Leadership
Our combined experience aims to create thousands of jobs,
unlocking wealth and fulfilling the human potential of residents.
At the heart of our philosophy is a commitment to
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which is reflected in our
leadership and throughout our organization.
Executive Staff
Jason Bullen
Executive Director and
Vice President of Real Estate
email Jason
Jason Bullen has over 14 years of project management experience in the construction industry. He sat on the project team of some major developments in the greater Houston area, such as the Exxon Mobil Campus Project ($1.2 Billion) and Phillips 66 Corporate Headquarters ($400 Million).
Jason currently oversees real estate development projects to help ensure that UP CDC projects have a positive community social impact and are economically viable. In this role, he is responsible for project scoping and development, project financing support, due diligence, design, and construction.
He served as a Board Member and lead mentor of the ACE Mentoring Program. The mission of the ACE Mentoring Program is to engage, excite, and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and to support advancement in industry.
Jason holds a BA from Prairie View A&M University in Architecture and Construction Science in addition to an MS in Community Development, and received an MS from Texas A&M University in Construction Management and is currently working on his MBA at Cornell University.
Board of Directors
William Banta
Treasurer
Recently retired from CenterPoint Energy as Economic Development Manager, Southern Region, Bill Banta has over 15 years experience with the Economic Development Department and over 22 years with the company. He developed the Southern Region of the service area, and managed and developed relationships in the food manufacturing and distribution market. Bill has focused on job growth initiatives, related industrial development, and transportation and distribution centered around the Port of Houston for many years.
Bill has partnered on multiple programs to promote economic development with the Greater East End Management District, including retail expansion, food distribution, and industrial growth. He is active on the boards of numerous organizations, such as the Brazoria County Economic Development Alliance and the Greater Houston Coffee Association. Mr. Banta is also an active Houston Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association member.
He currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.
Chris Bilton
During the last two decades of his career, Mr. Bilton has served in various leadership roles with increasing levels of complexity with a focus on serving the public and economic development. Previously, he worked as Director of Leadership and Engagement, then as Interim President and CEO, for the Center for Houston's Future, a regional think tank focused on driving economic development throughout the Greater Houston region.
Mr. Bilton also served as the Director of the Houston Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), operated by Houston Community College (HCC). MBDA engages high-growth companies and assists them with access to capital, procurement of contracts, and business expansion.
He currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.
Jerry V. Davis
Mr. Davis is a community advocate, educator, and entrepreneur. He founded the non-profit Making It Better (MIB) in 2007 to provide low-income children in Houston with academic support, mentoring, and leadership and life skills. As a City Council member, Davis brought together a group of local leaders to develop a collective network for community development known as WAIIT (We Are In It Together). He currently serves his third term as District B Houston City Council Member and has been elected by his peers since 2014 to serve as Vice Mayor Pro-Tem.
Davis holds two Master's degrees in Education Administration and Counseling from Prairie View A&M University and received his state teaching certification from Houston’s University of St. Thomas.
He currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.
James Ebrey
Mr. Ebrey is the Regional President and the Chief of Government Lending at Spirit of Texas Bank. Ebrey has worked at Spirit of Texas Bank for over ten years. He manages a portfolio of about $500 million in commercial and SBA loans. Spirit Bank is about $3 billion in asset size, with 41 locations all over Texas. Before working at Spirit of Texas Bank, Ebrey was president of Texas Community Bank (TCB), which Spirit of Texas Bank acquired. Mr. Ebrey co-founded TCB in 2002. Ebrey started working in banking while working my way through graduate school. Ebrey has spent almost all of his 27-year career in banking.
Ebrey also enjoys volunteering for a nonprofit board to help give back to his community. He has served on the SER Jobs for Progress board for six years and ended his term as Chairman of the Board.
He currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.
Patrick Ezzell
Patrick Ezzell is the Founder of Urban Partnerships Community Development Corporation (UP CDC), and is the Chairman of the Board.
During the past decade, Patrick was previously engaged in economic development in the East End area of Houston, a majority Hispanic low-income community, as an independent consultant for the East End District. As part of that effort in 2017, he collaborated with community and civic leaders in the launch of UP CDC, a non-profit with a mission to bring capital investment and jobs to low- and moderate-income neighborhoods through commercial, retail, and industrial development.
In 2019, UP CDC acquired an existing 300,000 SF industrial building on 21.9 acres of land and is now scheduled to undergo major renovation. The building will provide lease space for manufacturing startups and small manufacturers in growth modes. The project is expected to create over 470 new jobs for the neighborhood and have an annual economic impact of well over $100 million. As an economic developer working on behalf of the East End District, Patrick acquired and managed over $20,000,000 in federal grants, including full federal project administration, project management, and construction management services.
Under his consulting guidance, the District’s projects have included the redevelopment of the Navigation Esplanade in front of the original Ninfa’s that has been constructed as a public venue for festivals and markets, the redevelopment of Guadalupe Plaza Park, and a public/private partnership to build a 250 space park-n-ride garage on Houston’s light rail. Previous to working in economic development, Patrick worked for 25 years in the real estate industry with experience in construction, development, and management of over $200 million in multifamily, commercial, and retail real estate projects, as well as asset management of a $400 million real estate portfolio.
Mr. Ezzell has an MBA in Economic Development from the University of Houston College Systems, and serves as Board Chair for UP Community Impact Fund.
Susan C. Garcia
Susan Garcia is a 40-year resident in the East End. She is a small business owner in the East End and glaciere of Chocolate Wasted Ice Cream located in the East End, a small batch creamery, parlor, and food truck. She regularly vends at the East End Farmers Market on the Navigation Esplanade and at other East End events and celebrations.
She is a member of the East End Chamber of Commerce and an alumna of Incarnate Word Academy, and studied at Rice University. Ms. Garcia has a background in community and public health with the University of Houston Science Center.
She currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.
Joel K. North, Jr.
Mr. North is the principal and president of Troika Consulting Inc. in Houston, Texas, which specializes in real estate and development opportunities for nonprofit and for-profit developers that are financed using public funds such as tax credits and CDBG grant funding. Additionally, Troika provides technical assistance to nonprofit and for-profit developers regarding government regulatory requirements for Federal, State, and Local government funding.
Before Troika, Mr. North worked for nine years at the City of Houston, ultimately serving as Deputy Director for Housing and Community Development, overseeing public funding and grants. Mr. North also worked for seven years in the banking and real estate financing arena.
He currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.
Roberto Trevino, P.E.
Mr. Trevino currently serves as the Executive Director of the Harris County Toll Road Authority, overseeing the operation and maintenance of a 103-mile (165.8 km) toll road system in the Houston/Harris County area. Prior to that, Mr. Trevino served as Executive Vice President of METRO’s Planning, Engineering and Construction department in 2014.
Roberto holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of Texas.
He currently serves on the board of UP Community Impact Fund Corp.