Bruce Dorpalen

Executive Director
bdorpalen@hsgcenter.orgBruce Dorpalen is the Executive Director of the nonprofit National Housing Resource Center (NHRC), which brings together the nonprofit housing counseling community on policy, program, and funding issues. NHRC has been active in increasing funding for housing counseling, bringing housing counseling agencies to the policy table, integrating housing counseling into the mortgage origination and servicing process, and improving communication with HUD and other federal agencies. More information on NHRC can be found at www.hsgcenter.org.

Bruce has directed housing counseling programs since 1985, negotiated community reinvestment partnerships with over 40 banks, developed models for low income mortgage underwriting which were used extensively by the industry, and created community-based outreach and education programs for minority, lower income, single parent, immigrant and other underserved populations. These programs provided affordable mortgages to over 110,000 families in 30 cities across the country. In the foreclosure crisis, he designed counseling programs which assisted over 75,000 delinquent homeowners and increased the communication between housing counselors and mortgage servicers. He also developed programs for homeowners devastated after Hurricane Katrina, anti-predatory lending programs, refinance programs, and homeowners insurance programs.

Prior to 1985, Bruce worked as a community organizer in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Greensboro, NC, Raleigh, NC, Brockton, MA, and Providence, RI. Bruce also spent a year as a public interest lobbyist and advocate on housing and utility reform issues with Connecticut Citizen Action Group. Bruce graduated with honors from Brown University with a BA in Urban Studies in 1974.

 

Latika Wesley

Policy and Program Director
lwesley@hsgcenter.orgLatika Wesley brings years of housing advocacy experience, housing industry knowledge, and a strong appreciation for housing counseling organizations. She is joining us with a deep background in housing (HomeFree-USA) and policy work (NAACP). Prior to her role at the National Housing Resource Center (NHRC), Latika previously served as the NAACP’s Housing Policy Specialist, providing housing policy support to the Economic Department by analyzing housing data, supporting the development of written analyses regarding homeownership data, and mortgage product analysis, and providing advisory services to NAACP State Conferences clients. Prior to that, Latika spent most of her career exploring different facets of the housing industry and has made contributions during her time spent at the FHFA and CFPB, as the Fannie Mae Operations Examiner Trainee and Mortgage Policy Examiner Trainee respectively. Over the course of her career and personal life, Latika has developed a strong sense of devotion for the nonprofit sector and is passionate about ensuring fair and equal housing opportunities for all. Latika Wesley is a graduate of Howard University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance.

 

Ellie Pepper

Relationship and Innovations Director
epepper@hsgcenter.orgEllie Pepper has been working for 30 years on issues related to disenfranchised communities, with a focus on affordable housing for the past 10 plus years. In 2012, she was hired by Empire Justice Center as the Regional Coordinator for the Northeast and Hudson Valley region of New York State as part of the almost $1.5 million Homeownership Protection Program (HOPP), a $20 million grant program the Empire Justice Center oversees for the New York State Office of the Attorney General.

She coordinated training and technical assistance for HUD approved housing counseling agencies funded under HOPP and built bridges to key stakeholders in support of their work. Prior to joining the Empire Justice Center she was the Deputy Director of Better Neighborhoods, Inc., a nonprofit, HUD-approved homeownership center providing housing counseling services and developing affordable housing. She coordinated and provided direct services for first-time homebuyers, homeowners in danger of losing their homes, and residents hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis in three rural counties of upstate New York. She also worked closely with residents of low-income urban neighborhoods around revitalization efforts and, as a result, is intimately aware of the needs of people living in these neighborhoods.

 

Eboni Cartwright

Program Associate
ecartwright@hsgcenter.org

Eboni Cartwright has extensive customer service experience and a passion for all things nonprofit.  She brings knowledge and experience working with a donor management database, managing multiple social media platforms, marketing and fundraising, and program development. She created Reach Philadelphia, a successful nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating creative and performing arts for children in underserved neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia.  This has given her a deep understanding of successful non-profit engagement strategies.  Eboni holds a BS in General Studies from Drexel University and has completed her first year of the Drexel Masters of Science program in Nonprofit Management.