Our Staff
Contact Us
Danny Knee
Executive Director
dannyk@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 203
Danny's Bio
Danny has nearly two decades experience in the public and non-profit sectors including 11 years in executive management. He earned a BA in writing from Johns Hopkins University where he was captain of the men’s basketball team. He also holds Master Degrees in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University and Business Administration from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Business. He has a wide array of community development and affordable housing experience through his work at the Tucson Urban League and Habitat for Humanity Tucson, organizations where he also served terms as Interim Director. Danny was also a middle school teacher early in his professional career and remains passionate about education from serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Earn to Learn, an Arizona-wide college scholarship organization. As cofounder of Single Focus Web, a web development company he started with his wife, Cecily, he brings experience as an entrepreneur and small business owner to Community Investment Corporation. He was named one of Tucson’s “40-Under-40” in 2007 for contributions to his profession and the community. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Danny has called Tucson his home for the past 14 years.
Leadership Team:
Caroline Nelson
Chief Operating Officer
caroline@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 206
Caroline's Bio
Caroline Nelson, a native Tucsonan, has spent the last 18 years in the financial services industry. She started with Community Investment Corporation in September 2016 and has spent time in each of CIC’s three program areas. Caroline is currently the Chief Lending Administrator and oversees the small business lending program. Prior to CIC, the majority of her career was spent working for Northern Trust Bank where she held various positions in the banking and wealth strategies departments. Caroline earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. She is a graduate of the Greater Tucson Leadership program and earned a certificate in Non-Profit Leadership from the University of Arizona.
Kerri Caine
Chief Strategy Officer
kerri@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 208
Kerri's Bio
Kerri recently transitioned to the non-profit sector after spending 9 years working in corporate finance. She graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Finance and a BS in Marketing from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business in 2010. In 2017, she received her Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Colorado. Throughout her career, she has been actively engaged in global corporate citizenship initiatives including Boeing’s Employee Community Fund and PepsiCo’s Kiva donation program. She has also spent time volunteering as a member of the women’s group Junior League and through the education nonprofit Junior Achievement. As an Arizona native, Kerri is excited to return to her home state after spending the past few years living elsewhere. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and attempting to cook.
Revolving Loan Program:
Brian Quijada
Director of Rural Economic Development
brian@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext.204
Brian's Bio
Brian Quijada is the Director of Rural Economic Development who collaborates with key community organizations to provide financing and educational tools to entrepreneurs in rural southern Arizona. He developed a passion for small business while working at his family’s print shop in his native Douglas, Arizona. Inspired by his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, he pursued a career allowing him the ability to personally interact with and professionally support southern Arizona’s vibrant small business community. Prior to joining CIC, Brian spent 15 years in banking and financial services, specializing first in mortgage lending followed by small business banking with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Washington Federal. Brian earned a BA from the University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration from Ohio University’s College of Business. For the past 17 years, Brian has called Tucson home and enjoys golf, watching baseball and spending time with his family.
Nick Henry
Director of Community Lending & Impact
nick@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 209
Nick's Bio
Nick is a native Southwesterner but has lived in various parts of the U.S. and Latin America throughout his life. He earned his degree in physics in 2004 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. After subsequently spending time traveling and volunteering in rural southern Mexico, Nick returned to the U.S. and worked as a translator, researcher, and educator on border and immigration issues in New Mexico, Chihuahua, Arizona, and Sonora. One of Nick’s great passions lies at the intersection between social issues and food, food policy, and food justice, and so when he was given the opportunity to join the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in 2010, he leapt at the opportunity. In Nick’s eight years there, he helped build a school gardening program, and eventually directed their Community Food Resource Center. In joining CIC, Nick brings a tremendous passion for supporting southern Arizona’s robust community of non-profits and grassroots organizations.
