FUSE is proud to announce our Spring 2025 cohort of Executive Fellows—an extraordinary group of accomplished professionals poised to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing American cities today. From addressing housing disparities and closing wealth gaps to optimizing infrastructure and improving veterans’ services, these fellows bring decades of diverse expertise from the private, public, and social sectors to drive meaningful change in partnership with local governments.
This cohort exemplifies FUSE’s commitment to community development, with fellows working alongside civic leaders to implement innovative solutions that build intergenerational wealth, expand access to essential services, and create more inclusive economic opportunities. As they embark on their year-long fellowships across the country, these change-makers will leverage their unique skills and perspectives to transform systems, strengthen communities, and create lasting positive impact for residents in historically underserved neighborhoods.
Sherill Berk
Strengthening Immigrant and Historically Disadvantaged Small Business Ownership and Generational Wealth-Building — Philadelphia, PA
With a distinguished 25-year career in business development and strategic fundraising, Sherrill Berk brings exceptional expertise to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort. As a seasoned executive who has secured over $40 million in philanthropic funding throughout her career with organizations like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and SCORE, Berk is now turning her attention to Philadelphia’s vibrant immigrant business community.
Her project tackles a critical economic development challenge: creating a comprehensive business succession and commercial real estate acquisition program for immigrant-owned small businesses, which represent 36% of Philadelphia’s commercial corridor enterprises. Drawing on her MBA from Northeastern University and her passion for building equitable communities, Berk’s initiative aims to transform how immigrant entrepreneurs build generational wealth, preserve cultural assets, and strengthen the city’s diverse commercial landscape.
Since moving to Philadelphia, I’ve been looking for meaningful ways to contribute my time and experience in service to my new community. At this pivotal moment in our country, I can think of no more impact-driven opportunity than participation in this FUSE Fellowship project, whose purpose is to support immigrant and historically disadvantaged small business owners on their paths toward generational wealth. I’m honored to join this year’s FUSE Executive Fellowship cohort and excited to work alongside Mayor Cherelle Parker and her Commerce Department team to help advance inclusive economic growth in Philadelphia. I look forward to learning from and contributing to this incredible network of Fellows—past and present—who are driving change in communities across the country.
Cecilia Cheng
Optimizing Project Management Design and a Culture of Continuous Improvement to Enhance Climate Resilience — New York City, NY
With an impressive track record of driving finance and operations transformation across financial services organizations of all sizes, Cecilia Cheng brings valuable expertise to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort. A certified CPA with a Business Administration degree from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, Cheng recently distinguished herself at insurtech innovator Lemonade, where she built and led a support operations function that enabled global Customer Operations to scale efficiently while successfully launching two new insurance product lines.
Now turning her operational acumen toward public service, Cheng is partnering with New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to improve department-wide expense management processes and systems and optimize its newly designed Project Management Office. Cheng will refine processes, tools, and methodologies that will enhance the department’s operational efficiency and advance environmental justice initiatives. Through strengthening project management capabilities and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Cheng’s work aims to deliver more effective environmental services for all New Yorkers, with particular attention to historically underserved communities.
The opportunity to make an impact on the environment, close the gap on social inequities, and improve the operations of a critical NYC agency drew me to the project.
Khevin Pratt
Preventing Displacement and Investing in Resilience — Seattle, WA
Khevin Pratt joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort as a visionary affordable housing strategist with comprehensive expertise spanning every phase of development—from acquisition and financing to construction and management. As founder of J2Housing and former Director of Real Estate Development at organizations in Seattle and Detroit, Pratt has orchestrated transformative housing initiatives resulting in thousands of affordable units nationwide, with particular focus on serving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and working households earning below 60% area median income (AMI). His impressive academic credentials include degrees from UC Berkeley and NYU, with advanced studies in finance at Johns Hopkins and public administration at Franklin University.
In Seattle, Pratt will leverage his exceptional public-private partnership experience—demonstrated by securing $9.7 million in land acquisition funding with Seattle’s Office of Housing—to develop a Public Development Authority focused on expanding accessory dwelling units and middle housing options. This initiative aims to prevent displacement of low-income and historically underrepresented residents while creating sustainable pathways to housing stability and intergenerational wealth building across Seattle’s diverse communities.
Rashelle Brooks
Connecting Home Buyers with Down Payment Assistance — Durham, NC
A strategic communications expert with 20 years of experience making organizations work better for people, Rashelle Brooks joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort with a mission to transform housing accessibility in Durham. Recognized by both the Small Business Administration and the YWCA’s Academy of Sheroes for her work in social entrepreneurship, Brooks brings valuable experience from her recent leadership role directing internal communications at a tech company.
