The Evolution of SITE.
From Crisis to Certification: Building Kansas City’s Newest CHDO
Our Story
Founded in 2014, SITE has evolved from workforce development programming into comprehensive community development. We recognized that workforce training, housing creation, and land restoration work better together than separately.
Kansas City recognized this integrated approach. HUD granted us CHDO certification, a rare designation that demonstrates our capacity for housing development and community accountability. This certification positions us among the few organizations in Kansas City with this level of housing development authority.
With CHDO status and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) support, we’re deploying programs that connect workforce training to actual housing projects. We’re building homes. We’re training builders. We’re preparing land. And we’re doing it in a way that creates lasting community capacity.
Leadership
Zachary Oshinbanjo, Executive Director
Zachary brings military operations experience, federal grant management expertise, and entrepreneurial background to SITE’s leadership.
His military service taught him how to coordinate complex projects with limited resources. Federal work managing research contracts demonstrated he could handle regulatory compliance and multi-stakeholder coordination. Entrepreneurial experience building veteran transition systems showed he could create new models that don’t fit existing categories.
As Executive Director, Zachary leads SITE’s integrated approach to workforce development, housing creation, and land restoration. He holds an MBA from Ottawa University and a BA in Psychology from UMKC.
Board of Directors
SITE’s board brings diverse professional experience across construction, education, business, and community development.
- David Rentie, Chairman
- Tameka Williamson, Secretary
- Eddie Henderson
- Sheila Frazier
- Martha Thompson
- Tilmon Steward
- Torey Crawford
- Darlene O’Neal
- Donald Sweeney
Click each board member for full biography.
Foundation and Crisis
2014-2023
SITE spent nearly a decade building Kansas City’s workforce development infrastructure, connecting underrepresented communities to STEM careers and advanced manufacturing. Then COVID-19 brought an existential crisis. Revenue collapsed. Operations scaled to bare essentials. The organizational account balance reached $926.85. But that crisis forced a fundamental question: what if workforce development, affordable housing, and environmental remediation weren’t three separate problems but one integrated system? Direct experience navigating disability, accessibility barriers, and housing challenges revealed the profound gap between what Kansas City’s communities needed and what existing systems provided. SITE made the strategic call to evolve rather than contract—integrating workforce expertise with housing production and environmental stewardship into a single operational model.
Certification and Deployment
2024
In April 2024, new leadership brought military operations discipline and federal grant management expertise to execute the transformation. Eight months later, HUD granted CHDO certification—validating SITE’s integrated approach. Kansas City awarded $415,000 in coordinated CDBG and HOME funding across workforce, housing, and land preparation. Bridge financing partnerships eliminated reimbursement delays. Technical partnerships provided specialized expertise that SITE’s scale couldn’t maintain internally. From crisis to deployment.
Scale
2026+
SITE is working on: Terrace Lake Pilot Development (3 accessible homes), workforce training for 45 participants launching Spring 2026, and EPA Brownfield Land Remediation. We envision a systematic pipeline converting over 1,000 Kansas City brownfield sites into development-ready parcels while building permanent community capacity for environmental assessment, accessible construction, and neighborhood-controlled housing production. This isn’t about providing services; it’s about building systems that communities control.
We Are:
Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO)
HUD-certified CHDO with demonstrated capacity for housing development. This rare designation provides access to dedicated resources and positions SITE among the few organizations in Kansas City with this housing development authority.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
Creating opportunity through workforce development and community building.
Certifications
HUD Certified Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO)
Certified December 2024 as Kansas City’s newest CHDO with demonstrated capacity for affordable housing development, community accountability, and federal compliance.
501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
Creating opportunity through education and development since 2014.
Certified Workforce Development Provider
Integrated training for environmental assessment and accessible construction meeting industry standards.