Charter School Bond Compliance Program:
Yolanda McCarty
Director of Charter School Bond Compliance
yolanda@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 201
Yolanda's Bio
Yolanda is Director of Charter School Bond Compliance and CIC’s longest tenured employee. Her expertise in the post-issuance continuing disclosure process for tax exempt Charter School bond financing makes her an invaluable resource for bond trustees, counsel, borrowers, and clients. Yolanda started her banking career at the age of 16 with Southern Arizona Bank. At that time, Tucson banks housed all their departments locally, allowing her opportunities to fill a wide array of back-shop roles learn an equally diverse set of financial skills, and work with various support teams. These experiences proved invaluable during her 39 years in the industry (mostly with Wells Fargo Bank) where she assembled and managed teams well-known for their focus on the customer experience. Her previous work has contributed greatly to her success in her current role. A devoted wife, mother of three, and ‘Nana’ to five grandkids, “Yolie” works hard and plays hard, enjoying travel, beach vacations and family camping trips.
FLor De Liz Matus
Charter School Program Manager
flor@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext.202
Flor's Bio
Flor De Liz Matus has a long history of combining her passion for education with the business skills she learned during her 7 years as a Financial Advisor for BBVA Compass. Prior to working at CIC, Flor managed a regional team of “success coaches” at Earn to Learn, a Tucson-based college savings and scholarship program for low-income families. As Compliance Manager in CIC’s Charter School Program, she is bringing her unique skill set to benefit the growing charter school sector in Arizona. Flor attained her Bachelor’s degree in Economy & Industry from the University of Arizona and an Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Pima Community College. A Tucson native, Flor De Liz is very passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and is certified as a fitness trainer as is her husband, Andre. They both share their knowledge of nutrition and physical fitness with others in the community.
Affordable Housing Program:
Patty Gonzalez
Homeownership Assistance Manager
patty@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 205
Patty's Bio
Patty is a customer service expert and has served for over 22 years as a program coordinator to the non-profit organization Family Housing Resources. New to CIC in 2017, she brings on board a wealth of expertise in numerous areas including management, consultation, housing markets, and home buyer assistance programs.
Patty has worked as a program educator teaching classes on homebuyer education and serves as a certified bi-lingual housing counselor. She also teaches classes covering a variety of topics including credit, budgeting, mortgages, realtor services, titling, inspections, appraisals, home maintenance, foreclosure prevention, and post-purchase education.
She has spent the past 20+ years building relationships with lenders, realtors and other professionals. In this time, she has also devoted herself to motherhood and family, which keeps her extremely busy with all the events her amazing children and extended family are involved in. She has committed her life to the pursuit of helping others and is happiest when doing so.
Malisa Evans
Program Assistant
malisa@cictucson.com
Malisa's Bio
Malisa is a Tucson native who joined the CIC team in January 2017. She received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Education: Curriculum and Technology from Grand Canyon University. Prior to joining CIC, she taught high school Mathematics in Tucson for over ten years. Along with teaching she was also the Head Coach for Cross Country and Track & Field Coach for a local Salpointe Catholic High School where she led her teams to 5 state championships and was named as Arizona’s Coach of the Year three times. She is an avid distance runner and enjoys hiking the trails of Tucson. If she is not working or coaching, she is spending time with her family outdoors or nestled on the couch watching the next best series on Netflix with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
Sahar Mitchell
Operations Support
sahar@cictucson.com | 520.529.1766 ext. 200
Sahar's Bio
Sahar has worked with non-profit organizations for over 15 years, mainly in arts administration. She developed event planning, fundraising, advocacy and marketing skills while at Marketing Edge Southwest and Arizonans for Cultural Development in Phoenix and with Invisible Theatre in Tucson. With husband, Stephen Strange, Sahar co-founded the award winning Strange Family Circus performance troupe. She is also the Managing Director of the Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts public procession. She has won several accolades from the News Times’s Best of Phoenix for various art and community based projects and is one of few graduates of both Wellesley College and the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. Sahar was formerly on the Board of Directors for Many Mouths, One Stomach who were the producers of the annual All Souls events in Tucson. She is a published writer and has volunteered locally with Kore Press, Pima Community College’s Creative Writing Center and the University of Arizona’s Poetry Center. Sahar brings creativity and humor to her Operations Support position at Community Investment Corporation and has lived in the beautiful City of Tucson with her husband and two daughters since 2013.