Together Neighborhood Development Alliance staff holds over 110 years of combined experience in counseling and real estate development. We are cross trained and certified through multiple state and national entities.
OUR TEAM
Karen Reid is the Executive Director of NeDA and has been with us since 1998. The best part of her job is building quality and safe real estate development so that families can grow. Karen has decades of experience in building sustainable single family and multi family housing developments. Karen is planning to retire from NeDA in 2024; learn more. Contact Karen via email kreid@nedahome.org or 651-292-0131 ext. 248.
Maritza Mariani is NeDA's Associate Director. She began working with us in 1994 as a housing counselor and in 2004 she was appointed to her current position. Maritza is proud that NeDA was the first organization to offer home purchase counseling and education in Spanish. We took the lead by expanding our services to provide even great depth of programming through financial guidance and workshops; Maritza says these services have impacted the Latino community in an extremely positive way. Outside of work, she loves playing in the kitchen by ditching recipes and getting creative. She's a dedicated grandma and enjoys long walks and good books. She's proud to say she both lives and works in the West Side, Saint Paul community. Reach her at mmariani@nedahome.org or call 651-292-0131 x 252.
Roxanny Armendariz serves as a Financial Counselor and Educator and has been working with the organization in different capacities since 2001. She is all about making people smile and enjoys illuminating the reality of folks' financial situations. She is passionate about teaching Latino adults life-long money management skills. She's a big reader and loves spending time with her kids and dreaming about super-couponing. Her goal is to grow NeDA into a national organization so she can move to Florida where it's tropical year-round. You email her at rarmendariz@nedahome.org or call 651-292-0131 x 271.
Janet Barraza joined the NeDA team as a Home Ownership Adviser in the fall of 2021. Before joining NeDA, Janet worked as an Immigration Paralegal assisting families with complex immigration situations. She has also worked as an executive administrator in multiple startup businesses and has served as a VITA tax program volunteer assisting low-income families file their tax returns. She is proud to continue her passion of helping the Latino community in becoming homeowners and financially empowered. Janet believes knowledge is power, and she enjoys arming individuals with the skills they need to thrive. During her free time she likes to travel with her family, make art crafts, and take care of her two cats, Pancha and Georgie. Email her at jbarraza@nedahome.org or call 651-292-0131 x 256.
Mariana Scott joined us in 2016 and serves as a Home Ownership Advisor. She is originally from Bogota, Colombia, but has lived in Minnesota for the last 30 years. She appreciates NeDA’s dedication to assisting people achieve financial independence, purchase a safe home, and build wealth in the community, one family at a time. To work for a socially-minded organization has been a dream of hers for many years since growing up in poverty-stricken Colombia, where many people struggle to meet their basic needs. Mariana loves taking early morning runs with her dog, Watson, and discovering new trails where she can contemplate and sketch. She also loves the New York Times and makes sure to read Sunday’s edition cover to cover. Reach her at mscott@nedahome.org or 651-292-0131 x 240.
Alma Sanchez is a Home Ownership Adviser and joined the NeDA team in early 2018. Before that, she spent many years in the finance and home buying industry. Alma has called home to the West Side area since 1994 and is the proud mother of 2 children, plus 1 great dog, Blitz. She is a lover of all types of dancing and also lives for running. She is currently earning her degree in business management. Email her at asanchez@nedahome.org or call 651-292-0131 x 259.
Aurora Tucker is NeDA's Bookkeeper and joined the team in early 2019 as a Program Assistant. Aurora manages our various databases and software programs to support the day-to-day financial requirements of NeDA, including our loan portfolio. Aurora has a long background of work in hospitality, management and coaching/training on customer service. She loves helping others and enjoys the hands-on community work that NeDA does. A native of León Guanajuato, México, Aurora is a people person, dedicated to her work, family, friends, and dog, Bella. She is also an avid crafter, and loves putting together handmade cards and designing home decor projects. Email her at atucker@nedahome.org or call our front desk, 651-292-0131.
Ask us a question
If you would like to receive counseling with us or have a question about the work we do, please fill out the form below and one of our staff members will get back to you.