Team at HANDS

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Elliott Lee, Interim Executive Director

Elliott is the interim executive director of Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc. (HANDS), where he had served as Chair of the Board before stepping down to assume the staff position in January 2019. Elliott leads Communitas Consulting LLC., a NJ-based firm assisting organizations to achieve sustainable results in the areas of community revitalization, small-business development and education. Elliott has extensive experience working in all three sectors. In 2015-16 he served as the Community Engagement Officer for the Orange, NJ, Board of Education. From 2008 through 2014, Elliott was a vice president at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he was a member of the Global Philanthropy team responsible for grantmaking and relationship management in the New York Tri-State region. During his tenure, he helped launch and develop Community School initiatives in Orange and in Paterson, NJ. He also championed the growth and expansion of Rising Tide Capital, a nationally recognized and award-winning training organization for low-income entrepreneurs in northern NJ. Elliott also helped New Jersey Community Capital develop an innovative and nationally influential foreclosure mitigation program.

Email: Elliott@handsinc.org

Robin Gordon, Director of Administration

Joining the HANDS’ staff in mid-2005, Robin continues to marvel at the impact and accomplishments of HANDS and its stature in the community development field. As the Administrative Manager, she is a generalist with responsibility for grant writing and management, personnel and oversight of office administration and public relations. Passionate about housing issues and their critical influence on the health of a family and a community, Robin has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity since 1994. She also volunteers at a community soup kitchen and homeless program. Interests include exploring new urban places and natural areas, experiencing historic architecture and hiking.

Email: Robin@handsinc.org

 

Nancy Molineiro, Accountant

With over 25 years of experience in accounting, Nancy Molinerio has been a part of the HANDS team since 2010. Leading financial affairs for HANDS, Nancy has spearheaded initiatives related to auditing, financial reporting, and fiscal management. Outside of her finance role, as a native from Peru, she is passionate about supporting the growing Latino population in Orange.

Email: Nancy@handsinc.org

Alexandra Alfred, Communications Manager

Alexandra Alfred is the Communications Manager at HANDS. Alex  has 10 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and is a native of the Valley neighborhood. Starting as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Jersey Cares, a nonprofit geared towards volunteerism, she was given the responsibility of coordinating all annual events for the organization.  As the Annual Events Coordinator, she was tasked with working with hundreds of volunteers, corporations, schools, and nonprofits throughout Northern New Jersey, in order to bring volunteerism and overall change to the surrounding communities.  Following her year of service, she was accepted into the Social Enterprise program at Columbia University School of Social Work, where she earned her Master’s degree, and gained experience in nonprofit management and administration ranging from grant writing to program evaluation. Upon relocating to Florida, Alex worked in child welfare and early intervention, serving children and families throughout Palm Beach County.  Ms. Alfred went on to become an integral part of the Marketing and Development team at The Kannico Agency, in which she was responsible for website redesign, social media marketing, and development work to include grant writing. After moving back to New Jersey, Alex served as a development associate for New City Kids, taking on donor relations, fundraising, marketing, volunteer coordination, and grant research and writing.

Rachel Bland, Community Organizer

A native of Orange, Rachel Bland, MPH is the Community Organizer at HANDS. She first worked at HANDS, Inc as a NeighborWorks AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service to America) in 2009 where she worked on neighborhood revitalization and community development. She then completed her Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She has a BS from Spelman College, a historically black college.

Rachel returned to Orange as a Community School Coordinator at Oakwood Avenue Community School in Orange in 2013. Most recently, she has been the Director of the Healthy Orange Coalition: Building a Culture of Health in Orange, NJ. Understanding that education is a pathway to health, the coalition has been working with partners and stakeholders on how they can remove obstacles and promote opportunities to learning. As HANDS’ Community Organizer, Rachel will continue her work with the Healthy Orange Coalition.

Rachel is very excited to be working at HANDS again, focusing on empowering residents of the Heart of Orange community and promoting opportunities to learn that will lead to longer and better quality lives.

Email: rachel@handsinc.org

Anna D’Elia, Administrative Assistant

With over 37 years business experience, Anna has been with HANDS since September, 2018. Anna’s prior work experience includes ten years working as a Property Manager, and prior to this, many years working as an IT Operations Manager. As Administrative Assistant at HANDS, Anna uses her business experience and strong organizational skills to keep the office running efficiently. In her free time, she is interested in photography, history and travel. Anna enjoys being a part of the progressive efforts and goals of HANDS, Inc.

Email: Anna@handsinc.org

Andrew Regenstreich, Director of Real Estate and Economic Development

Andrew Regenstreich is the Director of Real Estate and Economic Development at HANDS. Andrew spent the last 15 years working to facilitate economic development opportunities in communities in the United States and throughout the world. His passion for community engagement started at Northeastern University where Governor Dukakis encouraged him to understand politics at all levels. He subsequently worked in the Massachusetts State Legislature, United States Senate, and the U.S. Embassy in London. After graduation his first job was in Zambia where he ran a micro-finance bank for refugees. He then pursued academic work at NYU, while working for Jersey City where he led a cross agency process to develop a plan to track and rehab their vacant and abandoned properties.

After graduating from NYU, and a short fellowship in Israel, he joined NJ Community Capital. Andrew implemented a wide array of programs to organize and develop vacant and abandoned properties as part of a larger community development strategy. He helped increase assets by over 400 percent and worked intimately with municipalities across the state to improve functions relating to housing and economic development.

After three years at New Jersey Community Capital, Andrew opened his own firm where advising private companies entering urban markets, creating financial systems for domestic and international companies, and consulting on business strategy.

Email: Andrew@handsinc.org