Her FUSE project tackles an urgent opportunity: expanding awareness and utilization of the city’s generous yet underused down payment assistance program, which offers up to $80,000 to qualifying low and moderate-income households. Drawing on her background in mass communications from Shaw University, Brooks is developing comprehensive outreach strategies that include multi-channel marketing campaigns and strategic community partnerships. Her work aims to prevent displacement, provide housing stability, and build intergenerational wealth for families navigating Durham’s increasingly competitive real estate market.
This FUSE Fellowship aligns with my career aspirations and what I care about most: helping people design and navigate change with clarity, care, and community at the center.
The chance to lead outreach for Durham’s Down Payment Assistance Program brings together the throughlines of my work—strategic communication, community engagement, equity, and systems thinking. I’ve supported organizations through change from the inside and know how essential trust, transparency, and thoughtful strategy are when introducing new initiatives.
I’m especially drawn to the challenge of making this program more visible and accessible through data-driven campaigns, strategic partnerships, and community conversations. This work speaks directly to my passion for creating equitable access to resources, and doing it in a way that centers people.
At the same time, I’m in a season of deep learning, unlearning, and exploring how emerging tools like AI are reshaping work and how to guide change in ways that are inclusive and practical. I think FUSE offers a space where I can contribute meaningfully while continuing to grow in the areas that matter most to me.
Elke Davidson
Empowering Atlanta’s Housing Future — Atlanta, GA
Elke Davidson joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort with extensive expertise in developing comprehensive strategies that address complex social challenges through multisector collaboration. As President of Davidson Consulting since 2000, she has established herself as a trusted advisor to nonprofits and public agencies nationwide, specializing in affordable housing, workforce development, and equitable community revitalization. Her previous work with the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership on affordable housing and equitable development strategies, coupled with her leadership as Chair of the City of Decatur Affordable Housing Task Force, demonstrates her ability to craft actionable housing solutions through inclusive stakeholder engagement.
In Atlanta, Davidson will leverage her more than two decades of experience in program development, multi-stakeholder planning, and organizational capacity building to address the city’s significant homeownership disparities, where Black families experience homeownership rates 50% lower than white families due to historical barriers. Her fellowship will focus on developing and institutionalizing multifamily homeownership programs and down payment assistance initiatives specifically designed for underserved communities, creating sustainable pathways to homeownership through cross-sector partnerships that simultaneously increase access to quality housing and enhance Atlanta’s overall livability for all residents.
Henrique Cruz
Operationalizing the Citywide Transportation Plan — Salt Lake City, UT
A dynamic senior executive with extensive experience driving multimillion-dollar revenue growth and operational excellence, Henrique Cruz joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort to tackle transportation access in Salt Lake City. With his unique expertise spanning both government and private sector work in developing countries, Cruz excels at bridging institutional divides and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. His impressive track record includes significant cost reductions and successful negotiation of high-profile national contracts, complemented by strong data analysis skills and a commitment to solving complex problems.
Now, Cruz is applying his MBA in Management and Controlling to Salt Lake City’s comprehensive Transportation Plan implementation, with a dedicated focus on addressing historical disparities in transportation access. His work aims to develop strategic recommendations that will operationalize the city’s newly updated transportation vision, creating a more accessible, sustainable, and inclusive network that enhances mobility opportunities for all residents—especially those in historically underserved communities.
What drew me to be part of this project is that my professional experience and background includes experience working in both government and private sectors. I have been involved in city planning and government association within the private sector. There are many roadblocks to navigate when moving forward with this type of plan. Salt Lake City has residents of many different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds to consider. I have the experience of living and working in three different countries which gives me personal and professional understanding of how equity of opportunities can bring a community together.
My hope is that in subsequent years we can experience a Salt Lake City with more balanced opportunities for all.
Erika Haskins
Pursuing Restorative Justice through Housing — Boston, MA
Erika Haskins brings dynamic entrepreneurial leadership to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort, with 17 years of experience driving economic opportunity through strategic investment and ecosystem development. As both a successful founder and impact investor, she has demonstrated remarkable ability to mobilize capital for transformative initiatives—having secured millions in philanthropic and private investment while co-founding two tech startups and supporting 70+ public charter schools. Her expertise extends globally through partnerships with the U.S. Department of State and 13 embassies to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems, complemented by academic engagement as a Lecturer and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at The University of Texas at Austin.
In Boston, Haskins will leverage her extensive experience in community wealth building and public-private investment strategies to address the city’s persistent wealth gap through expanded housing access and homeownership opportunities for historically marginalized communities. Working collaboratively with the Mayor’s Office of Housing, she will advance 2-3 priority housing projects through comprehensive stakeholder engagement and strategic implementation, focusing particularly on remediating the lasting impacts of past discriminatory housing policies. By developing sustainable systems that incorporate principles of equal opportunity into decisions about city-owned properties, Haskins’ work will create crucial pathways to housing stability and intergenerational wealth building for Boston residents regardless of background—applying her practitioner’s lens to build more inclusive, resilient communities across the city.
