Interim Executive Director
Robert (Bob) Zdenek has an extensive background leading national and regional non-profits and developing major program and policy initiatives He has been a national leader in cross-sectoral partnerships from public health to asset building to faith-based and economic development. He served as president of the National Congress for Community Economic Development for 14 years, executive director of the Alliance for Healthy Homes, vice president for Community Building at United Way of America, and a senior associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, . Bob has been a consultant to over forty organizations
Bob is the Interim Executive Director of the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) and served as Interim Executive Director for the San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative from 2021 to 2023.. He is also Senior Advisor to California Coalition for Rural Housing and co-authored their Rural Disaster Guidebook. From 2017 to 2022, he was a principal investigator at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, CA working to align investment strategies among health care institutions, CDCs, CDFIs, and financial institutions.
Bob also served on The Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council from 1993 to 1995 visiting scholar at Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in 2015, and board member of over twenty organizations. He co-authored a book, Navigating Community Development: Harnessing Comparative Advantages to Create Strategic Partnerships, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2017.
Bob taught graduate courses in Community Development and Urban Policy for six years at New School University in New York City. His volunteer activities leading neighborhood walking tours in North Beach and Japantown for San Francisco City Guides and serving as a mentor trainer and docent for the California State Park Service.
Bob has master’s in international Relations, Public Administration, and a DPA from U.S.C He and his wife Anne Hoskins live in San Luis Obispo, CA.