Board of Directors

Hon. Eliezer Rodriguez serves as a member of the Acacia Network Board of Directors. Born in Orocovis, Puerto Rico, his family subsequently moved to Philadelphia, PA. At age 17, he joined the Army, where he earned his Sergeant stripes in less than two years. After his tour of duty, Mr. Rodriguez attended Kansas State University and graduated with a B.A. degree in Speech, Pre-Law and Social Science. He also received a certificate for completing the Senior Institute of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Program at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. He moved to New York in 1986, where he pursued a career in the Department of Sanitation for several years, before resigning to attend law school in 1996. While attending the City University of New York School of Law, Mr. Rodriguez co-founded the Main Street Student Legal Defense Fund (M$$LDF) to help interns in their service to indigent clients and to increase alumni involvement in public interest law. In September 2000, he created Project Club Clemente, Inc., which seeks to promote, create awareness, and celebrate the legacy of Mr. Robert Clemente, the first Hispanic selected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As a solo practitioner, Mr. Rodriguez specializes in Real Estate, Matrimonial & Family Law, Wills and MCI, and J-51 Benefits. He is an active member of several Bar Associations, including the Puerto Rican Bar Association, The Dominican Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, New York County Lawyer’s Association, and the Bronx County Bar Association. In 2013 and again in 2015, he was elected to a one-year term on New York City’s YMCA Board of Directors. In his spare time, he is very active in his community. Eli, as he is known by his friends, is a dedicated family man and lives in the Bronx with his wife Fiordaliza (a Judge in The Bronx Family Court) and their children, Miguel Clemente and Cristian Marin.

Wilfred Renta has dedicated his career to public service in New York City. After his Army discharge in 1970, he worked at South Brooklyn Community Corporation as a Bookkeeper and Fiscal Officer, and later joined the firm of Victor Tractenberg CPA, which monitors and provides oversight of the Community Corporation in Brooklyn, part of CAP (Council Against Poverty). After his tenure with the CPA firm, he served as the Director of the Technical Assistance Unit at New York City’s Community Development Agency (CDA, which is known today as the Department of Youth and Community Development, DYCD). In 1979, he joined the East Harlem Council for Community Improvement (EHCCI), where he moved up the ranks during his 15-year tenure at the organization. In 1996, he took his work to the Bronx where he joined the Neighborhood Association for Intercultural Affairs (NAICA), where he served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). At NAICA, Mr. Renta helped lead a team of public service professionals that serve adults, families and seniors while providing culturally sensitive services to adults, youth, seniors, and families facing eviction. He currently serves as the Treasurer of Acacia Network’s Board and is a member of the Finance and Auditing committees. Outside of the office, Mr. Renta has been part of the 111th Street Boys Stickball Organization for 25 years, where he has helped organize the well-known 111th Street “Old Timers Day,” a yearly community celebration that is nearing its 53rd anniversary. His extensive list of accomplishments throughout his career is unmatched by his dedication to mobilize the communities he serves.

Walter Mack is a member of the Acacia Network Board of Directors. Mr. Mack presently serves as Managing Partner at Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack in New York, NY, where he has worked for over 25 years, representing clients in a wide range of matters including white-collar criminal defense and complex commercial litigation. Among other accomplishments, he established the Compliance Practice Group which handles monitorships and other compliance-related projects. Prior to his tenure at Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack, Mr. Mack served as Deputy Commissioner, Internal Affairs Bureau of the New York City Police Department, responsible for all investigations of corruption and criminal brutality matters, interaction with the Mallen Commission, and modification of corruption methodologies within the Department. He also worked as Associate General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Shearson-Lehman Brothers in New York City, and served for nearly 15 years as Assistant United States Attorney of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York. Mr. Mack was a Captain of the United States Marine Corps. He obtained his Juris Doctor at the Columbia University School of Law, and his A.B. at Harvard College, Cambridge, MA. He is admitted to practice law in New York, as well as the United States District Courts, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Vilma Huertas is a distinguished public servant and accomplished legal professional with over three decades of experience in public housing, compliance, and governance. Most recently, she was appointed Special Advisor for Corporate Governance and Audit in June 2025. In this role, she provides strategic guidance on corporate governance and audit matters, including Board oversight and accountability, and oversees the Office of the Corporate Secretary and the Department of Internal Audit and Assessment. Prior to this appointment, Vilma held several senior leadership roles at NYCHA. Most notably, she served as Special Advisor to the CEO and Special Advisor to the Chair, where she oversaw Board operations as well as other special initiatives for the Office of the CEO (and earlier, the Office of the Chair/CEO). This followed her tenure as Executive Vice President for Compliance and Chief Compliance Officer, where she helped establish NYCHA’s first Compliance Department. Her extensive history with the agency also includes serving as Corporate Secretary to the Board. In that capacity, she acted as a key advisor to Board Members and a conduit between the Board and the executive team while overseeing the Office of Impartial Hearings, the Guardian Ad Litem Unit, and the Calendar and Documents Unit. Earlier in her career, she served as Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, following roles as the department’s Legislative Liaison and Deputy Director. Before joining NYCHA, Vilma held several public service and nonprofit leadership positions, including Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, Chief of Staff in the New York State Assembly, and Assistant Housing Director and Director of Economic Development for a large non-profit organization. On the academic front, Vilma holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University and a Juris Doctor from the City University of New York School of Law. She is also a graduate of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ Management Academy. Throughout her career, her contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including City & State’s Above & Beyond Award and the Democratic Party of Kings County Woman of the Year Award.

Federico Perez serves as a member of the Acacia Network Board of Directors. A seasoned public service professional with 30+ years of experience in civic engagement, he brings extensive knowledge in the areas of public affairs, program management for community-based organizations, community activism, and education. For nearly 12 years, he served as Director of Special Projects and Events at the Office of U.S. Congressman Jose E. Serrano in the Bronx, New York, where he established and developed relationships with community-based organizations and represented the Congressman’s office with various constituencies, among other key initiatives and responsibilities. Prior to his tenure at the Office of Congressman Serrano, Mr. Perez worked as a Teacher through the NYC Department of Education at P.S. 30X in the Bronx. He also held leadership positions at the Hunts Point Multi-Service Center, Bronx Venture Corporation, and the Puerto Rican Community Development Project, Inc. Further, Mr. Perez served as a NYC Councilman for District 17th in the Bronx in 1997, and as President of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in 1974 and from 1980-86. Mr. Perez possesses an MS in Education & Urban Development from Long Island University at Mercy College, a BS in Psychology from Mercy College, and an AA in Liberal Arts from Bronx Community College.