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Netsanet Alemayehu, owner of Sheba Lounge photo

About Urban Solutions - Staff Bios

Jenny McNulty, Executive Director
Helen Branham, Director of Small Business Services
Tracy Everwine, Project Director
Maureen Futtner, Development and Communications Director
Aaron Burke, Project Manager
Glenda Gutierrez, Leasing Specialist
Inemesit Udofia, Small Business Consultant
John Urquhart, Communications and Technology Coordinator

Tida Infahsaeng, Project Assistant
Claudia Stillwell, Bookkeeper
Ericka Green, Program Specialist & Business Instructor
Carl Cheng , Economic Development Intern
Owen Lawrence , Green Business Intern


Jenny McNulty, Executive Director

Jenny McNulty photoJenny oversees all Urban Solutions' programs and initiatives. She joined Urban Solutions in early 2002 to provide loan packaging and technical assistance to small business owners and to work on the creation and implementation of the Six on Sixth economic revitalization program. After serving as a Small Business Development Specialist and then Deputy Director, she moved into the role of Executive Director in 2005.

Jenny has extensive financial experience in both the non-profit and private sectors. She worked for four years in micro-credit programs, including two years in West Africa, where she was part of the management team for a micro-credit program providing credit and health education to 12,000 women. She also spent a year in a nature reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon teaching environmental education and promoting community health initiatives.

Jenny's family has been in San Francisco for five generations. Prior to working at Urban Solutions, Jenny worked as a financial manager at Providian Financial in San Francisco, doing financial planning and profitability analysis. Jenny holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Bristol, with a focus on Finance, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She is fluent in French, Spanish and Bambara.


Helen Branham, Director of Small Business Services

Helen Branham photoHelen works with small businesses and entrepreneurs and helps them obtain financing by packaging SBA loans, assisting in developing strong business plans, financial projections and marketing strategies. Helen developed and manages the Urban Solutions Fillmore office and splits her time between the two neighborhoods of SOMA and the Western Addition in the provision of services to small businesses. She helped create and supervises the Buzz on Biz Youth Entrepreneurship Training program currently offered at the organization. She organizes the technical assistance workshops for business owners and is responsible for day-to-day management of the small business services program and staff supervision. She has a background in business development, training, technical assistance and loan packaging. She has worked with micro-enterprise programs in the nonprofit and private sectors, including five years as Project Director at Women's Initiative for Self-Employment, where she worked with over 2,000 women business owners, and four years running her own small business consulting company, The Saba Group, which she still operates part time. Helen completed graduate studies in Business and Industrial Psychology at Tennessee State University and holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville.


Tracy Everwine, Project Director

Tracy Everwine photoTracy oversees property improvement projects in the South of Market Redevelopment Project Area and leads business attraction efforts. She has been involved in economic development and urban revitalization for over ten years. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley she began her career in Philadelphia's historic downtown district marketing a two-million square foot shopping center for The Rouse Company. Working with business owners, community organizations and the City's Redevelopment Authority she helped strategize projects and programs to improve the urban landscape around the Center, it's subterranean level which serves as the City's public transportation hub; and the waterfront redevelopment of nearby Penn's Landing. While in Philadelphia she also worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau to stimulate the City's business and tourist industries. Subsequently, Tracy settled in San Francisco and began marketing and leasing retail space at Hilltop Shopping Center in Richmond.

In addition to working with many first time business owners at Hilltop, she also aided the Richmond Chamber of Commerce in their efforts to stimulate the surrounding local economy. Most recently, she oversaw the Northern California operations of Corporate Real Estate Solutions managing commercial property and capital improvement projects for clients throughout the Bay Area in banking, retail and state government. She is a member of SPUR and CREW San Francisco. Tracy is also very active in the local art scene and conducts tours to contemporary arts venues locally and across the nation for Margy Boyd Art Tours.


Maureen Futtner, Development and Communications Director

Maureen Futtner photoMaureen Futtner oversees the communications and fund raising needs of Urban Solutions. With 15 years experience in media and non-profits, Maureen has a broad and eclectic background. In New England, Maureen was founder and Co-Artistic Director of the professional ensemble Sleeveless Theatre, sat on panels for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and received National Endowment for the Arts funding to tour her one-woman play throughout Ireland. Maureen is no stranger to the San Francisco community development field, having worked in the Community Relations department of Providian Financial, and also having served for three years on the board of the city's Jon Sims Center for the Arts. Since completing her Masters degree in Interdisciplinary Arts at San Francisco State University, Maureen's work as a documentary filmmaker has been shown at festivals throughout the country, including the San Francisco Gay/Lesbian Film Festival. Maureen is an active member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, City CarShare, and the Film Arts Foundation. She is also on the board of the Central Market Community Benefit District.


