Board Committees & Staff

REAL ESTATE COMMITTEE
ASSET COMMITTEE
FUND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
FINANCE COMMITTEE

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.