TrixieAnn Golberg
Expanding Solar Energy Access for Low-Income Communities — Pheonix, AZ
An accomplished executive, strategist, and organizational coach with a steadfast commitment to mission-based action, TrixieAnn Golberg joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort to tackle energy inequity in Phoenix. With extensive leadership experience spanning multiple sectors—from her presidential role at Lifetrack, a comprehensive human services provider, to her work with the Banner Health Foundation and as a regional grant maker at SMIF—Golberg brings valuable expertise in driving access, equity, and environmental justice. As a 2024 International Terra.Do Climate Fellow with academic credentials including a Master’s in Management of Public Services from DePaul University, she is uniquely positioned to lead Phoenix’s ambitious $156 million EPA-funded clean energy initiative.
Her project aims to expand solar access to over 11,000 low and middle-income households through rooftop installations, whole-home energy upgrades, and energy bill credits—with costs almost entirely covered for the lowest income participants. By building strategic partnerships, developing community engagement strategies, and streamlining application processes, Golberg’s work will advance energy access and create more resilient communities in one of America’s most solar-friendly cities.
My leadership career has focused on elevating LMI communities, human rights, diversity, access, equity, and just policies and systems through human services, economic opportunity, community planning, entrepreneurship, workforce development, education, and other important public policy areas.
As the climate crisis reached an irrefutable level, I committed myself to learning more. Seeking to understand the underlying causes and contributing issues. Initially, on my own, and then through a scholarship with Terra. Do, an International Climate Community.
As a first-generation college graduate, I have advocated for public service and civic engagement through initiatives such as the Americorps and Peace Corps. I believe in the importance and effectiveness of our public systems and institutions.
FUSE Executive Fellows brings together these three foundational career and life elements. The Executive Fellowship with the City of Phoenix Office of Sustainability is a unique opportunity to serve my community by expanding just climate and energy sustainability solutions.
At the core of this first FUSE Executive Fellowship with the City of Phoenix is combating energy burdens for low and moderate-income residents. This is critical to ending energy poverty and energy access gaps as a cause of heat-related deaths, economic hardship, and socio-economic inequities.
Currently, up to 20% of Phoenix households experience an inability to pay their monthly utility bills. Last year, 88% of heat-related deaths happened with air conditioning present but not functioning, not turned on, or no access to electricity. Additionally, health officials caution that 25% of health issues can be impacted by heat.
The opportunity to serve as a Fuse Executive Fellow with the City of Phoenix Office of Sustainability combines my values and passion for work that matters in the lives of working families. We are working to ensure access to affordable, reliable, clean energy to strengthen Phoenix’s long-term economic and environmental sustainability.
Led by Mayor Kate Kallego, Phoenix is updating its Climate Action Plan in support of its 2050 Sustainability Goals. The Action Plan addresses energy, transportation, waste, and resilience through integrated, inclusive, and equitable strategies based on public and stakeholder input.
Phoenix’s approach includes low and moderate-income (LMI) families and households in the benefits of reliable, affordable, sustainable, clean energy.
With the Mayor’s bold vision as the most sustainable desert city on the planet, this work will demonstrate the value of inclusion and equity toward our communities’ economy, quality of life, and nature’s ability to thrive.
Specific Project Outcomes Include:
LMI residents and households will increase access to and adoption of reliable solar and clean energy.
Residential energy and LMI-related strategies are embedded in the 2025 Climate Action Plan with future-focused recommendations on next phases, funding, partnership, measurement, and evaluation.
A robust strategic plan for integrating the state Solar for All program into Phoenix’s broader sustainability goals and sustainable funding sources.
A city-wide coalition of community-based organizations, utilities, and training institutions to support ongoing success, including workforce development, housing affordability, and business growth.
Brittany Hume Charm
Sparking Community-Led Investments in Under-invested Neighborhoods — Boston, MA
Brittany Hume Charm joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort with two decades of transformative experience translating ambitious ideas into tangible community impact across diverse sectors. Her impressive career spans breakthrough technology firms like Zipline and Pendulum, where she helped scale innovations that expanded global healthcare access, to strategic leadership roles at McKinsey, Johnson & Johnson, and the Skoll Foundation advancing critical initiatives in health, education, and gender equity. Beyond her professional achievements, Hume Charm demonstrates her commitment to public service through her participation in Emerge Massachusetts, preparing for a 2025 City Council run in Newton—experience that enhances her understanding of local governance challenges. With strong academic credentials including a public policy degree from Princeton University and an MBA from UC Berkeley-Haas, Hume Charm brings both strategic vision and practical implementation skills to her fellowship.
