Zuniga Named Executive Director of LISC Flint

10.05.2021 - Press Releases

Zuniga named executive director of LISC Flint

FLINT, Mich. (Oct. 5, 2021)—The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has named Juan Zuniga, a long-time local community leader, as the new executive director of LISC Flint to expand investments in housing, businesses, health and jobs and catalyze new opportunities for families. 

LISC’s work, which includes more than $742 million in Michigan community investments, is particularly important right now as cities and towns across the country address long-standing racial disparities and at the same time plan for a lasting recovery from COVID-19, noted Lisa L. Glover, LISC interim president and CEO. In addition to Flint, LISC also operates Michigan program offices in Detroit and Kalamazoo.

Juan Zuniga LISC Flint Executive Director

“In promoting Juan to executive director, we are not only elevating the experience of a strong local leader, but we are also reinforcing LISC’s overarching commitment to Flint and to communities throughout Michigan,” said Glover, who noted that LISC has already invested more than $39 million in Flint. “He will drive our local support for strong, healthy communities and help build the capacity of local nonprofits to spur growth and opportunity for the people and places they serve.

Since 2018, Zuniga has served as a senior program officer at LISC, where he has not only managed much of the day-to-day work of the Flint office, but also fueled extensive community and economic development plans and projects. His expertise spans critical federal programs, like HUD Section 4 and the New Markets Tax Credit, as well as local efforts, like the LISC Flint Healthy Homes initiative and a range of mission-driven commercial lending strategies.

“LISC is unique in that it is a national organization that aggregates resources from public, corporate and philanthropic sources, but it is also deeply rooted in the communities where it works,” he explained. “That means our staff in Flint is on the ground, everyday, working hand in hand with policymakers, community groups, business leaders and residents to give people the best chance possible to succeed.

“We believe in the tremendous range of creativity and culture that is unique to Flint. We can leverage those strengths to tackle our toughest challenges, collaborating in ways that reflect what people want and need to thrive,” he added.

Before joining LISC, Zuniga spent six years as program director at the Genesee County Habitat for Humanity, where he led efforts focused on homeowner education, mortgage sales, fair housing initiatives, property acquisition, and neighborhood revitalization. Earlier, he spent 16 years working in construction as a self-employed contractor—years where he built the kind of development expertise that informs his work today.

“Juan has both the skills and commitment to elevate LISC’s work in Flint and positively impact the opportunities available to families and businesses,” said Jim Carney, vice president at Choice One Bank and chair of LISC Flint’s Local Advisory Council. “Lasting progress is not about any one project or program, but about sustainable investments that help Flint build a good quality of life for all its residents—no matter their race, class, gender or zip code.”

Zuniga also offers his time for a number of important regional efforts, including serving on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, as a member of the Grand Blanc Schools
Construction Trade Program Advisory Committee, and as a member of the YWCA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board.

Zuniga can be reached at jzuniga@lisc.org.

About LISC

With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $24 billion to build or rehab more than 436,320 affordable homes and apartments and develop 74.4 million square feet of retail, community and educational space.