Wanda Wilson (left); Andrea Boykowycz, Interim Director (right)
Wanda Wilson, who joined Oakland Planning and Development Corporation in 2009 as its fifth executive director, departed the organization at the end of November.
Over the course of her 13-year tenure, Wanda was responsible for building OPDC’s capacity to support community organizing and engagement and for professionalizing the organization with attention to marketing and communications and operational efficiencies.
Among her many notable programmatic accomplishments, she initiated, organized, and drove the completion of the Oakland 2025 Plan, the first comprehensive neighborhood plan since the Oakland Plan was originally drafted in 1979. Oakland 2025 articulated neighborhood priorities and gave rise to new neighborhood-serving organizations and initiatives, including Oakwatch: The Oakland Code Enforcement Project, which improves the quality of life in Oakland by bringing people and institutions together to identify code violations, advocate for their remediation, and monitor the outcomes.
Wanda was also a leader in the development of new affordable housing units both for rent and for sale. She led the renovation and redevelopment of Allequippa Place to create Oakland Affordable Living, adding 25 new units and expanding existing rental units. This Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project enabled OPDC to maintain affordability and keep Breachmenders’ original investment under community control. Wanda also founded and grew the Oakland Community Land Trust (CLT), an essential strategy for the community to expand paths to affordable homeownership and anchor Oakland’s vulnerable residential communities. Since its founding in 2018, the CLT has grown to include 14 members, with many more in the pipeline, including 4 new construction 4-bedroom homes on Frazier Street scheduled to be completed this spring.
OPDC Assistant Director Andrea Boykowycz will serve as interim director. Andrea is an Oakland native and homeowner with a 25-year career in non-profit management and a deep commitment to strengthening the neighborhood where she lives and works. Andrea served on OPDC’s board from 2006 through 2016 and joined the staff in 2017.
OPDC remains committed to the mission of building a better Oakland and helping neighbors thrive.
Please join us in thanking Wanda for her many years of service to the community.