Our Values

RIGHT TO STAY AND THRIVE

RIGHT TO STAY AND THRIVE

Residents and small businesses of the District are our greatest strength and have the right to remain and thrive here. We believe in celebrating and preserving the culture and identity of all District residents. As an inherently anti-displacement organization, the Douglass CLT prioritizes benefit to low-income, existing residents, and welcomes development that does the same.

COMMUNITY CONTROL

COMMUNITY CONTROL

Power and decision-making belong in the hands of the community. The Douglass CLT will steward resident-controlled housing on community-owned land. We will create multiple pathways for engagement and participation.

PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY FOR HOUSING

PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY FOR HOUSING

As a matter of simple equity, quality housing should always be accessible to everyone. The Douglass CLT will preserve and increase the number of homes, both rental and home-ownership, that are permanently affordable for current and future generations of District residents.

HIGH QUALITY, HEALTHY HOUSING

HIGH QUALITY, HEALTHY HOUSING

Housing is a proven determinant of health. Buildings must be free of physical and/ or chemical hazards such as lead and mold. Healthy housing means embracing the environment as an asset and protecting the air we and our children breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. We aim to maximize sustainable building and operating practices benefitting the residents, the community, and the environment.

INDIVIDUAL / FAMILY ASSET BUILDING

INDIVIDUAL / FAMILY ASSET BUILDING

Building financial assets for individuals and families is just as critical. The Douglass CLT will not only create opportunities for equity-building through homeownership, but also by creating savings opportunities through reduced rent costs and cost-savings via green sustainable practices. Additionally, Douglass CLT will partner with other organizations doing asset building work.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

The Douglass CLT will run a transparent and effective operation that is financially sound, ensuring it will be in place to steward the programs and public resources, manage the assets, and forge intentional partnerships in perpetuity.

Our Staff

Community Land Trusts are equal part resident input, local leadership, and industry expertise. Douglass CLT’s staff and extended network of professional consultants and advisors represent years of technical experience and commitment to community building.

Ginger
Rumph

Executive Director

Ginger Rumph is the founding executive director of the Douglass Community Land Trust, a nonprofit membership organization centered around racial and economic equity that was created to help prevent displacement of current and future residents, create community-held assets, and build assets for individuals and families, while ensuring decision-making resides within the community. Douglass CLT secures the permanent affordability of residential and commercial spaces through community ownership of land and collective stewardship. During the first year incubating the Douglass CLT, Ginger also served as executive director of City First Homes, overseeing a portfolio of 200+ permanently affordable homes, including shared equity second mortgages and cooperatives. She led a forensic review of the data and systems, resulting in a database of reliable financial as well as programmatic data and a strong stewardship function. Throughout her career, Ginger has worked with a wide range of institutions and individuals to support affordable housing, workforce and business development, sustainable neighborhoods, engaged communities, and strong organizations. As vice president and COO of the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing & Economic Development (CNHED), the association for community development in the District of Columbia, she engaged in all facets of the organization’s policy, advocacy, and capacity building activities, in addition to leading fundraising and communications and providing operational oversight and support. Prior to CNHED, she worked for the national nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners in Columbia, MD, where she managed reporting and coordinated dynamic internal and external reporting for a $20 million public/private donor consortium; led an effort to design a new business intelligence system; and analyzed trends and shared best practices across national programs. In her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, she held leadership positions in two community development corporation coalitions which provided shared staffing services to create and preserve affordable housing, and facilitate workforce and business development; worked as an affordable housing real estate developer; and served in the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, where she reviewed housing development finance applications and revitalized the previously-dormant vacant property program. A former Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, she tries to keep her Spanish up with reggaeton/dembow and merengue. Ginger holds a Master of Public Administration, Nonprofit Management and a Master of Social Work, Community Organizing, from the University of Pittsburgh.

Vaughn
Perry

Director of Equity and Sustainability

Vaughn Perry serves as the Director of Equity and Sustainability for Douglass Community Land Trust (Douglass CLT), a nonprofit membership organization centered around racial and economic equity that was created to help prevent displacement of current and future residents, create community-held assets, and build assets for individuals and families, while ensuring decision-making resides within the community. He is focused on advancing Douglass CLT’s organizational sustainability and growth, fostering practices that are rooted in critical thinking and consciousness about race and class. Vaughn brings a wealth of organizational and project management skills, as well as deep knowledge of and experience with community land trusts, having served as a founding member of the Douglass CLT board, as well as its president. In his previous role as the Director of Equity for Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR), he led the efforts to establish the Douglass CLT, a key recommendation of the community driven, 11th Street Bridge Park Equitable Development Plan. In that role he also oversaw and implemented deliverables for the Plan. Most recently, Vaughn served as Director of Skyland Workforce Development Center, a program of BBAR. Previously, Vaughn worked for the Anacostia Watershed Society, where he led the National Capital Region Watershed Stewards Academy, providing community leaders with the resources to serve as a point in their community on stormwater issues.

Vaughn has been a resident and homeowner in Ward 8 for over 20 years and considers himself an “almost” DC native. His professional interests focus on community engagement, leadership, economic and organizational development. Vaughn holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Strayer University and a master’s certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.

