Staff

Maria Elena Guerra (Meg) – Executive Director (She/her)

Meg is originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Espiritu Santo University in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Portland State University. Meg’s experience in housing spans over 15 years of working in property and asset management with funders & communities from a variety of backgrounds. 

Previously to accepting the Executive Director position at FHDC, Meg served as the Asset and Property Manager for FHDC, the Portfolio Manager for REACH CDC, and as the Asset Manager with Hacienda CDC.  In 2009, Meg was awarded Star Player of the Year by the Oregon Opportunity Network.  In 2010, Meg completed the Asset Manager Certification (CHAM) with the Institute of National NeighborWorks of America.

 

 

Carmen Fernandez –  Housing Development Manager (She/her)

Carmen Fernandez brings over 20 years of project management experience to FHDC’s housing development team.  She began her career working with a general contractor where she was exposed to a variety of projects, including tenant improvements, commercial shopping centers, wastewater projects, and boutique hotel projects.  She then transitioned to construction management where she became a Project Manager and was an instrumental part of the team working on a variety of construction projects ranging from detention facilities, K-12, water/wastewater, and private construction.  Carmen enjoys every aspect of the construction process and still feels that each project has something unique to take away and apply to the next.

Strong and transparent communication, an ability to multi-task, staying organized, and building relationships with all members of project development teams are what make Carmen stand out in the industry. She knows how to build a successful project while ensuring the team has fun working together.  

Fabiola Camacho – Resident Services Coordinator / Safety Health Outreach Coordinator (She/her)

Fabi has served as a community leader for over 10 years at FHDC. Fabi first served as a community organizer for FHDC’s Colonia Libertad in Salem, and later became the Education Program Manager for after-school programs for three of FHDC’s properties: Nuevo Amanecer in Woodburn, Colonia Libertad in Salem, and Colonia Amistad in Independence. Together, these housing complexes are home to over 275 farmworker families. Fabi has been a researcher in many community-partnered research projects, including recent studies focused on farmworker health status, links between stress and health, chronic disease prevention and management, and the collaborative study with the University of Oregon, Familias Saludables (Healthy Families). In this National Institute of Health-funded study, Fabiola helped to design a Spanish-language health and wellness intervention that builds on existing cultural and family-based strengths for farmworker parents and their children aged 10 to 15 years old.

In addition to this work at FHDC, Fabiola is a board member at Family Building Blocks and volunteers with Salem Kaiser Coalition for Equality, and Oregon State University extension. She has two children and holds a Teaching Assistant Certificate from Chemeketa Community College.

Jorge Alvarado – Director of Programs (He/him)

Jorge serves as the Program and Leadership Director at FHDC, overseeing operations of the Resident Services and Asset Build teams. Jorge was born in Michoacan, Mexico, and raised in Oregon. Before joining FHDC, he worked at Hacienda Community Development Corporation for sixteen years, contributing his expertise in community engagement and leading several community development initiatives such as the “Camino a Casa”, A HUD-certified Homeownership Program, “MicroMercantes”, a Latino Food Vendor Incubator project supporting micro-business development for low-income Latinos, and as an Academic Support Coordinator for at-risk middle school youth. When not wearing his FHDC hat, he enjoys his free time with his family and hiking with his two dogs. 

 

Magda Moreno – Asset Builder (She/her)

Magda Morena was born in Michoacan Mexico, and raised in Los Angeles California. Prior to FHDC, she volunteered at Bridging Cultures (Puentes entre Culturas), a nonprofit organization in Canby, OR and worked at Families in Transition Liaison with the Canby School District. As a community liaison, she connected families to local resources helping them apply for health and social benefits and guiding them in housing opportunities. 

Community engagement and asset building have been a passion of hers, as she has experienced firsthand the benefits of owning a home and helping her family start a path toward wealth and asset building.

She is excited to be part of the FHDC family, a place where she can grow personal and professional relationships and help first and second-generation immigrants grow intergenerational wealth through financial resourcing and asset building. 

Christian Meneses-Zurita – Asset Manager (He/him)

Christian was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He recently received his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from George Fox University in 2019.  He is very excited to be part of the FHDC team and passionate about applying his education and experience to impact the FHDC community positively.

In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the city by trying new food carts and restaurants. Before the pandemic, you could catch him at Portland Timbers games. While he is not out in the city, he does not mind staying indoors to watch a movie or catch up on his favorite show.

 

 

Tonya Kenyon – Office Manager & Bookkeeper (She/her)

Tonya grew up in Detroit, Oregon, and currently lives in Happy Valley. She received an Associate’s Degree in Accounting at Watterson College directly after high school and has held positions in many industries including H.V.A.C., engineering, food, and retail. A mother of two children, she enjoys the outdoors, sewing, and craft projects. She is happy to be involved in the affordable housing and real estate development industry and working for an organization that empowers community members to make better lives for themselves. She works to oversee financial compliance and the overall fiscal health of the organization.

 

 

Martha Marquez – Resident Services Coordinator (She/they)

Martha Marquez is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Engineering from Miami University. Her experience working with Farmworker families is as a Preschool Teacher at Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC). She also worked as a tutor for Tutors to You in math, chemistry, and Spanish for low-income families and agriculture families. Her experience at OCDC included coordination of different programs such as the Migrant Program and Oregon Pre-Kindergarten (OPK) in the Woodburn and Silverton areas. She also recruited children for the Migrant Program and OPK, offering different services to families like dental inspections and basic needs resources, food, and clothing.

Her experience as a migrant and working in migrant programs provides a foundation for a vast understanding of multicultural experiences. In her free time, she enjoys learning about and helping people, volunteering, traveling, and exploring new foods with her family.

Margarita Flores-Bautista – Junior Housing Specialist (She/her)

Margarita, born and raised in Oregon, spent most of her life growing up in Colonia Libertad, FHDC’s affordable housing community in Salem, Oregon. She participated in many programs from music to after-school tutoring, among others. She received a scholarship from Portland State University through the 4-Years Free Program and in the midst of the pandemic, she managed to complete her bachelor of arts degree with a focus in Architecture from Portland State University. Now, she is eager to continue to help her community with the position of Junior Housing Specialist with the organization she grew up in. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, listening to music, and watching series from different parts of the world. 
 
 
 

Susana Arroyo Burdett – Community Builder & Engagement Coordinator (Her, she, ella)

Susana has contributed to the social and humanities and is identified as a born community leader. She is part of the Resident Services team and brings her energy to the residents at Colonia Paz in Lebanon, OR. Susana has experience as a Mexican-American businesswoman and performing as a traditional Dama Charra (female equestrian). She is a fan of pre-Hispanic culture and is committed to safeguarding Mexican culture through the arts with La Peña Charra of the Western United States. She also enjoys GP motorcycling.
 
 
 
 

Ramon Martinez – Communications and Advocacy Coordinator (He/him/his/él)

Being the son of a farmworker has greatly influenced Ramon’s path. He understands the challenges of this demanding job, which adds to his motivation to help families get on a prosperous track through FHDC. “It is an honor to be part of an organization that recognizes ‘A home is just the beginning.'”

The path to his current role included experiences in the nonprofit sector. In AmeriCorps, he served as a unit leader covering a 10-state service region specializing in bringing aid after natural disasters. Through AmeriCorps, he learned about Bike & Build. This organization focuses on bringing awareness to the affordable housing cause through biking across the country and building with affordable housing agencies such as Habitat for Humanity.

In his free time, he enjoys biking, running, and camping with friends. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Salem-based organization The Northwest Hub.