LISC Houston Staff

As Executive Director, Laura will provide market leadership and support the team in advancing its strategic framework and programmatic initiatives focused on driving equitable and inclusive growth, and addressing health, wealth, and opportunity gaps by creating pathways for people and places to prosper.

Laura previously spent nearly two decades working for Wells Fargo, mostly recently as the Senior Vice President, Community Relations Manager in the Social Impact and Sustainability Group. Her banking career has spanned various roles including small business (SBA)/credit enhanced lending, international private banking and real estate foreclosures. She spent 10 years at JPMorgan Chase before joining Wells Fargo in 2003. Laura has a strong commitment to her community as evidenced by her extensive board service and volunteerism. In addition to sitting on LISC Houston's LAC, she currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Recipe for Success and the Holocaust Museum Houston as well as the Board of Directors for the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Clare supports Houston LISC's communications, fund development and policy efforts. Previous to joining LISC, she spent six years in Washington, DC, focusing on affordable housing and community development issues. Most recently, she worked as a Policy & Program Manager at Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), a network of high-capacity non-profit developers. At SAHF, she managed their Outcomes Initiative, an effort to improve and expand resident services through an outcomes-driven approach. Clare also supported SAHF’s policy initiatives and managed many of the peer networks for SAHF's eleven members. Before joining SAHF, Clare was a Policy Associate at the National Housing Conference, where she convened NHC members on a broad range of affordable housing issues including foreclosure prevention and neighborhood stabilization, energy efficiency and the intersection of housing and transportation policy. During graduate school, she assisted Texas State Senator Judith Zaffirini on her Health and Human Services legislation during the 2009 Texas session and worked for the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations on their policy and research efforts.

Clare received her Master in Public Affairs degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.

Rushka has over a decade of experience leading coalitions toward collective impact and helping nonprofits and governments design financial inclusion programs and financial products. She served in senior roles in the non-profit sector, coached organizations, participated in field-building research and national pilots, and created systems of financial access and inclusion. Rushka joined the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) - Houston as their Director of Community Programs.  Prior to LISC, she worked at the Alliance for Innovative Regulation advancing the modernization of the global financial regulatory system as well as building operational infrastructure. Rushka worked for the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, where she was responsible for the creation and execution of the agency’s housing and economic stability work and legislative affairs. She’s also served in philanthropic roles overseeing millions in dollars in community investments.   

Rushka is a graduate of Fordham University’s Administration and Policy Social Work program with a nomination into the Phi Alpha Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi and earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Molloy College with a Summa Cum-Laude designation.

Rickie is a community minded finance professional. Prior to joining us, he was a relationship manager focusing on nonprofit and government organizations at Frost Bank. During his time at Frost Bank, Rickie provided banking services to clients that were on the forefront of impacting the greater Houston community.

Rickie is a native Houstonian and received his BBA from Houston Christian University. He is passionate about education and enjoys volunteering with grade school students teaching financial literacy and general life skills.

For over two decades, Yvonne Dotie has devoted herself to serving families and communities within Houston and surrounding areas.  She has developed a great passion for meeting the needs of historically underserved populations, and those experiencing housing insecurity.  Yvonne’s passion stem from her family of origin.  Watching her parent’s welcome those who had fallen on hard times (both family and friends) into their home on countless occasions and providing the best of care during their stay.  That was the way of life-to help those who for a season, couldn’t help themselves.    Serving others is a part of Yvonne’s tapestry. Yvonne’s most recent role with BakerRipley allowed her to utilize her analytical abilities in overseeing the Quality Assurance and Quality Control team for the Rental Assistance Program, within the Disaster Recovery division of the organization.  In this role Yvonne developed the compliance protocol for both Hurricane Harvey Reimbursement Program, and the City of Houston, Harris County, and El Paso Rental Assistance Program.  One of the proudest moments was to be part of a team to assist in this great endeavor.  The City of Houston and Harris County awarded over $311 million in rental assistance to over 75,000 households that were impacted by COVID-19. While El Paso City and County awarded $38 million to over 10,000 applications which prevented evictions and homelessness within the City and County of El Paso.

