Our Team

Tom has extensive experience over the past two plus decades in housing and development across government, healthcare, for profit business and nonprofit organizations. Most recently at NeighborWorks - Toledo Region, as Director of Real Estate, Tom managed a program to acquire and renovate single family homes which were sold for homeownership, among other initiatives to help stabilize neighborhoods. 

Previously, he spent three years at Mercy Health, where he worked with neighborhood and government leaders to identify development opportunities that would improve community stabilization around St. Vincent Hospital. From 2014 to 2016, and from 1994 to 2010, Tom held various positions with the City of Toledo in the Departments of Neighborhoods, Economic and Community Development, Public Utilities, and on the Mayor’s Executive Team. Tom has participated on various Boards and Organizations over the years and resides in Point Place, Toledo.

During his 26 years at LISC, Victor Abla has administered over $7 million in grants, has underwritten and overseen $90 million in loans and has facilitated over $55 million in Low Income Housing and New Markets Tax Credits equity investments. Recent achievements include the implementation of the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund (DHFF) and facilitating the Toledo YR16 Initiative.

Additionally, he has provided technical assistance and training for the Neighborhood Partnership Academy (NPA) and the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization (ONCR), including having a seat on the board. He also oversaw the planning process that lead to the formation of the Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative (SDDC).

Prior to LISC, Abla was an AmeriCorps member working at Core City Neighborhoods. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration and Masters of Urban Planning, both from the University of Michigan

Sarah joined LISC Toledo in September 2015. She works to support neighborhood revitalization with a focus on economic development investments, including commercial district, real estate, and small business development. In addition to providing technical assistance to for-profit and non-profit partners, Sarah is responsible for economic development lending, which includes underwriting small business, commercial, and mixed-use loans. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Ohio CDC Association as Treasurer. 

Before joining LISC Toledo, Sarah served as a LISC AmeriCorps member on the immigrant integration initiative, Welcome Toledo-Lucas County. Prior to that, she worked at a nonprofit in Chicago as Assistant Director and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. Sarah holds a Master's Degree from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Women's Studies from the Ohio State University, and an Economic Development Professional Certification from the National Development Council. 

When she's not LISCing, Sarah spends time with her awesome family, practices yoga, reads sci-fi and mystery novels, and bakes cookies and pies!

Sara Dastagir is a dedicated leader in our community with experience working in government management, community building, operational management, and developing cultural programs. Before joining LISC, Sara served as Chief of Staff to the CEO of aWLCo, based in Toledo, OH. Collaborating closely with the CEO, she was instrumental in developing and executing the long-term strategic vision for its brand, TolHouse, and structuring its operations. Previously, she served as the Assistant to the Mayor of Toledo and was later promoted to Deputy Director of the Human Relations Commission (HRC). In a previous role as executive director of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo (ICGT), Sara managed a capital campaign raising $5 million for the Foundation of ICGT. Outside of work, Sara spends time with her family and golden doodle, reading, listening to podcasts, traveling, and volunteering at her local food bank.

The Toledo office is thrilled to welcome Del-Marcus Goolsby to the Team. Marcus is coming on board as an Assistant Program Officer in our development / lending / housing areas.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Marcus is a two-time Bowling Green State University Alumni where he received a bachelor's in journalism with a specialization in Public Relations and a master's in public administration. During his undergraduate studies, Marcus remained active on campus by serving in multiple roles, including President of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG).  

Prior to joining LISC, Marcus worked for BGSU's Center For Regional Devlopment's Reimaging Rural Regions Initiative, which focused on bolstering rural economies through various placemaking initiatives. As a graduate assistant, Marcus worked to lead research teams and served on various community steering committees focused on regional economic development improvement in The Village of Gibsonburg and The City of Bowling Green.

In his spare time, Marcus enjoys exercising, watching Marvel movies, and going on road trips with friends."

Selena is a Toledo native. She's a Whitmer Panther alumna (go Panthers!) and a graduate of Kent State University where she obtained her Bachelor's in Business Administration. Selena completed her Master's program at the University of Toledo with a concentration in health promotion and health education. 

Before joining LISC Toledo, Selena worked at the Hopital Council of Northwest Ohio (HCNO) for six years. There, she managed and executed Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) for multiple counties across northwest Ohio. She also served as project coordinator for the Getting Healthy Zone (GHZ) initiative, which is a place-based initiative focused on reducing the racial disparities in birth outcomes among Black women residing in specific Toledo neighborhoods where infant mortality rates are highest.

Aside from her day-to-day dutes of motherhood, Selena is a fitness enthusiast and business owner. She operates a home-based bakery selling scratch-made cakes and other goodies.