In Boston, she will work with the Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion to develop a framework for community-led investments along the Fairmount Corridor, home to many historically underrepresented families. Drawing inspiration from successful models like Invest Detroit, her work will focus on strategically deploying capital to prevent commercial gentrification while creating sustainable jobs and building generational wealth—ensuring Boston’s economic growth benefits residents from all backgrounds while preserving neighborhood character and community ownership.
Forest Guider
Advancing Equity and Sustainability in Workforce Development — Long Beach, CA
A seasoned leadership development consultant with over two decades of experience, Forest Guider joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort to transform public health workforce development in Long Beach. Throughout his distinguished career, Guider has launched and led impactful training programs and organizational development initiatives for an impressive roster of clients spanning Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic organizations, global media brands, and cultural institutions. As a certified mindfulness instructor and executive coach, he brings a holistic approach to leadership development that emphasizes clarity, creativity, and purpose.
Guider’s project with Long Beach’s Department of Health and Human Services tackles critical workforce challenges by implementing strategies to promote diversity, improve recruitment and retention, and build a resilient talent pipeline in public health. Through establishing strategic partnerships with local educational institutions and creating innovative retention programs, his work aims to develop a workforce that authentically reflects the city’s diverse population while creating meaningful career pathways for underserved communities—ultimately building a more resilient health workforce capable of better serving Long Beach’s most vulnerable residents.
I was drawn to FUSE because of my passion for work that helps create a more connected and inclusive world. Everyone deserves access to meaningful opportunities, and too often, systemic barriers limit people’s equal access. This role allows me to work on removing those barriers and expanding access to opportunity in real, lasting ways.
I’m honored to be doing this work in collaboration with the City of Long Beach. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from those in the Department of Health and Human Services, the community, and the FUSE cohort. My goal is to offer shoulders for others to stand on with the hope that as more members of our community rise, they’re met with open hands, not closed doors.
Dominique Haft
Home Ownership as Preservation (HOP) — Seattle, WA
A forward-thinking former management and technology consultant, Dominique Haft brings her passion for innovation and community connection to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort. With extensive experience managing readiness programs, building strategic partnerships, and driving growth initiatives, Haft excels at turning future ideas into tangible realities that improve how we live and work. As a certified Design Thinking practitioner with the LUMA Institute and holding a B.A. in Psychology from Western Washington University, she combines creative problem-solving methodologies with deep human understanding.
Haft’s Seattle project tackles the city’s housing affordability crisis through an innovative Home Ownership as Preservation (HOP) initiative that helps tenants become homeowners in their current rental properties. As housing prices continue their rapid rise, her work focuses on assisting renters—particularly those from diverse backgrounds at heightened displacement risk—to purchase their units individually or collectively as cooperatives. Through this transformative approach, this FUSE project aims to increase housing security and autonomy for vulnerable residents while preserving the cultural and socio-economic diversity that makes Seattle’s neighborhoods vibrant and distinctive.
This FUSE Home Ownership as Preservation (HOP) Fellowship in Seattle offers a welcomed chance to use my corporate consulting background in a way that directly supports social and economic equity – something I care passionately about. After nearly 15 years of driving strategic growth and operational success in the corporate sector, I’m eager to transfer my skills into work that creates a more meaningful social impact. Having personally faced the challenges of being priced out of the Seattle housing market, I bring an empathetic understanding of the struggles faced by tenants navigating housing insecurity. The HOP project represents an opportunity to connect with tenants, city agencies, and community partners to co-develop a homeownership framework that preserves housing affordability while promoting economic resilience for the BIPOC community. Through this initiative I hope to apply my professional expertise to contribute to equitable, long-term change and make a significant positive impact on creating housing equity and stability for the vibrant community that makes Seattle so unique and special.
Vicky Harris
Building Wealth in Louisville’s Underserved Neighborhoods with CDFIs — Lousville, KY
An outcomes-focused executive leader with impressive credentials in strategic operations and organizational transformation, Dr. Vicky Harris joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort to revolutionize community development finance in Louisville. With a versatile career spanning nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors, Dr. Harris brings valuable experience leading multimillion-dollar initiatives and implementing enterprise-wide innovations. Her academic achievements include a Doctorate in Business Administration, an MBA, and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, complemented by recent recognition as a 2025 Tower Award honoree and one of Louisville’s Top 50 Women Leaders in 2024 for her work advancing inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Harris’ Louisville project addresses a critical economic disparity: the city currently lags significantly behind its peers in Community Development Financial Institution activity, with only $187 per person in lending compared to the national average of $714. Through comprehensive analysis of Louisville’s CDFI ecosystem and development of innovative financial services strategies, her work aims to align local government policy with targeted investments that will stimulate entrepreneurship, expand homeownership opportunities, and create sustainable wealth-building pathways in historically underserved neighborhoods across Louisville-Jefferson County.
