The Team
Silas J Matchem Sr.
CEO MCR/ Principal Senior Consultant
As the Principal Consultant and Founder & CEO of Matchem Community Revitalization Corporation, I bring a decade of hands-on experience in community development, honed through my tenure as Director of the Evansville, Indiana Promise Zone. My journey has been defined by spearheading housing initiatives, facilitating community betterment projects, and fostering collaborations with diverse government and community-based organizations.
Driven by a fervent passion for community growth and prosperity, I've established Matchem Group/MCR to cultivate synergy in communities worldwide. I firmly believe that sustainable change requires collective effort—a belief encapsulated in the adage, "It takes a village." This philosophy underpins our approach, as we strive to galvanize communities to realize their full potential.
My extensive background in navigating complex, long-term projects, coupled with a nuanced understanding of local issues and resources, positions me to guide both our organization and the communities we serve toward sustainable transformation. Mostly recently helping the City of Evansville Indiana secure the 30 million Promise Neighborhood grant. Together, we embark on a journey to build vibrant, resilient communities where every voice is heard, and every individual thrives.
Silas holds a bachelor's degree in organizational communication and master's degree in administrative leadership and public administration. He is currently a steering committee member for the Our Places of Impact Community of Practice (CoP) a part of HUD’s focus on supporting community-driven revitalization and the communities undertaking them. In addition, on serving on various boards across the states.
DR SANDI CURD
Senior Consultant/ Kentucky Eastern Region
Dr. Sandi Curd’s interest in leadership began through participation in Leadership-Tri County, the leadership development initiative serving three Southeastern Counties in Appalachian Kentucky. This interest resulted in her research “Collaborative Leadership’s Role in Appalachia.” Curd is the Promise Zone Coordinator, created when Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation was named America’s first rural Promise Zone. In 2022, the Biden Administration recognized this partnership as a round-one pilot in the Rural Partner Network called the Kentucky Highlands Community Network. Curd’s work as Coordinator provides a relationship with eight counties’ local governments and leaders in education, healthcare, economic development, broadband, substance abuse, agriculture, housing, and downtown revitalization. Curd also serves as the National Coalition of Promise Zones convenor, bringing all 22 zones together to share best practices.
Curd founded the Upper Cumberland Community Foundation and serves on the boards of The Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky, The Red Bird Settlement School, The East Kentucky Leadership Foundation, and The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. She is one of twenty national leaders representing southeast Kentucky on the National Association of Counties (NACo) Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities’ (BRECC) The Coal Communities Commitment Coalition. Curd accepted an appointment to the Rural Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee to address the 2022 Flood housing crisis.
Curd is a thirty-year First Baptist Church Corbin member, teaching an adult Sunday School class. Her husband, Bryan, is a physician working in the Emergency Department at Baptist Health Corbin. They enjoy movies, books, and their two dogs: Doc Holiday, Big Nose Kate, and quarter horse Bo. They reside on a farm in Whitley County, Kentucky.
Julius AUstin
Senior Consultant/Sacramento California
Julius Austin is the Sacramento Promise Zone Manager at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). Mr. Austin has over a two decades of experience in the education field and the non-profit sector. He has specialized in cross-sector collaboration and placed based initiatives. Julius is passionate about work that allows him to empower underserved communities in the areas of education, health & fitness, economics, politics, and sustainability.
He is responsible for directing the daily operations of Promise Zone, overseeing activities and processes that address the Promise Zone focus areas (e.g. issues of neighborhood housing development, public safety, job creation, training and placement, economic development, small business development financing, and neighborhood revitalization issues). He manages the work of the Promise Zone Coordinator and AmeriCorps VISTA Member team. He leads strategic partnerships with federal and local leaders across all sectors that result in projects and program that create impact across the Promise Zone focus areas. Julius also serves on the steering committee for the National Coalition of Promise Zones, the collaborative of the 22 Promise Zones from across the country.
Julius is a Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program Senior Fellow (Class VI). Additionally, he is a graduate of the City of Sacramento 2014 City Management Academy. Julius has won several awards for leadership and community service, including The Sacramento Bee Top 25 Black Change Makers (2022), the 2016 Drexel University Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III Leadership Award, the Sacramento Kings 2016 Dream All-Star Award, and 2015 Sacramento Business Journal 40 Under 40.
During college, he was a two-time USCAA All-American basketball player. He led Rochester College to the 2004 USCAA National Championship as the captain and team MVP. Julius has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics & Sciences from Rochester University and a Master of Business Administration from Drexel University.
