership Washington, a member of the Class of 1999. Mayor Williams selected Ms. Newsome to receive the Mayor’s Quality Partner Award as one of the City’s Caring for Children Champions. She also served as member of the District of Columbia’s Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force.

Ms. Newsome serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Healthy Housing, Open Door Housing Fund and the Advisory Board for the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. Ms. Newsome lectures to undergraduate and graduate classes as well as conducts training in the field of community development and neighborhood revitalization. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Public Administration from Auburn University and a Masters of Science in Community Development and Planning from Georgia State University.

Callahan Seltzer (cseltzer@lisc.org), Administrative Assistant joined LISC in June 2007. Callie provides administrative support for the Community Development Support Collaborative. She also supports two National LISC programs: the Housing Authority Resource Center (HARC) and the Affordable Housing Preservation Initiative. She holds a BA in Politics and Government from Ohio Wesleyan University.  Prior to joining LISC, Callie worked with the City of Delaware, OH in the Department of Planning and Community Development.