Prior to BakerRipley Yvonne served as the Chief Operating Officer, Clinical Director, and Assistant Director for several nonprofit organizations which expanded her professional reach to national levels since she liaised with local, state, and governmental leaders, clergy members, notable dignitaries, and national recording artists. Yvonne applied her management and training skills to collaborate with multi-level teams, developed organizational structures, analyzed data to evaluate overall performance, and devise innovative strategies to maximize efficiency within each of these organizations. Yvonne obtained her Master of Science from Prairie View A & M University, and her BS in Public Administration, with a minor in Psychology from Texas Southern University.

Ellary supports LISC Houston as a Program Officer – Economic Development. She is excited to join the Houston office to help support and strengthen partner organizations. Her experience has spanned municipal and local government roles in housing, community development, strategic planning, disaster recovery, and communications, most recently for the City of Houston. Prior to that, Ellary spent almost five years teaching English in Japanese junior and senior high schools, while learning Japanese language, arts, and culture and performing music.

Ellary holds a Master’s of Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with minors in Spanish and music from Ithaca College. In her free time she currently enjoys outdoor adventures, reading, and thinking about breakfast.

Jason joins LISC Houston with more than a decade of experience in the affordable housing industry. Prior to LISC Houston, Jason served as a consultant for BRP Companies – a New York-based housing developer; managed a substantial portfolio of more than 130 homes at Neighborhood Restore HDFC – a New York-based, HUD-certified affordable housing nonprofit developer; and most recently served as the Director of Operations for AptDeco – a tech startup, playing a pivotal role in their operations expansion. 

Now, fueled by his passion for community-driven initiatives, Jason brings his dynamic experience in housing, real estate, and operations to the LISC Houston team as the Program Officer for Housing and Strategic Initiatives. 

Jason graduated from Morehouse College with a Finance degree and earned his MBA from EDHEC (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord; Grande école) Business School in France. Jason’s academic journey laid the foundation for his multifaceted career.

Carolyn comes to LISC Houston with over 20 years’ experience in the Wealth Management Industry with a concentration in portfolio & operational management and risk mitigation.  Carolyn transitioned to the nonprofit sector five years ago where she focused her efforts in workforce development and creating innovative and equitable interventions to address the social determinants of health in traditionally underserved communities.  Most recently, Carolyn has utilized her extensive understanding of the landscape of the Houston community to address barriers to equitable access to quality education. 

As a native Houstonian and first-generation college graduate, Carolyn is passionate about helping the people in our city thrive and reach their full potential.  Fundamentally, she prides herself in building strong partnerships and being a connector of people and resources to foster meaningful community engagement and drive impactful change. 

Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management from the University of Houston System.  She is a proud wife to Jerod, mom of three (Kennedy 10, Savannah and Carter, 6) and dog mom to her newest addition, the family Bernadoodle (Bentley, 1)!

Sara joins LISC Houston as the Program Officer of Leadership, Training, & Development, bringing a deep passion for community development and a dedication to driving systemic change. With fifteen years of classroom experience and a decade of leading training sessions for adult learners, Sara is excited to contribute to LISC's mission of forging resilient and inclusive communities by creating opportunities to build knowledge and skills. 

A lifelong learner, Sara served as a public-school teacher for fifteen years, developing and implementing comprehensive educational programs that sent students to international competitions and prestigious universities where they had the skills and tools that helped them to thrive. Always striving to bring opportunities to larger audiences, Sara has utilized her knowledge and expertise in education by helping teachers overcome barriers to effectively implement inclusive, engaging curriculum that empowered their students. As an innovator passionate about driving systemic change, Sara recently collaborated with a startup to develop immersive augmented reality experiences for the classroom that were supported by a robust curriculum.  

A first-generation college graduate, Sara holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Rice University and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University. She is a Den Leader in Scouting America, which provides another way for her to serve her community by bringing engaging and informative educational experiences to families in the greater Houston area. She loves to spend time in nature but keeps herself active during Houston’s many months of heat through yoga and group fitness classes.  

Michael joined LISC as a Program Assistant, where he supports the program staff and coordinates office operations. With years of experience in operations, administration, and project coordination in small to large organizations, Michael is excited to be able to support the team at LISC. In addition to his professional experience, Michael is committed to helping others and is passionate about giving back. A consistent volunteer, he is dedicated to LISC’s mission and strives to bring that to work every day.

He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.