Gary Ponder has spent more than 14 years developing, managing, evaluating and providing technical assistance for federal, state and local governments.   Mr. Ponder has a wealth of knowledge regarding public sector community development programs balanced with private sector management experience. This balance of application and practice provides Mr. Ponder      with the ability to apply comprehensive solutions to the needs of clients and stake holders.  In 1998, Mr. Ponder was selected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to serve as a   Community Builder Fellow in the New Orleans, LA HUD Field Office.  Mr. Ponder has worked as a consultant for international management consulting firms KPMG and Lockheed Martin.  He served as the Central   Region Manager for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and led a core team of management representatives as Neighborhood Services Coordinator with the Executive Office of the Mayor for   the District of Columbia. Mr. Ponder has developed an extensive network of resources that he employs to support client needs and add value to the communities he serves.  "My  community building work in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas prior to the catastrophic events of 2005 in the Gulf Coast region provided me with a unique understanding of the complex needs, cultures and institutions for rebuilding along the Gulf Coast". In 2006 Gary Ponder served as a Planning and Technical Assistance Consultant with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA.  Gary was assigned to the St. Bernard Parish, which is adjacent to the south of New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward.  As a result of hurricanes Rita and Katrina, 100% of the buildings in St. Bernard Parish were damaged.  Gary was assigned the role of lead economic development contractor for the Parish.  In this role, Gary worked with the federal, state and local stakeholders to draft pilot projects that would jump start the economic recovery of St. Bernard Parish.

"My work involves providing  technical and non technical solutions to address issues in the public sector." Gary Ponder is the recipient of an executive education certificate from Harvard University's J.F.K. School of Government and was awarded a National Violence Prevention Practitioner Certificate, through the Harvard University School of Public Health.  Mr. Ponder holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bowie State University and has completed his course requirements toward earning his Master of Science Degree in Organizational Development from the American University in Washington, D.C.

GARY PONDER