As a native of Louisville with deep roots in community development and systemic transformation, I was immediately drawn to this project’s mission to revitalize historically underserved neighborhoods by leveraging Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). The opportunity to return to my hometown and strategically address economic disparities through data-driven planning and financial innovation deeply resonates with my professional purpose and personal calling. I’ve spent over two decades optimizing systems to maximize impact — this fellowship allows me to bring that experience home, ensuring that opportunity and wealth-building are accessible to those who’ve too often been overlooked.
I envision a Louisville where financial opportunity is no longer gated by zip code. Through this project, I aim to cultivate a thriving, well-connected CDFI ecosystem that fuels entrepreneurship, expands homeownership, and empowers residents to build generational wealth. I hope to lay the groundwork for a more inclusive economy — one where equity isn’t just an aspiration, but a measurable outcome. My goal is to amplify community voices, align public and private investments, and leave behind not just a plan, but a movement that inspires sustained change and shared prosperity.
Bethany Hull
Strengthening Affordable Homeownership Opportunities through Limited Equity Cooperatives — Washington, D.C.
A dynamic impact finance and startup professional with over 15 years of global experience, Bethany Hull joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort to revolutionize affordable housing in the nation’s capital. Her impressive career spans diverse sectors, most recently serving as Senior Finance Advisor at USAID where she focused on sovereign guarantees and blended finance mechanisms. Currently advising NatureDots, an AI-driven water quality startup, Hull brings valuable expertise from her previous roles with leading impact investing initiatives, public sector and development finance credit underwriting at Standard Chartered, and launching corporate innovation at the Cambridge Innovation Institute.
Her Washington, D.C. project addresses critical housing disparities through the expansion and stabilization of Limited Equity Cooperatives (LECs)—innovative housing models that preserve affordability while creating pathways to wealth building for underserved communities. By developing essential tools and strategies to strengthen LEC governance, financial sustainability, and long-term viability, Hull’s work aims to position the District as a leader in innovative homeownership solutions that create lasting opportunities for low-income and historically underrepresented residents to build intergenerational wealth through stable housing.
Fate played a key role in connecting me to this project—I had just moved to DC to join USAID at the end of last year. This project holds deep personal significance, especially given the challenges of the current moment. Supporting the DC local government during a time of major budget cuts allows me to live out my values, both as an individual and as an American. I’m excited to bring my impact finance skills to a new sector and to gain hands-on experience in real estate, development finance, affordable housing, and equity—issues that are critical not only locally, but globally as well.
Tim Lewis
Transforming Municipal Property into Affordable Residential Housing Opportunities — Durham, NC
With over two decades of experience in community revitalization, Tim Lewis brings exceptional expertise to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort. From managing the renaissance of a 200+ business commercial district in Washington D.C. to orchestrating workforce development initiatives within Baltimore’s multi-billion dollar Johns Hopkins biotech expansion, Tim has consistently demonstrated his ability to navigate complex urban transformations while prioritizing community inclusion. His diverse academic background spanning business, education, and real estate from prestigious institutions like Howard University and Johns Hopkins equips him with a multidimensional approach to urban renewal.
In Durham, Lewis will tackle the city’s ambitious initiative to convert 1,000+ vacant parcels into affordable homes, providing up to $100,000 per lot for construction costs. This transformative project aims to create pathways to homeownership in historically underserved communities, addressing rising housing costs and wealth disparities while helping families build intergenerational prosperity in a rapidly growing urban center.
What initially attracted me to the FUSE Executive Fellowship was the opportunity to work on an issue that I am enthusiastic about, housing equity, from an angle that I had not previously worked. This is a valuable chance to understand how to manage municipally owned assets to benefit underserved communities and businesses, despite having no prior government experience. I am hoping to bring my private sector experience, along with my grassroots work in community development, to craft solutions that have residual long-term benefits for those that need it most.
Edward Lo
Designing IT Systems for Veterans to Thrive — Los Angeles County, CA
Edward Lo joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort with over two decades of exceptional consulting leadership experience in strategic technology implementation and business process transformation. His extensive expertise spans crucial business domains including customer engagement, data management, service delivery, and supply chain optimization—skills that position him perfectly to address the complex technological challenges facing the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. With a strong academic foundation including a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from UCLA, Lo brings both technical knowledge and business acumen to his fellowship role.
