Every community has the potential to thrive, provided the dynamic combination of economic opportunity and a diversity of people, uses, and activities.
Our Mission
Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Urban Action Community Development LLC (UACD) is a seasoned financier of complex, catalytic projects located in primarily urban low-income communities (LICs). UACD targets historically under-resourced areas and implements strategic reinvestment opportunities that create jobs, businesses and quality services while driving opportunity into disinvested neighborhoods. UACD’s investment thesis is simple – we focus on the nexus between (1) market driven jobs, business and investment in university anchored innovation districts and (2) comprehensive neighborhood transformation of adjacent deeply distressed communities. By prioritizing projects within comprehensive neighborhood transformation efforts supported by private and institutional demand and aiming for a shared prosperity, UACD assures the long-term success of its projects while maximizing catalytic private investment.
Focus
Fresh Food Access Health Innovation Quality Jobs
Geography
National Urban 50% Underserved States
Transaction Type
Real Estate
UACD is a Baltimore-based, national Community Development Entity (CDE), dedicated to neighborhood transformation. Since 2003, UACD has been awarded $388MM in federal New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs) and has deployed those proceeds into distressed, low-income communities helping to create over 70 new businesses, 185 new housing units, 9,360 permanent jobs and 12,780 construction jobs.
Meet The Team
UACD’s management team has developed and financed over $4 billion worth of real estate transactions in the last 35 years.
Nationally prominent as a leader in large scale urban mixed-use development, Carl (Bill) Struever has 40 years’ experience directing complex construction and real estate development projects primarily in low-income communities. Bill was the driving force behind trend-setting comprehensive neighborhood transformation in cities across nine states and has successfully put over 10MM SF of derelict buildings back into productive economic use. His iconic projects on the Baltimore waterfront, downtown and throughout its neighborhoods are an important catalyst to rebuilding the city’s economy. An advocate of the Jim Rouse mantra that “doing good is good business” and an evangelist for “the triple bottom line”, Bill leads UACD in investing in projects that deliver both economic and social impact. He’s served as President of the Downtown Partnership, Chair of the Baltimore Metropolitan Private Industry Council, and Vice Chair of the Baltimore Board of School Commissioners. Mr. Struever is currently on the Enterprise Foundation Leadership Council, the University of Maryland Foundation Board, the Waterfront Partnership and the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance. He has won many awards including “Outstanding Business Volunteer” from President Reagan, Master Entrepreneur of the Year, and CEO of the Year from Smart CEO Magazine and Outstanding Business Leader from Baltimore Business. Mr. Struever received his Bachelor of Arts in Urban Anthropology from Brown University.
Tabitha Atkins directs UACD’s daily operations and actively engages the Advisory Board to promote ongoing collaboration in UACD’s investment activities. Tabitha develops UACD’s project pipeline, evaluates and visits potential investments, and manages the closing of NMTC transactions. Ms. Atkins supports the Financial Advisory Department in securing NMTCs for nonprofits and developers.
Prior to joining UACD/Cross Street Partners, Tabitha was the VP of Community Development for City First Bank of DC, whereby she managed programs and relationships with strategic partners; provided data analysis and reporting for the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) activity; and assisted with underwriting and asset management for its NMTC portfolio. As the National Trust Community Investment Corporation’s New Markets Program Manager, Tabitha provided programmatic and IRS compliance, asset management and investor reporting, and negotiated Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) for the adapted reuse of historic real estate projects throughout the country. Tabitha has also held positions with the Opportunity Finance Network and the CDFI Fund.
Tabitha has a MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University.
Joseph (Joe) Summers, Director of Investment Services, is responsible for the management of UACD’s investments and for the development of structures and financing packages for NMTC projects. Joe has 30 years of experience in financial and real estate markets, including projects in low-income communities. Joe directs UACD’s investment strategy, providing a mix of low-cost, flexible equity and low-interest subordinate debt with equity-like features to mixed-use urban redevelopment projects, minimizing required cash outlays and enhancing both the project’s overall viability and its ability to provide financial incentives to prospective tenants.He is seasoned in raising and deploying capital and has raised more than $500MM in capital from profit-motivated investors, as well as governmental and philanthropic sources. Joe is widely recognized as a guru of creative public private financing, having closed financing on over $1 BB of debt and equity, often requiring a careful mix of HTCs, CDBG, Brownfield, TIF and other resources. Joe leads the finance advisory services at Cross Street Partners and has a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Baltimore.
