Newsroom

SAN FRANCISCO, February 14, 2023 – The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is pleased to announce the appointment of Cesar Covarrubias, Patricia Duarte, Elizabeth Elliott, and Maurilio León to its Affordable Housing Advisory Council (Advisory Council).

The Advisory Council provides the Bank with expert guidance on affordable housing and economic development issues and advice on FHLBank San Francisco’s community grant and credit programs.

New members of the Advisory Council are:

Cesar Covarrubias
Executive Director, The Kennedy Commission, Irvine, California

Cesar Covarrubias manages and provides strategic leadership for The Kennedy Commission’s advocacy and programs to increase affordable housing opportunities and improve the stability of lower-income families in Orange County, California. Mr. Covarrubias’ expertise combines over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, affordable housing policy, advocacy, and community building. Previously, Mr. Covarrubias coordinated the Commission's efforts to develop and implement affordable housing public policies and strategies in local governments and at the state level. Mr. Covarrubias has also worked at the Fair Housing Council of Orange County as a case manager for housing discrimination cases and assisted clients with landlord-tenant issues. He serves on a number of nonprofit boards and received a law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and bachelor’s degrees in political science and Spanish literature from California State University, Fullerton.

Patricia Duarte
Executive Director, Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), Phoenix, Arizona

Mrs. Patricia Garcia Duarte joined CPLC in March 2022 to lead and manage Homeownership Initiatives and focus on building a homeownership ecosystem to narrow the wealth gap among Hispanic, Black, Asian, Indigenous, and low-income people. She previously served as President and CEO at Trellis, an Arizona nonprofit, for 16 years, where her responsibilities included creating a housing vision and guiding the organization's strategic goals to better serve clients, stakeholders, and neighborhoods/communities. CPLC is a multi-state nonprofit organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, dedicated to five areas of impact: Health & Human Services, Housing, Education, Economic Development, and Advocacy. Mrs. Garcia Duarte holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the College of Business, Arizona State University. 

Elizabeth Elliott
Executive Director, Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority (NCIHA), Ukiah, California

Under Elizabeth Elliott’s direction, NCIHA has moved from a $4 million portfolio to a $38 million portfolio serving consortium Tribal members throughout the U.S. NCIHA was the first Tribally Designated Housing Authority to obtain an AB1010 exception waiver for the Home and Home Key programs through the California Housing and Community Development Department. By doing so, NCIHA has fought to set precedence in California by exercising Federally recognized Tribes’ rights to sovereignty and self-determination in the successful application and awards for both the Home Investment Partnership and Home Key programs. Ms. Elliott has brought forward a movement in providing Hope, Healing, and Housing. Ms. Elliott believes that in order to foster historical resilience in Tribal communities you must first provide housing security for all.

Maurilio León
Chief Executive Officer, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), San Francisco, California

As the CEO at TNDC, Maurilio León leads the organization toward its vision of building community well-being through affordable housing, food and wellness opportunities, and community advocacy. Mr. León has a combination of public and private sector professional experience, including over a decade working in the nonprofit sector for affordable housing and community and economic development. Most recently he served as chief operating officer of Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC), an affordable housing and community development organization. Prior to this role at CHOC, Mr. León was the executive vice president of the Unity Council, a nationally recognized nonprofit corporation known for its innovative and successful approaches to community development. Mr. León also worked extensively in the financial industry and local government with entities like the City and County of San Francisco, Office of The Assessor-Recorder, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Goldman Sachs, Providian Financial Corporation, and JP Morgan Chase (formerly Washington Mutual). Mr. León received a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and education from the University of California, Berkeley.

The Advisory Council members also elected David Paull, managing director of CORE Advisory Partners, to serve as chair and Holly Benson, president and chief executive officer of Adobe Communities to serve as vice chair of the Advisory Council.

About Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a member-driven cooperative helping local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada build strong communities, create opportunity, and change lives for the better. Our member financial institutions–commercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings institutions, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions–rely on us to deliver prompt access to low-cost funding, risk management tools, and resources for affordable housing and community economic development. Together with our members and other partners, we are making the communities we serve more resilient, equitable, and vibrant.