Marissa Ashkar

Marissa brings fifteen years of experience in 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); and the Community Co-Ownership Initiative, where she trained resident groups on cooperative ownership.

Previously at Northern California Land Trust, she spent seven years managing legal compliance and property management for a multi-million dollar portfolio while advancing cooperative conversions and land trust projects. Her work sits at the intersections of food, housing, Indigenous leadership, and environmental care. She holds a J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law and completed the CalCore Program in community-owned real estate. Based in Ventura County, a good day for Marissa includes freshly juiced local oranges, birdsong, and time with her teenage son — an artist she’s immensely proud of.