In Los Angeles County, he will apply his digital transformation expertise to develop integrated IT solutions serving the region’s 281,000 military veterans, who currently face alarming rates of homelessness and suicide at twice the civilian average. Lo’s project centers on creating a unified dashboard that synthesizes fragmented data from multiple government systems, enabling Veteran Services Officers to efficiently connect veterans with life-changing benefits and services. By enhancing data analysis capabilities and streamlining information access across complex bureaucratic systems, his work will directly contribute to preventing veteran homelessness, suicide, and incarceration—ensuring those who served our country receive the support and resources they’ve earned while creating a model for improved service delivery that could benefit veterans nationwide.
Throughout my career as a business and technology consultant, I have helped numerous clients leverage innovative technologies to transform their business processes and improve business results. Several of those clients were public sector entities, who were typically slower to adopt technology than their private sector counterparts so they tended to benefit the most from those technology transformations. The LA County MVA FUSE Fellowship is a prime opportunity for the MVA to accrue tremendous benefits from the strategic application of innovative technology. I am extremely excited to help the LA County MVA deliver faster and better services to LA County veterans by transforming their technology systems.
Melanie Miller
Fostering Intergenerational Wealth Through Homeownership — Kansas City, MO
Melanie Miller brings a wealth of strategic leadership experience to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort following her impactful tenure as Chief Executive Officer of Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, where she successfully expanded accessible performing arts programs while guiding the organization to financial stability. With over three decades of executive experience across diverse sectors including Chrysler Motors, MassMutual, Hallmark Cards, and DEMDACO, Miller has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive operational excellence and mission-focused results. Her commitment to community advancement has been recognized with the prestigious Lift Her Up award, highlighting her dedication to positive change in Kansas City’s arts landscape. Supported by her strong academic credentials, including a B.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Miller now turns her strategic vision toward addressing Kansas City’s housing challenges.
Her FUSE Fellowship will focus on transforming Land Bank-owned properties into affordable homes in targeted neighborhoods, directly confronting high vacancy rates and declining Black homeownership. By creating accessible pathways to homeownership for historically underserved communities, Miller’s work will simultaneously build intergenerational wealth, reduce neighborhood blight, enhance public safety, and increase property tax revenues—creating a comprehensive approach to community revitalization that leverages her unique combination of business acumen and community development passion.
The shortage of affordable housing in Kansas City is a significant concern impacting the economic stability, safety, and social well-being of numerous residents, many of whom, by no fault of their own, find themselves in an environment where the opportunities to purchase a home at an affordable price are far too few. Home ownership fosters financial stability and strengthens communities. As a Kansas City native, I am honored and excited to lead the Fostering Intergenerational Wealth through Home Ownership project for Kansas City, Missouri, where I will work with the Land Bank of Kansas City to build a process and programs to help my fellow residents secure affordable and comfortable homes and allow them to begin building personal wealth.
Johnetta Roberts
Empowering Small Developers and Driving Entrepreneurship — Louisville, KY
Johnetta Roberts brings a powerful blend of nonprofit leadership and entrepreneurial acumen to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort, with extensive experience transforming communities through strategic economic development. Since founding her consulting firm in 2017, she has directly influenced critical organizations across Louisville including the Waterfront Development Corporation and The Village @ West Jefferson, demonstrating her ability to drive meaningful change through collaborative partnerships. Her previous leadership role at Community Ventures, a respected Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), gave her invaluable experience in deploying capital and technical assistance to emerging small businesses—expertise perfectly aligned with her FUSE Fellowship focus. Beyond her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and real estate licensure, Johnetta’s commitment to community advancement is further evidenced through her board service with Molo Village Community Development Corporation, Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, and the Oxmoor Farm Foundation.
In Louisville-Jefferson County, she will develop and implement a comprehensive small developer education program specifically designed to empower entrepreneurs from underserved communities to compete effectively in real estate development. By identifying essential resources, incentives, and policy pathways that support these emerging developers, Johnetta’s work will directly address wealth disparities, stimulate local entrepreneurship, and create sustainable economic growth in lower-income and diverse communities throughout Louisville.
I was drawn to the project to develop and pilot a comprehensive small business developer education program because it gives me the opportunity to leverage my skill and experience and co-create a valuable asset with local government with far reaching positive impacts.
I hope the community will change through my project by creating more wealth for small businesses, an increase in affordable housing and a clear example of how fellowships can be utilized to create sustainable resources in the Louisville community.
Charity Tuseko Muwowo Sindano
Water Management Energy Efficiency — Durham, NC
Charity Tuseko Muwowo Sindano brings exceptional international water management expertise to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort, drawing from over 16 years of professional experience across the United Kingdom and Africa. Most recently as a WASH Specialist with UNICEF Zambia, she demonstrated transformative leadership through systems strengthening initiatives that ensured continuous water services for more than 6 million people during the COVID-19 pandemic—a testament to her ability to manage critical infrastructure during crisis situations. An alumna of UNICEF’s prestigious Female Talent Initiative with a strong academic foundation in financial management through her MSc in Accounting with Finance, Charity combines technical knowledge with evidence-driven approaches to create lasting impact.
