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LISC Announces Major Hire, Promotions

17 Dec 2007

Philanthropy veteran appointed to Western Regional vice president slot. Two program officers promoted to executive director positions.

NEW YORK (December 17, 2007) – Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) today announced that Mariano Diaz, who has a wide range of experience with philanthropic organizations, has been hired as the company’s Western Regional vice president, responsible for LISC operations in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Washington State, Phoenix, and Houston. Meanwhile, two veteran program officers, Andriana Abariotes and Amanda Timm, have been promoted to executive directors to lead their respective programs in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Houston. All three will play key roles in implementing the company’s strategic plan to transform America’s underserved communities. LISC is the nation’s leading community development support organization.

Mariano Diaz comes to LISC from The San Diego Foundation, a $500 million community foundation, where as senior vice president, community partnerships, for the last five years he was responsible for the strategic planning, implementation of community improvement programs and supporting grants in the areas of human services; science and technology; environment; arts and culture; and civil society.

Prior to that, Diaz was global director for the Nike Foundation and community affairs operations. He was a member of the global corporate social responsibility team where he positioned Nike as a leader in youth civic engagement, sustainable community programs and Nike philanthropic initiatives. He communicated Nike’s corporate social responsibility agenda to statewide and national philanthropic institutions, professional associations, elected officials and nonprofit organizations.

Earlier, as owner and principal consultant of Esme & Associates, he provided capacity building strategies to California-based nonprofit organizations and public service agencies. He also worked in executive positions at The California Endowment, Blue Cross of California, Nestle USA, The James Irvine Foundation and other community service nonprofits. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s of education degree in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University’s graduate school of education.

Andriana Abariotes, a senior program officer at Twin Cities LISC for the past eight years, has been promoted to executive director of the Twin Cities LISC office, where she will be responsible for all aspects of the office’s operation.

A graduate of Macalester College, she also received her master’s degree in social policy and nonprofit management from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She has served as a policy advocate for housing and income and jobs strategies at Family and Children’s Services in Minneapolis. During graduate school, she worked on housing discrimination issues at the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice. Prior to joining LISC, she was a consultant to the Page Education Foundation, the American Indian Policy Center, and MN Child Care Resource and Referral Network. She is a community faculty member at Metropolitan State University and has served on numerous local boards, most recently assisting the City of Lakes Community Land Trust with its launch and early development.

At LISC, her work has included fundraising, evaluation, strategic planning, training, community advocacy, finance, and external relations. Among her major achievements have been program design and management for LISC investments in community development corporations – totaling over $10 million during her tenure – and the development of innovative learning experiences for community development practitioners.

Amanda Timm, who assumed the position of interim director of LISC’s Houston office earlier this year, has been named executive director of the program. She joined the Houston office in 1996, working for a year as an intern and contract special programs assistant. In 2001 she returned as a program officer. Since then she has assumed significant responsibilities, including raising and managing foundation, federal and corporate grants and directing the office’s capacity building investments for Houston area community development corporations. She has worked with dozens of organizations providing direct organizational and strategy assistance. She has also coordinated and facilitated numerous educational opportunities for community-based nonprofit board and staff members.

From 1997 to 2001, Timm was a planner and senior planner with the City of Houston Planning and Development Department where she worked closely with neighborhood organizations to create development plans and participated in the early work to create the city’s Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority. She assisted in the early rollout of the Super Neighborhood Program and worked with communities in southwest Houston to organize Super Neighborhood Councils.

Timm has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and international studies from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and a master’s of public affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.

“Mariano, Andriana and Amanda all bring excellent skills to these critical and challenging positions,”� said Michael Rubinger, LISC’s president and CEO. “Mariano’s vast experience in the philanthropic and corporate worlds will provide a fresh perspective to our business, while Andriana and Amanda’s proven abilities within the LISC system will ensure continuity and efficiency in the offices they direct. We’re lucky to have them all.”�

LISC’s five-year strategic plan emphasizes capital investment in housing and other real estate; increasing family income and wealth; stimulating local economic activity; improving access to quality education; and supporting healthy environments and lifestyles.

About LISC

LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help community-based organizations revitalize underserved neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $7.8 billion to build or rehabilitate more than 215,000 affordable homes and develop 30 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. For more information, visit www.lisc.org.

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Article Type: Press Release