OUR TEAM
Get to Know the Faces behind Southern Door Community Land Trust
Since its founding in 2019, the Southern Door Community Land Trust has developed and grown exponentially—We'reproud of our staff's expertise and ability to contribute their unique experience and skills to our success.
HAJRA AZIZ
Executive Director
Hajra is a licensed social worker who focuses on social work for social justice. As a long-time resident, community advocate, and mother of four, Hajra finds it imperative to get involved in work that will uplift and empower historically marginalized folks.
Since coming on board as the Executive Director of the SDCLT Hajra has been keenly focused on developing relationships with stakeholders, community leaders, residents and power brokers in an effort to develop a footprint in the community around housing justice.
ADA ROBINSON-PEREZ
SDCLT Board President
Ada Robinson-Perez, PhD, LMSW, CEAP
Career Bio
As a native of upstate New York, Ada Robinson-Perez has been a NYS licensed social worker for over 25 years. Her professional experience ranges from leading an internal Employee Assistance Program to providing community-based mental health services for children and families. Ada is a practitioner at Binghamton University in the Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, serving as the affirmative action officer and ADA Coordinator. Her other professional and academic experience includes working as a social work professorork and a therapist/consultant in the local community.
Ada earned her PhD in Community Research and Action from Binghamton University (2019) and her MSW from Syracuse University (2001). She holds professional certifications in employee assistance and affirmative action/EEO practice. Some of her research areas include examining the mental health implications of racial microaggressions, vulnerabilities of intersectional identities, and class-based perceptions within parent engagement programs localized in rural schools. Ada’s experience in board leadership includes working with local non-profit organizations that serve women, children, and families and community charter school development. She enjoys time with her family, reading, traveling, and karaoke in her leisure time.
SDCLT BOARD MEMBERS
AMBER JOHNSON
Amber Johnson has a strong passion for social justice with a racial justice lens. She has been a community organizer for 5+ years, loving environmental and housing justice.
Amber is a founding member of the CLT. She finds good reason to invest her time in local housing crises due to many other community connections, such as working with Citizen Action and Binghamton Regional Sustainable Communities.
KHADEJAH AZIZ
Khadejah is an Upstate NY native and a SUNY Broome graduate of Criminal Justice and Community Policing. She has had her fair share of experiences with a lack of access to affordable, safe, and energy-efficient housing, which has developed into a proactive approach to righting the wrongs of housing injustice.
KORSAH AKUMFI
URIAH HUNT
Uriah Hunt is a native of Brooklyn, NY, who obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in geography and urban planning from Binghamton University. After graduation, Uriah decided to settle locally and experienced difficulty finding housing.
As a board member of the Southern Door Community Land Trust, Uriah has focused on bringing more sustainable, affordable housing to Broome County's most needy residents.
ASIA AMBLER
Asia Ambler has lived in Broome County her entire life. After leaving for school, she returned with a vested interest in community work that uplifts, empowers, and promotes equity and accurate representation.
Asia understands the impact that low-quality housing, homelessness, and poverty can have on the development of youth, stability of families, and community mental health. These principles have motivated Asia to take action, pushing BIPOC communities to the forefront of change.
Korsah has been a Binghamton resident since 2015. As a renter, Korsah has experienced firsthand the difficulties people encounter in getting a house and making it a home for themselves and their families.
Korsah strongly believes there is a need for an occupant to have a say in how their homes are managed and cared for by landlords. Korsah strongly believes that community residents have a vested interest in living spaces just as much as homeowners.
BRIANNA SALAZAR-OLAIYA
SHAKEEMA BROWN
CHARLES LOVE
Brianna Salazar-Olaiya is a Banking Officer and business banking underwriter who has been in banking since 2004. She has obtained degrees in Music Performance/Music Education, Music Business, and Accounting. Brianna is proud to be a part of an organization that will bring housing equity to the community she grew up in.
Shakeema Brown owns Aligned Elevation Coaching and Consulting LLC, which provides comprehensive and interactive training programs that cultivate thriving individuals and inclusive, sustainable work environments. With a profound passion for social justice, racial equity, personal/professional advancement, and development, Shakeema drives meaningful change and fosters environments where everyone can succeed. In her career, she has amassed significant experience in roles that underscore her dedication to improving overall wellness and quality of life for her community.
Most of my professional experience has been in budget development/management, operational, financial analysis, project management in high-tech businesses, and later, as a financial administrator in higher education. I have thirty-eight years of experience with operational and financial support in positions of increasing responsibility from senior financial analyst to finance director. I have also worked on many project teams managing financial, accounting, human resources, facilities, and payroll functions in various operations. My most important work was being part of a team that initiated a mentoring program for “at-risk” middle school students in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, CA.
I am delighted to be a part of the essential services that the SOUTHERN DOOR COMMUNITY LAND TRUST provides to the Broome County community. I know how vital adequate housing is to individuals' and families' physical and psychological well-being.