Our Team
Susan Slingluff Hartmann
Executive Director
Ms. Susan Slingluff Hartmann is a cross-sector specialist with 16 years of experience in urban planning, local economic development, multi-agency partnerships, public engagement, and neighborhood revitalization. She has developed technical proficiency in strategic and long-range planning, commercial revitalization, public sector consulting, facilitation, and program management. Most recently, she served as a Senior Program Director with Enterprise Advisors, the mission-driven consulting division of Enterprise Community Partners. In this capacity, she led initiatives to enhance cross-sector collective impact collaborations to achieve equitable outcomes in education, housing, and neighborhood development for students and families across the nation. Furthermore, she devised a comprehensive assessment and strategic planning framework to support cities in recovering equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic. Her contributions included providing technical assistance to cities and states addressing challenges related to economic decline, affordable housing, and neighborhood disinvestment.
David Varnado
Senior Program and Operations Manager
David Varnado, a College Park native, brings over a decade of experience in program management, community engagement, and strategic partnerships with a focus on STEM education. A proud HBCU graduate, he holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. Upon graduation, he returned home to serve his community. He dedicated his time to youth development as a Special Olympics coach and joined his local Boys and Girls as a coach and Executive Board Member. David brings a proven track record of successful programming from various large non-profit organizations and most recently held the position of Director at iCode Schools.
Tawfiq Abdul-Karim
Senior Associate for the Community Preservation Trust
Tawfiq Abdul-Karim is the Senior Associate for the Community Preservation Trust, a program of the College Park City-University Partnership. He joined in June of 2023 to support the Trust’s innovative program focused on expanding affordable homeownership within the City of College Park.
Mr. Abdul-Karim is a Washington, DC native. He brings a passion for people, as well as a background in affordable housing. He graduated from Gettysburg College (BA in Sociology), where he competed in track and football, and The University of Maryland, College Park (MS in Real Estate Development). While completing his master’s degree, he interned at leading affordable housing developer NHP Foundation for two summers. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and The Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development Scholarship awardee.