Charles (Cobber) Eccles is responsible for property, asset and risk management for all operating properties managed by UACD. Cobber has over 40 years of experience in construction and real estate development, and over the decades has become an expert in handling complicated urban projects, often combining mixed-use, historic rehabilitation and brownfield remediation, all against a backdrop of multiple financing sources. Today, Cobber is a sought-after advisor for new and emerging construction companies and property owners, and currently serves in project executive capacity for Cross Street Partners, LLC. Civically, Cobber is an ex-President of the Board of Directors of Community Housing Associates, a not-for-profit organization producing housing within residential communities for the mentally ill who have emerged from state institutions. Cobber has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and History from Brown University.
As Development Manager at Cross Street Partners, Carla assists the development team with entitlements, financing, design, construction, and leasing for CSP’s development projects and for real estate and financial advisory clients. Carla also provides support with the operations of Urban Action Community Development (UACD) and its New Markets Tax Credits transactions.
Prior to joining Cross Street Partners, Carla worked at St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center for 6 years and completed a Fulbright in Brazil. Carla has a Bachelor of Arts from Susquehanna University and a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Morgan State University. Carla lives in the Abell neighborhood of Baltimore and serves on the board of Waverly Main Street.
President, Community Hospitality Healthcare Services CDE
Ben Cirka is Executive Director of CHHS, a CDE focused in financing community-based healthcare facilities in low-income communities, and providing financial counseling to assist their borrowers. He has been directly involved with over $600MM of NMTC financing and over $1B in total project financing, providing neighborhood redevelopment, historic building preservation, and affordable housing throughout the United States.
Founder and Public Policy Advisor, National Trust Community Investment Corporation
John Leith-Tetrault is the immediate past president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Trust Community Investment Corporation (NTCIC), and continues to serve in a public policy advisory capacity. He has over 40 years of experience in community development financing, banking, community organizing, historic preservation, training and organizational development. He currently serves on the board of the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition and chairs the Historic Tax Credit Coalition.
Richard Baron is the Board Chair and founder of Urban Strategies, a national non-profit that develops, coordinates, and implements community supportive service plans that seek to provide critical social services for low-income residents of urban core communities. He is also the Chairman and CEO of McCormack Baron Salazar in St. Louis, Missouri, a firm specializing in the development and management of mixed-income communities with an emphasis on large-scale redevelopment projects in central city locations.
China Boak Terrell is the CEO of American Communities Trust (ACT), a national community development partner dedicated to “building social impact” in urban and low-income communities (LICs). China has more than 13 years’ experience in the private and public sectors, as a corporate lawyer leading multi-million dollar transactions; as a business developer; as a liaison and advisor to agency heads, elected officials, and corporate leadership team members; and as General Counsel for the District of Columbia’s legislative committee on human services.
Michael (Mike) Posko serves as the CEO at Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes. Mike’s career encompasses over thirty years of supervisory and management experience, and his background is diverse, having worked in government, and in the public and private sector industries of security and defense, finance, retail, real estate development, and construction.
Immediate Past CEO and President, Maryland Food Bank
Deborah Flateman is the immediate past CEO & President of the Maryland Food Bank, a nonprofit hunger-relief organization that distributes more than 140,000 meals per day – nearly 44 meals annually – to individuals and families in need. During Deborah’s tenure from 2007 through 2015, the Maryland Food Bank redefined its mission, conducted a hunger gap analysis, improved the quality and nutritional content of its inventory, and more than quintupled food distribution to hungry families in need.
Fresh Food Access
Health
Innovation
Quality Jobs
National
Urban
50% Underserved States
Real Estate