Aaron Burke, Project Manager

Aaron Burke photoAaron manages property improvement projects and business attraction efforts associated with the Sixth Street economic revitalization program. He also manages the SRO Loan Program and assists business and property owners to negotiate commercial leases that benefit the community.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Aaron is a strong advocate for, and has built his career serving, small business. He believes that supporting small business in communities creates measurable advantages that significantly contribute to social change. With a degree in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University, Aaron has served as a consultant for over ten years; helping clients to build, buy and finance small businesses. He is a Certified Business Opportunity Appraiser and a licensed Broker. Aaron’s enthusiasm for small business has led him to owning several small restaurants himself. He is proud to be a part of Urban Solution’s team, and happy to have the opportunity to focus his efforts in the South of Market Redevelopment Project Area.


Glenda Gutierrez, Leasing Specialist

Glenda Gutierrez photoGlenda Gutierrez is a native San Franciscan. She received her BS from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Business Administration from Golden Gate University. Glenda is a licensed broker and has been working in the real estate market for ten years, leasing residential, commercial and mixed use properties in the Bay Area. She has been involved in economic and workforce development projects that have dramatically changed the landscape of the San Francisco youth employment system. Directing the Youth Opportunity Program for four years, she worked to revitalize neglected and abandoned public and private facilities for the purpose of creating havens of opportunities for youth citywide. Glenda comes to Urban Solutions with 12 years of management experience in the real estate and non-profit sectors. Glenda is fluent in Spanish.


Inemesit Udofia, Small Business Consultant

Inemesit Udofia photoInem comes to Urban Solutions with experience in business operations, real estate, accounting, and computer science. He has been a sole proprietor of his own company, Prime Investments, and worked in Egypt for two years as a business developer for the Prince company. At Prime Investements, Inem was responsible for negotiating commercial and residential leases. Inem has experience analyzing financial statements, assessing risk, and evaluating credit worthiness. Inem received his Bachelor's degree in international business from Alabama A&M University. He also holds a California Real Estate and Real Estate Brokers License.


John Urquhart, Communications and Technology Coordinator

John Urquhart photoJohn Urquhart facilitates the data management and reporting processes for all programs at Urban Solutions. John also performs research on a range of projects and supports all aspects of the work being done at the organization. Originally from Portland, Oregon, John moved to San Francisco four years ago. John holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to joining Urban Solutions, he worked as a researcher on national political campaigns. His additional work experience includes performing research and patient support services for a healthcare consulting firm, developing advertising campaigns with non-profits and small businesses, and working in a US Senate office.


Tida Infahsaeng, Project Assistant

Tida Infahsaeng photoTida Infahsaeng serves as the Project Assistant at Urban Solutions, organizing the office, implementing the Green Business Initiative and supporting the staff in various areas. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with a minor in Journalism from Northeastern University in Boston. Tida recently moved to San Francisco from Connecticut, and has also lived in Greece and Thailand. Before joining Urban Solutions, Tida worked as a Women's Studies Assistant Programs Coordinator and as a Freelance Editor for a Thai sustainable development foundation.


Claudia Stillwell, Bookkeeper

Claudia Stillwell photoClaudia handles Urban Solutions' bookkeeping functions. Ms. Stillwell holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and has worked in non-profit administration for over ten years, including as a CFO at the Robert Moses' Kin Dance Company. She has worked closely with non-profit boards, grant makers and corporate partners on program development and evaluation. Her current projects with nonprofits include advising on accounting, cash flow management, budgeting and audit preparation. She has presented workshops on financial management and project management for local service organizations.


Ericka Green, Program Specialist & Business Instructor

Ericka Green photoProgram Specialist Ericka Green grew up in the Western Addition. She studied at the University of California at Berkeley and has a teaching certificate from the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. She has worked as a Business Consultant/Instructor for the Bayview Business Resource Center and as a Program Coordinator for the Buchanan YMCA Youth Business Program. Ms. Green has a background in business development, event planning and marketing.


Carl Cheng, Economic Development Intern

Ericka Green photoCarl Cheng, a San Francisco Bay Area native, graduated from the UC San Diego with a BA in International Studies: Sociology and secondary studies in Japanese Studies. Having worked with several non-profit organizations in the past, he continues his passion at Urban Solutions by assisting with business attraction efforts throughout San Francisco for the NMI program, while also providing organizational support for SOMBA. Carl also has a background in graphic design and is fluent in Cantonese, Japanese and Spanish.


Owen Lawrence, Green Business Intern

Ericka Green photoOwen works on Urban Solutions’ Green Business Initiative, which helps local businesses identify cost-effective ways to become more environmentally sustainable. Owen is currently working towards his MBA in Sustainable Enterprise at Dominican University. Owen received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in Environmental Science and worked as an environmental consultant before coming to the Bay Area in pursuit of his graduate degree.

 

 

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