The Hartford Land Bank identifies and acquires vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent and/or distressed properties in the City of Hartford, Connecticut, to steward their rehabilitation and return to productive community assets. Hartford Land Bank, Inc. is a non-profit corporation.
Marcus Ordoñez, Executive Director
Marcus Ordoñez is the Executive Director of the Hartford Land Bank. He served as Interim Executive Director from December 2023 to June 2024.
A resident of Hartford, he is co-chair of the Frog Hollow NRZ (Neighborhood Revitalization Zone) and serves on the board of The Betty Knox Foundation.
Early in his career, he worked as an eLearning Developer at IBM. Marcus has since transitioned to real estate and community development. He worked with a grant program at the Hartford Public Library teaching digital literacy and consulted during the land bank’s first property acquisition in 2021. He was also a member of HLB’s inaugural Developer Cohort Program in 2021.
Marcus earned his B.A. in Information Science from the State University of New York at Albany.
Staff
Tyler Havens, Construction & Programs Manager
Formerly the Hartford Land Bank’s Community & Program Intern, Tyler is HLB’s Construction & Programs Manager.
Tyler grew up in Hartford County and obtained a B.S. in Business Management from Providence College. Concurrent with his internship at HLB, Tyler pursued and received his M.A. in Public Administration from UConn, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. He also served as a Graduate Assistant for UConn’s Innovation House and worked as a consultant for Keney Park prior to his internship.
Prior to joining HLB he was involved in various AmeriCorps programs, completing two years of volunteer service across the U.S. then moving to New Orleans, LA.
In his role with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Tyler performed home renovations for low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners. He saw firsthand how property rehabilitation and home ownership strengthened communities and he aims to continue these efforts in Hartford.
In another post-AmeriCorps role as the Volunteer Manager at New Orleans City Park, Tyler worked with community volunteers to perform a variety of park improvement projects with the intention to create a more inviting public space for all people to utilize. Tyler believes strongly in the importance of engaging communities, gathering citizen input, and accessibility to green space.
With prior experience in home building, conservation, and public policy, he is eager to help build a more just future for Hartford citizens and surrounding communities.
Board of Directors
Melvyn Colon, Chairperson
Melvyn is the Executive Director of Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance and lives in the South End neighborhood of Hartford.
Steve Harris, Secretary
Steve is a retired City of Hartford firefighter and lives in the Northeast neighborhood of Hartford.
Jim Horan
Jim is Executive Director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
Michael Perez
Micahel is the Director of Blight Remediation for the City of Hartford.
Violette Haldane
Violette is a realtor serving the Greater Hartford community.
Georgiana ‘Jean’ Holloway
Jean is a Commissioner of the Metropolitan District Commission. She lives in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood of Hartford, where she is Vice Chair of the Clay Arsenal Neighborhood Revitalization Zone.
Jen Hockenhull, CPA, Treasurer
Jen currently serves as the Director of Finance for Adult Congenital Heart Assocation, a national non-profit organization and lives in the West End of Hartford.