Adam
Maloon

Director of Stewardship

Adam Maloon serves as Director of Stewardship for the Douglass Community Land Trust, facilitating the work of maintaining permanently affordable housing from generation to generation. Adam’s professional background has covered a broad range of the continuum of housing, from emergency shelter to traditional homeownership. Prior to Douglass CLT, Adam served as Vice President of Affordable Housing at City First Homes (CFH), where the Douglass CLT was incubated. In this role, he contributed to the development of Douglass CLT as a community-led organization, from arranging capacity building for Advisory Committee members, to leading discussions on foundational elements of the CLT such as the resale formula and ground lease. Adam oversaw the shared appreciation loan program and homeowner stewardship, conducting direct outreach with program stakeholders and ensuring program compliance. Prior to CFH, Adam worked as an attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid, where he assisted residents in organizing and represented residents and resident associations in efforts to preserve affordable housing developments. Adam also worked with community land trusts throughout the San Francisco Bay area, providing technical assistance to homeowners, developing advocacy and policy recommendations to promote community land trusts throughout the region. Adam received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he participated in the Harrison Institute for Housing and Community Development Clinic.

Meche Martinez

Engagement & Capacity Building Manager

Meche Martinez is Douglass Community Land Trust’s Engagement and Capacity Building Manager, working to nurture democratic, informed governance structures while strengthening residents’ efforts to secure and maintain permanently affordable spaces and build assets. Meche is one of the founding volunteer community members of the Advisory Committee that oversaw the development of Douglass CLT’s business plan, hiring of an executive director, and deliberated on the governance infrastructure required to establish Douglass CLT as an independent, community-driven organization. She completed the 11th St. Bridge Park’s Community Leadership Empowerment Workshops (CLEW), and their Train the Trainer course, co-facilitating some of the CLEW classes. She has served as chair of Douglass CLT’s Property Acquisition Committee and has overseen the dynamic growth of the portfolio of Douglass CLT properties. Meche has a background in local politics but upon arriving in DC fell in love with the history, culture, and architecture and quickly began immersing herself in the real estate scene, ultimately becoming a DC and Maryland Realtor. A Michigan native, Meche has happily called DC home since 2012, and is proud to be a Ward 8 homeowner with her partner and their daughter. Meche loves all things DIY and HGTV, walks at the Anacostia River Park, and enjoys boxing and trying new recipes.

Lisa
Clayton

Accountant / Consultant

Lisa Clayton has been Douglass CLT’s contracted accountant since early 2020. She is a graduate of Notre Dame of Maryland University, earning a BA in Business, MA in Nonprofit Management, and MA in Finance. She began her career serving the nonprofit industry as the Sr. Administrative Coordinator for 10 years at United Way of Central Maryland. Afterwards, Lisa served as the Purchasing Assistant for Associated Catholic Charities, and 17 years at Southeast Community Development Corporation in Baltimore as the CFO and Director of Administration. She is currently the Director of Finance at the Boy & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County. In light of her love for accounting, Lisa is also the owner of Three Degrees Accounting Services, providing bookkeeping and accounting services to small and mid-size nonprofit agencies since 2003. ​Lisa loves ballet, traveling, and shopping. She enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, and fitness is her staple.

Our Origins

Douglass CLT was incorporated September 17, 2019, as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization operating across the Douglass Commonwealth/District of Columbia, and initially focused east of the Anacostia River.

Establishment of a community-controlled land trust was a key recommendation of the 11th Street Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan, and City First Homes (CFH) initially incubated the CLT initiative. Both entities agreed from the start that any newly formed community land trust would be completely independent and community controlled.

In 2017, more than two dozen community residents, most hailing from neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, formed an Advisory Committee to turn the gem of a community land trust idea into a community-driven nonprofit reality. This Committee sought additional input from neighbors and other community members, oversaw the development of a CLT business plan, sought additional input from neighbors and other community members. Based on this input, the Committee selected the name “Douglass Community Land Trust” to honor the famed orator, writer, activist and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and reflect the aim to serve the entire Douglass Commonwealth (District of Columbia). The Douglass CLT Advisory Committee worked with 11th St. Bridge Park and CFH to get seed funding, hired a founding executive director, and engaged in a deliberative process of crafting the governance infrastructure required to establish itself as an independent, community-driven organization, including bylaws development and operational policies. Members built their knowledge base around community land trusts as well as leadership and undertook subcommittee work related to business planning, staff hiring, property acquisition and ground lease development. This group converted into a board of directors with the incorporation, and elected officers.

Equitable Development Plan: The Douglass CLT is a key recommendation of the 11th Street Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan –developed via 200+ resident meetings to outline strategies to ensure local residents can stay and thrive in place. The 11th St Bridge Park, an initiative of the Ward 8 nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River, is DC’s first elevated public park and is itself designed to serve as an anchor for equitable and inclusive economic development – development that provides opportunities for all residents regardless of income and demography. READ the Equitable Development Plan here and strategies around Housing, Small Business, Workforce Training, and Arts and Culture.

City First Homes logoCity First Homes (CFH), another DC-based nonprofit, which was operating a shared equity, permanent affordability mortgage program, initially incubated the CLT initiative in partnership with the 11th Street Bridge Park until Douglass CLT spun off as an independent organization.

THANKS to our Platinum Funder

Additional Thanks to our Funders