In Durham, she will apply her comprehensive expertise to develop and implement strategies optimizing energy efficiency across the City’s water and wastewater treatment facilities. By analyzing current systems, implementing innovative technologies, and exploring alternative energy sources at Durham’s four treatment facilities, Sindano’s work will simultaneously reduce operational costs, lower resident utility bills, and advance sustainability goals—all while addressing critical disparities in water and energy access. Her global perspective on water systems management positions her perfectly to enhance Durham’s infrastructure while prioritizing affordability and conservation for all city residents.
The opportunity to contribute to an evidence-based sustainable water management project that benefits the entire city of Durham, while addressing the diverse needs and economic realities of its residents, drew me to the FUSE Fellowship. I was particularly inspired by the chance to apply my skills and experience to a project that promotes water and energy conservation while promoting affordable services. Through this project, I hope to help the community gain access to more reliable and affordable water services by improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.
Jacky So
Closing the Racial Wealth Gap in Multi-Racial Communities — Albuquerque, NM
Jacky So joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort as a systems thinker and innovative tech leader with a distinctive commitment to equitable design principles. As Senior Director of Digital Platforms and Innovation at a digital health startup, she demonstrated exceptional leadership by spearheading nationwide programs and developing powerful tools that have been integrated into over one million digital health records—showcasing her ability to create scalable technological solutions with widespread impact. So’s multidisciplinary academic background, combining a Master of Biomedical Sciences from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Minor in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine, provides her with a unique perspective that bridges technological innovation with human-centered policy approaches.
In Albuquerque, she will leverage her expertise to implement a comprehensive wealth-building strategy that includes launching two critical new offices—Financial Empowerment and Asian Affairs—while expanding a guaranteed income initiative funded through the City’s Marijuana Equity and Reinvestment Fund. By focusing on communities historically impacted by marijuana criminalization and engaging underrepresented populations, So’s work will help create sustainable economic opportunities for diverse residents across Albuquerque, addressing generational wealth gaps through innovative, inclusive approaches to financial empowerment.
I’ve spent the last several years leading big initiatives in health tech, data-driven community outreach, and private sector projects that bridged with the public side. Most recently, as Senior Director of Digital Platforms and Innovation at a digital health startup, I built and oversaw scalable solutions to improve equity access to healthcare for multilingual, underserved communities nationwide.
As I look at our current landscape, I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help build a sustainable future. My focus has always been on bridging systemic gaps with thoughtful, actionable solutions that take the “whole person” into perspective. When FUSE reached out to me, I was in the middle of concepting out a tech nonprofit in Albuquerque with the vision of unifying our communities around a “third place” (a space beyond work and home). I think about how a third place thrives when communities have the resources and security to invest in their shared future. When I learned about Albuquerque’s effort to address the racial wealth gap through launching a Guaranteed Income Program and two new city offices, Financial Empowerment and Asian Affairs, I felt like I was in the right place at the right time.
Closing the racial wealth gap lays the foundation for reminding us of our shared vision for our city, uniting all audiences around a vision of a safe, collaborative, and equitable tomorrow. I’m passionate about doing meaningful work that helps others because I wish I had that kind of support when I was younger. I definitely did not see Cambodian-American women in tech or feel visible in the data when I was growing up, and so I am excited about building a more inclusive future as a FUSE Executive Fellow.
I always say that my Northern Star in life is doing work that bridges equity & moves communities forward together. And for me, that’s making sure people have seats at the table. I feel like FUSE’s mission and the City of Albuquerque’s Office of Equity & Inclusion’s mission align with my personal mission: To create sustainable, equity-centered solutions through building seats for everyone at the table.
I’m really excited about helping the City expand on its mission to make that table as big as it can be!
Delanie West
Expanding Access to Resources and Capital for Equitable Home Ownership — Cleveland, OH
Delanie West brings her award-winning creative leadership and strategic business acumen to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort, following an impressive career spanning product development, global strategy, and marketing excellence. As founder of Be Super Creative and Hello Delanie, and through leadership positions at major organizations including Faber-Castell, NBC Universal, and the Cleveland Institute of Art and Design, West has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive innovation while maintaining a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Her thought leadership has been showcased through lectures at prestigious institutions like Columbia Business School, while her academic foundation includes a degree from Hampton University and an MBA from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.
In Cleveland, West will leverage her multifaceted expertise to advance the City’s ambitious 10-year Equitable Housing Plan, developing strategic recommendations that align housing production with accessible financial services for underserved communities. Her work will focus on expanding homeownership opportunities for low to moderate-income residents, creating pathways to intergenerational wealth building, and transforming Cleveland’s housing landscape into one that truly serves all residents—addressing historical disparities while building a more inclusive future for the city.
