Oakland nonprofit developer EBALDC appoints Lina Sheth interim CEO
The organization is looking for a new leader.
Lina Sheth has been appointed interim CEO of Oakland's nonprofit East Bay Asian Local Development Corp.
Sheth, the owner of a consulting firm focused on business development, has held nine interim positions in support of organizations with budgets ranging between $1 million and $30 million.
Sheth is a member of Bay Area Interim Executive Directors (a nonprofit industry group), and has worked in the sectors of health, human services affordable housing, race justice, public policy, and affordable housing. In its press release, EBALDC stated that Sheth had a 'broad range of experience' in working with and alongside people of color.
She replaces Sean Sullivan who stepped in as acting CEO of EBALDC after former CEO Andy Madeira abruptly left in February.
Sheth declined to be interviewed for this article. The board of EBALDC will refine its search for a permanent chief executive officer with Sheth.
In a press release, Board Chair Kelly Drumm stated that Sheth’s leadership abilities and experience in assisting with organizational transitions will allow EBALDC continue to operate smoothly. The nonprofit, which is nearly 50 years old, has 2,300 affordable housing units in the Bay Area.
Sheth was previously vice president for strategy and operations at ZeroDivide, a San Francisco-based nonprofit. Sheth left ZeroDivide in 2014, eight years before the organization was criticized for misusing donations and collapsed.
She was the chief program officer for San Francisco Community Health Center, and executive director for Massachusetts Asian + Pacific Islanders for Health in Boston. Both are nonprofits that provide health services. Sheth holds a Master's degree in Public Health from Boston University.
IRS documents from the 2019 tax season, the latest available, show EBALDC had net assets of $50.6 million, an increase over the $29.89 millions reported in 2018. The organization reported a surplus in excess of $6 million, which was a significant improvement from the $240,000 it lost last year.