Our Staff

In March 2020 City Roots Community Land Trust hired our first Full-Time Executive Director Joe Di Fiore! In August 2020 City Roots brought on two more full-time staff members as well as an Americorps VISTA fellow!

Joe Di Fiore (he/him)

Executive Director

After more than three years of being a volunteer organization, Joe became our first staff member & Executive Director. Active in the Rochester community, Joe volunteers with the Beechwood Neighborhood Coalition on the board of directors as well as with the boards of Peace Village, and the Urban League of Rochester Economic Development Corporation. He's also vice-president of the School 33 PTA, runs the Beechwood repair clinic for R Community Bikes, and is a founding member of the Little Flower Community. Joe's hobbies include judo, brazilian jiu-jitsu, bike riding, historic preservation, and spending time with his amazing family.

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Graham Hughes (he/him)

Special Projects Manager

Graham grew up in the Syracuse area and moved to Rochester after he graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2017 to work for RMAPI. Before joining City Roots as a staff member, Graham completed his Master's Degree in Adult Education & Community Development at the University of Toronto. He has been a member of City Roots since November 2017.

Anastajah Haynes (she/her)

Community Engagement Coordinator

Anastajah grew up on the southside of Syracuse, and graduated with a B.S. in Sociology & Political Science from SUNY Brockport in 2019. Anastajah has a strong passion for advocacy & social justice, and seeks to empower marginalized groups through action and community building.  Anastajah is thoughtful and analytical in her approach to social change. She seeks to first understand the systems that perpetuate injustice in order to determine the strategies that will make a tangible impact.

Tamira DeJesus (she/her)

Flower City AmeriCorps

Tamira is a second year Flower City AmeriCorps member, and started with City Roots for the 2021 service year in January. She joined AmeriCorps to become more active and engaged in our community.

Tiffany Nicholas (she/her)

Rochester Youth Year AmeriCorps VISTA

Born and raised in the Rochester area, Tiffany graduated from the University of Rochester in 2020 with a degree in biomedical engineering. She’s working as a Rochester Youth Year AmeriCorps VISTA with City Roots and Taproot Collective.

James Dietz (they/them)

Rochester Youth Year AmeriCorps VISTA

Originally from Buffalo, James graduated from University of Rochester in 2019 with a B.A. in Political Science and will be working with City Roots Community Land Trust and Taproot Collective for the 2020-2021 Rochester Youth Americorps VISTA service year.

Elected Board of Directors

Our board reflects that of a traditional community land trust with a tri-partite board consisting of 1) Lessee Representatives, 2) General Community Representatives, and 3) Public Representatives. Control of the CLT’s board is balanced to ensure that the community as a whole considers and determines the priorities of the organization and all interests are heard but no interest is predominant.

Lessee Representatives

Individuals that are Land Trust residents and live in City Roots CLT housing, or are elected to represent CLT residents. These representatives bring knowledge and real-life stories that are valuable to the CLT.

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Elizabeth McGriff

Vice President
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

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Ryan Acuff

Lessee Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2022

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Ana Martinez

Lessee Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

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Vanessa Santiago

Lessee Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

General Community Representatives

Individuals that live in the communities where City Roots CLT works. These individuals bring valuable knowledge of the community at large.

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Dr. Cynthia Cole

Secretary
Term Ending First Quarter 2022

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Doreen Young

Community Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

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Dorian Hall

Community Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

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Burt Betchart

Community Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2022

Public Representatives

Most of these individuals are professionally employed with prior board experience. They often provide valuable knowledge of resources that can be utilized by the CLT.

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Melissa Marquez

President
Term Ending First Quarter 2022

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Shane Wiegand

Public Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

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Stanley Martin

Community Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2022

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Victor Sanchez

Community Representative
Term Ending First Quarter 2023

Tribute to our Members!

As a Rochester City Councilmember, I know how critical affordable housing is to our community.  I support City Roots because I believe that a community land trust can be a key tool to promote permanent affordability and home ownership.

Mitch Gruber

City Councilmember