Julius holds served on several board positions, including serving as the inaugural Chair of the Black/African American Advisory Board for Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), Sacramento Literacy Foundation, and the Afripeace Foundation. He also traveled to South Africa to represent Sacramento District 5180 as a team member on the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange team.
Dr. Micheal Howard
Senior Consultant/Kentucky Western Region
I'm a native of Madisonville, and I grew up thinking the motto on the big, blue sign over Noel Avenue was true: "The Best Town on Earth". After high school, I enlisted in the Army, then I got an ROTC scholarship and went to UK, and eventually graduated from Murray State. Overall, I spent 11 years in the Army Reserves. I resigned from the Army in order to attend graduate school at the University of Miami, where I received my Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics. After that, I did a postdoctoral fellowship at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, continuing as research faculty in Neurology, studying spinal cord injury and stem cell transplantation. I left research to teach, joining the Biology faculty at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, where I learned a great deal about teaching and, while working with the local school district, what the real issues are that impact students. While at UMSL, I began working with the Louis Stokes Midwest Center for Excellence, which is a National Science Foundation-funded program to help recruit more minority students into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines and to help them succeed, advance in their studies and move into positions of their own in academia. While on the faculty at UMSL, I was offered the position of VP for Education and Research at Baptist Health in Madisonville. I was, initially, reluctant to take the job, but when I realized that it offered me the opportunity to come home and make a difference in the health and well-being of my hometown, I took it. While at Baptist Health, I applied for and was accepted into the first cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders program. In this three year program, from which I graduated in 2019, I learned a great deal about issues of community health, social determinants of health, health equity, social justice, community organization and collective impact. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and additional funding from the Good Samaritan Foundation of Kentucky, I, along with our partner organizations, founded the ARCH coalition in 2017. I left Baptist Health in 2019 to concentrate on my community work.
Elder Sanabria
Senior Consultant- Los Angles California
Elder Sanabria is a dedicated public servant with a wealth of experience in fostering positive change and community development. With a career spanning over seven years in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office, Elder played a pivotal role in leading a federal place-based collective impact initiative, the Promise Zone, in Los Angeles. Elder has managed a cross-sector partnership involving more than 70 non-profits, community-based organizations, and state and federal partners. His strategic vision aimed to target and align resources effectively to address critical issues facing Central Los Angeles which included improving educational outcomes and increasing economic activity.
Elder's impact extended beyond strategic planning, as he demonstrated a remarkable ability to secure funding for vital initiatives. He spearheaded efforts that resulted in the successful acquisition of 22 Federal Grants, totaling $88 million. These funds were directed towards crucial areas such as education, public safety, transportation, and economic opportunity. Elder played a key role in supporting the development and implementation of state-funded youth workforce programs in Los Angeles, amounting to a substantial $53 million investment.
Prior to the Mayor’s Office, Elder served as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader for the LA Promise Zone where he led the development of college and career readiness programs to address knowledge gaps for families and empower them to advocate for their children. He also led local efforts to develop Community Benefit Agreements designed to highlight strategies of engagement with developers to address community needs.
Elder is a proud alumnus of the LA Community College District School East LA College and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He earned his bachelor's degree in Sociology from California State University, Northridge.
Nia ashanti matchem
Coordinator of Community Engagement & Partnerships
Nia Matchem is a dedicated community advocate with a passion for fostering collaboration and creating meaningful partnerships. With a focus on education and literacy, Nia has spent the past year developing programs aimed at promoting reading and educational attainment within the community.
Background:
With a background in community engagement, Nia has garnered invaluable experience working for the local chamber of commerce. In this role, Nia facilitated initiatives to raise awareness and enhance the well-being of community members. Through proactive outreach and strategic planning, Nia has demonstrated a commitment to empowering individuals and fostering positive change.
Specialties:
- Community Engagement
- Partnership Development
- Program Management
- Education Advocacy
- Event Planning
Mission/Vision:
Nia's mission is to empower individuals and strengthen communities through education and collaboration. By fostering meaningful partnerships and implementing impactful programs, Nia aims to create lasting change and improve the quality of life for all members of the community.
Current Projects:
Nia is currently spearheading efforts to expand access to educational resources and promote literacy among underserved populations. Through innovative programming and community outreach, Nia is working to bridge gaps in educational attainment and empower individuals to reach their full potential.