Gloria Johnson, President
Sean Fontes, Vice President
Pamela Ross, Secretary
Shomari Husband, Treasurer
Angela Ankoma
Board of Directors
Dariel Blanco
Adriana Dawson
Elizabeth Debs
Gibran Gonzalez
Cheryl Isom
Yvette Kenner
Taino Palermo
Colleen Ramos
Victor Ross
Julius Searight
Elfreda Thorpe
Juan Wilson
Development Committees
REAL ESTATE COMMITTEE
ASSET COMMITTEE
FUND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
FINANCE COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SANKOFA COMMITTEE
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS COMMITTEE
NEIGHBORSWORKS HOME OWNERSHIP CENTER COMMITTEE
Our Staff

Executive Director: Sharon Conard Wells
Sharon Conard-Wells has been in community development work for most of her life, professionally and personally. After working as a computer systems analyst and serving as Clerk to the RI Senate Corporations Committee, she returned to her roots and became involved with West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation (WEHDC) where she has been the Executive Director since 1991.
Under Sharon’s leadership, West Elmwood Housing works to keep pace with the industry by positioning the agency to be a successful 21st century community development corporation. The tax exempt corporation is a member of NeighborWorks America and holds several national certifications including Home Ownership Center, Full Cycle Lender, Green Organization and is a HUD approved counseling agency. Over $115,000,000 has been raised for real estate and community development. She has completed the arduous adaptive reuse redevelopment of two Brownfield historic mills and three low income tax credit rental projects.
Ms. Conard-Wells holds a Master of Education degree from Cambridge College and a fellowship from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Sharon is certified in apartment management, crime prevention, and as a trainer of trainers.
Sharon serves on the Board of Directors for Care New England, the Brain Injury Association of RI, Grow Smart RI and The Housing Network of RI, the Integra ACO Council, Santander Bank Community Advisory Board and the Rockland Trust New Market Tax Credit Advisory Board.

Belinda Philippe: Chief Operating Officer
Belinda Lima Philippe is a native Rhode Islander with over 25 years of experience in community involvement, building, programs and leadership. She has a BA in Social Work and Masters in Business Administration. She acquires a deep rooted passion for community empowerment and has extensive experience with leadership in non-profit and community based agencies. From 2006- 2012, she ventured out overseas and refined her entrepreneurship and community drive in the Cape Verde Islands as Founder/CEO of a Real Estate Development/Tourism Company and a community based music academy through bondless government, corporate and community partnerships. Belinda enthusiastically joined the WEHDC Team as Chief Operating Officer in March of 2017 and thrive to remain an asset to the organization’s current and future success.

Patricia Proctor: Chief Financial Officer
Patricia is a seasoned professional with 38 years of accounting/finance experience. Her career has spanned the U.S. with positions in NYC and Texas working with Exxon Corporate, Dallas, Texas oil and gas division, United Technologies Building Systems, U.S. Marine Corps, Dresser Industries, as well as owning and operating her own business servicing the financial and accounting needs of clients throughout New England and Texas. Patricia joined WEHDC in the later part of December 2016 as the Chief Financial Officer and has every intention of putting WEHDC on great paths to achieve and complete goals that make the organization an outstanding workplace that takes pride in every program that their name is associated with.
Administration
Jovania Innocent Office Manager ext #23
HomeOwnership Center
Jeri Martins: Manager HomeOwnership Center ext #20
Jeri Martins: English Homeownership Counselor ext #20
Angela Soto De Abreu: Spanish Homeownership Councilor ext #18
Community Building
Dominique Resendes: Manager of Community Building ext #15
Julius Searight: Sankofa Market Manager ext #11
Sankofa WIC
Ineida Rocha: Sankofa WIC Coordinator ext #101
Jennifer Benitez: Sankofa WIC Nutritionist ext #102
Joseline Mane: WIC Intake ext #100
Dunamis Synergy
Maria Carvalho: Dunamis Initiative Director ext #19
Sonia Thomas: Parent Engagement Specialist ext #24 401-414-8151
Claudette Bannerman: Lead Family Coach 401-414-8145
Melanie Borges: Family Coach
Jamal Johnson: Family Coach
Rose Phildor: Family Coach
Cathleen Williams: Family Coach
Real Estate Development
Derek Winslow: Real Estate Developer ext #10
AmeriCorps Volunteers
Michelle Frea: Sankofa VISTA
Lisa Galloway: Accessing Home/ Rent RIte coach ext #30