Our People – City Roots Community Land Trust

Our Staff

Amber Powers (she/her)

Co-Director

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Amber grew up in Maplewood and is a proud city resident and supporter of the local environmental and housing justice movements. She holds degrees in Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo and Teaching English as a New Language from Nazareth, and received a Fulbright Scholarship for work in Nepal from 2011-2012. Amber is a founding board member of Taproot Collective and serves on the Rochester Market Driven Community Corporation board.

Graham Hughes (he/him)

Co-Director

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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.

Edan Lambright (she/her)

Rochester Youth Year AmeriCorps VISTA

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Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Edan graduated from the University of Rochester in 2022 with a degree in Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies and Environment & Society. She’s working with City Roots Community Land Trust and Taproot Collective for the 2022-2023 Rochester Youth Year AmeriCorps VISTA program.

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.

General Community Representatives

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

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.

In Memoriam: A Warm Tribute to Our Forever Board Member

Wallace R. Smith will forever be remembered as a founding leader of City Roots Community Land Trust. He served on the first Board of Directors and completed his final term just days before he was called home on March 22, 2021 at the age of 78.

We are filled with gratitude for the life and leadership of Wallace Smith. We are grateful to his family and friends who helped get him to meetings for as long as he could. We will honor and remember him and continue to learn from his way of living and leading. THANK YOU WALLACE!

These are the words of those of us who benefited from Wallace’s leadership and wisdom:

"Wallace spoke the Truth, for him, it was a way of life; he was always moving to the fore because he lived what he believed."

"Wallace was a BOLD personality, he took charge. He was unapologetic about speaking the Truth to Power. He was someone who never gave up Hope."

"Wallace participated in the 1964 Uprising. He was involved in FIGHT, worked on Jimmy Carter's Presidential Campaign, and eventually became it's last President. He worked at the Freedom School in Beechwood and at the Freedom Market. He even helped write a book with researchers at the UR about Community Literacy in Beechwood. One of his most important legacies was the mentorship he gave to so many in the community. I wouldn't be who I am today or doing this work without Wallace's advice, tough feedback, and inspiration."

"Wallace was also about building bridges. He could ask for forgiveness and forgive. He always spoke directly, he could challenge and call you out."

"You knew you could always have a meaningful conversation with him. From his own personal experience he was motivated to address the injustice of redlining. That is why he believed in Development without Displacement and in City Roots CLT."

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"It is an honor for me to take a moment of remembrance posting this testimony as a fitting tribute to Elder Statesman, fellow Member of the Board of Directors of the Land Trust, Brother Wallace R. Smith. It was his advocacy and strong support of City Roots Community Land Trust which influenced my interest and subsequent involvement. He spoke about the importance of community control of the land, development without displacement, gentrification, redlining, racial covenants and the concept of the land trust as a solution to change, home ownership and building wealth for the communities and people most impacted by poverty and systemic racism. Backed by his long history and work as a community advocate and activist, Brother Wallace was a strong and very well known presence for economic equity, justice and education, collective work and community building and the work of City Roots-Community Land Trust. Our Brother and colleague will be missed and we are most grateful for his contributions to the work of City Roots Community Land Trust, Inc. and our work here in the City of Rochester, NY.

Dr. Rev. Cynthia Cole

Our Staff

Amber Powers (she/her)

Graham Hughes (he/him)

Edan Lambright (she/her)

Elected Board of Directors

Lessee Representatives

Elizabeth McGriff

Wanda Cooper

Ana Martinez

Vanessa Santiago

General Community Representatives

Doreen Young

Keturah Bixby

Burt Betchart

Public Representatives

Victor Sanchez

Shane Wiegand

Stanley Martin

Melissa Marquez

In Memoriam: A Warm Tribute to Our Forever Board Member