July 7, 2025
As someone who has been an advocate for others, Celina Pacana always knew she wanted to build a career in community development. Being a first-generation college graduate from Manila, Philippines, Celina understood the importance of building economic mobility and wanted to accomplish this by choosing a role that would make an impact.
Starting her career during the pandemic gave Celina a unique lens in understanding equitable community development. As the Assistant Program Manager at Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and the Assistant Program Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Celina saw the strong connection between economic outcomes and housing stability. Although these two roles gave Celina a strong start to pursue her calling, she recognized there was a larger gap that needed to be addressed across the state of California.
Celina learned about Merritt through a partnership with HDTI, which reinforced the link she had previously recognized between economic outcomes and housing stability. She was attracted to Merritt’s investment in both people and housing. Although she liked the idea of actively working to solve California’s housing crisis, she loved the idea of doing so with a “people first” approach – one of Merritt’s core values.
In 2023, Celina took on the new role of Impact Manager at Merritt, where she was tasked with overseeing all of Merritt’s programs under the Commitment to California (C2C) initiative. C2C was launched in 2022 to attract, train, and retain current and future housing professionals with scholarships, internships, career development, and innovative engagement. It was founded with the understanding that solving the affordable housing crisis requires significant investments in the next generation of affordable housers.
C2C programs are continuously being defined and refined, a perfect fit for Celina’s nimble, adaptive nature. She consciously evaluates the impact of C2C programs, ensuring they meet the industry’s changing needs. Celina recently said, “Building a career in affordable housing entails a personal commitment to strengthening our communities. It’s critical that we continuously invest in mission-oriented professionals who are dedicated to keeping our neighbors housed.”
Getting the opportunity to manage different C2C programs has allowed Celina to see how an investment in community impacts people at the individual level. She loves being able to connect with fellow emerging leaders who share similar experiences in navigating early career challenges.
Merritt is intentional about carrying out its mission through carefully thought-out programs, but the personal touch behind C2C is what truly drives its impact. This is another area where Celina naturally embodies Merritt’s core values of “openness,” “trust,” and “kindness.”
During her time at Merritt, Celina has directly contributed to the growth of our various C2C programs: Merritt Scholars, Asset Manager Specialist + Training (AMS+), Housing Development Training Institute (HDTI), the launching of a property management training program, and other ongoing initiatives with our partners across the affordable housing space. As Merritt is a connector of partners who are doing similar work across a vast range of programs, Celina works hard to collaborate with other organizations to continue uplifting every corner of the housing workforce.
When asked about what she is most proud of during her journey at Merritt, Celina emphasized how much the Merritt Scholars program has deepened its impact over time. From the equitable review process in carefully selecting scholars and mentors to elevating program content and increasing opportunities for peer networking, Celina is proud to be a part of the growth that Merritt Scholars has undergone in a short period of time.
Over the past three years, the Merritt Scholars program has supported 56 scholars — with 75% actively pursuing or expressing interest in careers in the affordable housing industry. Many of these scholars have a personal journey or have experienced housing instability, which has inspired them to make significant changes with a lasting impact on future generations.
In just two years, Celina’s role has evolved into a much more strategic capacity, as C2C is Merritt’s largest and most high-impact initiative, with the following focus areas: amplifying our community impact, deepening our industry partnerships, differentiating our value from other syndicators, and supporting the overall efficiency and productivity of our sector.
Today, Celina closely partners with our leadership team to not only continuously strengthen C2C’s programmatic impact but also to deepen our relationships with community and industry partners whose workforce we support through C2C programs.
About Merritt Community Capital Corporation
Merritt Community Capital Corporation is a mission-oriented affordable housing funder that serves the state of California. For more than 35 years, Merritt has been a trusted partner, investing more than $1.6 billion and creating over 12,000 affordable homes across California. Beyond investing in properties, Merritt invests in people. Through its Commitment to California initiative (C2C), Merritt proudly spearheads programs across the state that attract, train, and retain current and future affordable housers.
Merritt is also the west coast member of the National Association of State and Local Equity Funds (NASLEF), which promotes the efficient management of state and local equity funds. By partnering with mission-aligned organizations and developers in the affordable housing space, Merritt ensures the most critical communities are developed and maintained for low-income residents.