What drew me to this FUSE Fellowship was the chance to work on something that’s really grounded in justice and community. Cleveland’s Housing Equity Plan stood out to me because it’s not just about housing as policy—it’s about history, people, power, and neighborhoods that have been overlooked for way too long.
I’ve always seen housing as this thread that ties into everything else—health, safety, opportunity, even just a sense of belonging. I’ve worked across public systems and community-based spaces, and I’ve always asked: who’s at the table, who’s not, and why? This project felt like a space where those questions actually matter and where I could be part of building something more honest and more fair.
What also drew me in was how cross-cutting the work is. It’s strategy, it’s community, it’s data, it’s policy—and all of it rooted in equity. That’s the kind of messy, real-world challenge I gravitate toward. It’s not perfect work, but it’s meaningful. And being part of a team that’s trying to move the needle in a city like Cleveland, with real stakes and real people involved—that just felt right.
Carla C. Whitlock
Closing the Racial Wealth Gap through Neighborhood Wealth-Building and Revitalization — Atlanta, GA
Carla C. Whitlock joins FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort with a distinguished background in risk management, regulatory governance, and credit risk, complemented by significant experience in non-profit leadership. Having excelled in corporate banking and enterprise risk management throughout her financial services career, Whitlock has recently pivoted to providing social impact consulting for non-profit organizations—perfectly positioning her for Atlanta’s ambitious wealth-building initiative. As a proud alumna of Tuskegee University, where she now serves as Board Secretary, and Wake Forest University, Whitlock brings both professional acumen and civic dedication to her FUSE Fellowship.
In Atlanta, she will tackle the city’s stark wealth disparities—where White households hold median wealth of $238,000 compared to just $5,000 for Black households—by implementing a comprehensive neighborhood wealth-building strategy. Through targeted economic inclusion initiatives and a “Main Street” approach to commercial corridor development, Whitlock will help create sustainable pathways to prosperity for legacy residents in historically underserved communities while ensuring equitable benefits from Atlanta’s ongoing revitalization efforts.
From the first time I visited Atlanta when I was in the eighth grade, I loved it! There is something about this city that has always felt like home. Coupled with my passion for community engagement and economic development, this project is particularly compelling.
Additionally, during the last few years, I have watched the city’s socio-economically challenged areas change. I would like to be a part of the solutions that support community building.
I hope “Old Atlanta” will be strengthened. Building modern homes and adding a minimalist coffee shop is not enough. Including existing neighbors and welcoming new ones to work and grow together and build the “beloved community” is the goal.
Dalmar James, Jr.
Expanding Homeownership Resources to Equitably Build Generational Wealth — Baltimore, MD
Dalmar James, Jr. brings innovative leadership to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort with a distinguished career at the intersection of media, technology, and impact-driven business. Affectionately known as “Biz Dev,” this Brooklyn native and current Baltimore resident has consistently demonstrated his exceptional ability to build community and align diverse stakeholders around shared goals. His impressive professional portfolio includes developing high-performing teams and strategic partnerships for major brands including HBO and Meredith Corporation, along with numerous successful startups—resulting in tangible marketplace impact including two Daytime Emmy nominations and 12 film awards. With a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and American Studies from Williams College, James combines human-centered strategic vision with creative problem-solving approaches that nurture both powerful ideas and the people behind them.
In Baltimore, he will apply his unique talents to developing a unified strategic framework that expands homeownership coaching resources for residents with lower incomes and historically underserved communities. By creating comprehensive support systems for prospective homebuyers and addressing Baltimore’s historical housing challenges, James’ work will forge sustainable pathways to economic stability and generational wealth—empowering residents with essential knowledge and resources while fostering community stability and economic resilience for future generations across the city.
Larry Albin
Leveraging Technology to Modernize Environmental Protection in NYC — New York City, NY
Larry Albin brings exceptional strategic technology leadership to FUSE’s Spring 2025 cohort, drawing from more than three decades of experience driving innovation at the intersection of information technology and business strategy. As a retired Senior Partner from Deloitte Consulting, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to create and implement transformative technology roadmaps across complex organizations. His academic credentials are equally impressive, with an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, complemented by his current roles as professor at both Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and Baruch College Zicklin School of Business.
In New York City, Albin will apply his strategic expertise to develop a comprehensive five-year technology roadmap for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), focusing on integrating cutting-edge technologies including generative AI and predictive analytics to enhance water and wastewater management for over 9 million residents. This modernization initiative will target service improvements for all New Yorkers, including historically underserved communities disproportionately affected by water quality issues, flooding risks, and service disruptions—creating more resilient, equitable environmental systems while addressing the intensifying challenges of climate change across America’s largest city.