Kandis Williams tapped to lead LISC Cleveland, drive ambitious community investment program

CLEVELAND, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has named a long-time Ohio community leader to head its community investment effort in Cleveland and expand its support for affordable housing, economic development, health, safety and jobs in the region.

Kandis Williams, the new executive director of LISC Cleveland, brings more than 25 years of experience in community development finance to LISC's work. She most recently served as vice president of economic opportunity with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Inc., where she led programs focused on economic development, workforce development and asset/wealth building that place a heavy emphasis on racial equity and economic mobility.

Previously, she was vice president of community development lending with Citizens Bank, directing capital to affordable housing and community revitalization projects in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

"We are thrilled to be ramping up our work in Cleveland, which was among LISC's earliest local program sites decades ago, and we are grateful to have Kandis' tremendous local leadership driving our efforts," said Lisa Glover, LISC interim president and CEO.

Glover said LISC's strategies are designed to bridge gaps in health, wealth and opportunity—particularly those rooted in long histories of racial discrimination. Over the last 40 years, the national nonprofit has invested nearly $160 million in Cleveland and surrounding areas, but this is the first time LISC has operated a full-service local program office here since 2006.

"Cleveland has a dynamic community development ecosystem, and we are eager to work side by side with residents and local leaders to help catalyze opportunities for families and communities alike," Glover added. 

The Cleveland Foundation made a significant grant to seed LISC's restored local program office, and LISC is also working with other local funders, lenders and investors to build its capacity to fuel significant community impact. Williams will lead those efforts going forward, while also hiring local staff and building new collaborations with nonprofits, business leaders and policymakers throughout the city.

"Our city is rich in history and culture, with some of the country's top educational, health, technology, manufacturing and arts organizations operating alongside a vibrant small business community," Williams said. "We need to leverage and amplify our community development expertise and resources to not only build on that economic infrastructure, but to extend its benefits to all our residents, creating equitable opportunities for people to thrive, no matter their race, age, gender or zip code."

Though the post of executive director is a new role for Williams, she is not new to LISC. Earlier in her career, she was a program officer in both the LISC Toledo and LISC Detroit offices, working on a variety of mission-driven grants and loans, as well as managing commercial corridor revitalization and community safety programs. She has also served as a vice president with Village Capital Corporation, commercial development director with Mt. Pleasant NOW Development Corporation and city planner with the Cleveland City Planning Commission.

Williams earned her Bachelor of Arts in urban studies from the College of Wooster and her Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development from Cleveland State University.

She contributes her time and expertise to a variety of local efforts, including serving as a board member of the Shaker Heights Development Corporation, a member of the visiting committee of the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State, and a member of the executive committee/governing board of the Fund for Our Economic Future, a funding alliance dedicated to equitable growth in Northeast Ohio.

Williams can be reached at [email protected] beginning on October 11.

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. For more, visit www.lisc.org.

Media Contact:
Colleen Mulcahy, for LISC
312-342-8244
[email protected]

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SOURCE Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)