Scaling the Power of Guarantees

Rosa Benitez joined the Weingart Foundation in 2008 as a Program Officer and is currently Director of Program Investments. She possesses more than a decade of experience working in both the public and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining the Foundation, Rosa served as a Program Officer at the California Community Foundation, where she managed its grantmaking portfolio in the area of housing. She holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University, Los Angeles.

Ruby Bolaria Shifrin is Director of the Housing Affordability program at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). CZI is dedicated to finding solutions that make housing more affordable so people from all backgrounds and income levels can live, work, and thrive in California. Prior to CZI, Ruby worked in real estate development as a project manager for multifamily mixed income projects in San Francisco and has experience in commercial real estate. She also worked internationally at the Housing Department in Johannesburg, South Africa where she managed an in-situ upgrading pilot project. She started her career as an organizer for environmental and social justice organizations like Earthjustice and Corporate Accountability International. Ruby has a strong commitment to equity and social justice and brings her unique mix of advocacy and technical experience to CZI's housing work. She holds a BA in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.