Biography

Mr. Victor Merced is the Executive Director of Hacienda Community Development Corporation (Hacienda CDC). Victor comes to Hacienda CDC as a seasoned leader of social justice issues in a variety of government, philanthropic and non-profit sectors. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the ghetto of South Bronx, New York, Victor developed an early passion for Latino and housing advocacy. He first embarked on his journey as a leader in housing and community development at just 21 when he served as the Director of the People’s Development Corporation in South Bronx. Since then, Merced has held a number of relevant leadership positions, including Executive Director of the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement; Deputy Administrator of the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Adult and Family Services Division; and as the Senior Program Officer at Meyer Memorial Trust. Most recently he served as the state’s Director of the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department where he led the department in the development of over 8,000 low-income, multi-family housing units and the preservation of 3,000 expiring low-income units in vulnerable population groups. Victor’s academic degrees include: Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law (1985) and Bachelor of Science in Housing and Urban Development from Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York (1982).