Marissa Ashkar

Marissa brings over fifteen years of experience in legal practice and community-centered housing work to PathLight Law, with a focus on civil litigation, entity formation, cooperative governance, nonprofit real estate acquisitions, and regulatory compliance. She co-founded the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative (EB PREC), a nationally recognized model for community-owned real estate, the People of Color Sustainable Housing Network (4,000+ members advancing POC-centered cooperative housing), and the Community Co-Ownership Initiative, where she trained resident groups on cooperative ownership and governance.

At Northern California Land Trust, she served seven years managing legal compliance and property management for a multi-million dollar portfolio while advancing cooperative conversions and land trust projects. Marissa’s passion for collective land stewardship extends to the intersections of food, housing, Indigenous leadership, environmental care, and mission-driven enterprises. She completed the CalCore Program in community-owned real estate and holds a J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. She is based in Ventura County, California. For Marissa, an especially good day involves freshly juiced local oranges, bird song, and time with her teenage son, an artist she’s immensely proud of.