About Chloe

Chloe J. Coney was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc. (CDC of Tampa, Inc.) from its creation in 1992 until May of 2006. She was one of the Founders and the first Chief Executive Officer.

Chloe Coney and her family members

Chloe's strategic vision for the CDC of Tampa, Inc. was for it to be a non-profit, community based, community-owned development corporation whose mission was to raise the economic, educational, and social levels of the residents of economically depressed areas of Hillsborough County.

She accomplished the goals by creating jobs, providing job training, building community pride, promoting entrepreneurship, developing youth leadership, revitalizing commercial areas and building affordable housing.

Rebuilding a Neighborhood "Brick by Brick"

The CDC's "Brick by Brick" Nehemiah Project spent a decade providing community and economic development services to East Tampa, bringing $30 million in public and private ventures to the community.

Under Mrs. Coney's leadership, the CDC successfully built a 2,700 square foot Laundromat and Ice Cream Shop run by the area's youth, rehabilitated an old bar into a 5,000 square foot Youth and Family Center and created an East Tampa Business Center which houses six small business incubator storefronts.

She also operated a One Stop Capital Center (24,000 square feet) that houses CDC's Administrative operations including the Career Resource Center, Business Resource Center and Housing Opportunity Center.

She was instrumental in bringing a much-needed financial institution, Suncoast Credit Union, to its new location at 1920 E Hillsborough Ave. Her latest project was raising $3 million to rebuild a old night club into an Urban Enterprise Center that will bring jobs into East Tampa.

Organization Earned National Recognition

The non-profit corporation enjoyed local, state, and national recognition for its revitalization and economic developments, which includes an Urban Infill Tax Credit Apartment Complex of 43 units of affordable housing for families. The CDC also has on its agenda a commitment to build 25 new single-family homes.

Previously, Mrs. Coney was the Center Manager of the Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center (Hillsborough County Department of Social Services), the largest at 36,000 square feet "One Stop Social and Medical Center" in Hillsborough County, Florida. As the Manager of the Center, Mrs. Coney led the effort to restore a sense of pride, ownership, and community in Tampa's Eastside neighborhoods.

She has served as the Seed Coordinator for the Department of Justice Tampa Weed and Seed Program. She has also worked as a Probation and Parole Officer with the Department of Corrections; Intake Counselor/Mediator with the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Hillsborough County; and Marketing Representative for Florida Power, Inc. in Clearwater, FL.

Chloe Has Served in Many Tampa And National Organizations

• Florida Affordable Housing Study Commission - Tallahassee, FL
• Tampa Bay Area Faith-Based Alliance - Technical Advisor
• Nat'l Center of Neighborhood Enterprise Board of Directors - Washington D.C.
• Nat'l Congress for Community Economic Development - Board of Directors -Washington, D.C.
• Neighborhood Lending Partners (NLP) - Board of Directors
• Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce - Board Member
• East Tampa Community Revitalization Partnership (ETCRP) - Executive Committee and Chairperson of Economic Development Committee.
• Hillsborough County United Way Self - Sufficiency Task Force
• USF - Community Partnership Center
• Hope IV Advisory Board Tampa Housing Authority
• FAMU Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce - Tallahassee, FL
• Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Leadership Tampa 2002
• Washington Mutual Bank Advisory Board

Some of her proudest achievements have been:

• the prestigious honor of being selected to the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame
• the University of South Florida President's Distinguished Citizen Award
• the Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce 2002 H.L. Culbreath Jr. Award for Leadership
• the Onyx Award for Community Service - Orlando, FL
• the NCCJ 2004 Silver Medallion Humanitarian Award
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Community Service Award
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unsung Hero Award for Community Service - TOBA
• Eddie Award for excellence, dedication and devotion by Hillsborough County District Schools
• the Achievement Against the Odds Award - NCNE Washington, D.C.
• the Ameritech Award of Excellence in Crime Prevention - Washington, D.C.

She Helps Communities Across the Nation

A thirty year veteran and advocate for community building and revitalizing of neighborhoods, she conducts workshops across the country. She also speaks at Women's retreats and churches about Christian Community Economic Development.

Mrs. Coney was featured in the "Beyond the Comfort Zone" section of the book "God Just Showed Up: "Stories of Hope In Everyday Experiences" by Linda Watkins.

She was educated in the Hillsborough County Public Schools, graduating from Hillsborough High School with honors. She has a B.A. in Sociology/Corrections, with honors, from Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, FL and a Master's Degree in Biblical Counseling from Florida Beacon Bible College in Largo, FL. She received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Blessed Hope Bible College, Tampa, FL.

She completed courses on Community, Housing and Economic Development from Development Training Institute (DTI), Neighborhood Leadership Development Institute (NCCED) and Neighborworks of America.

Mrs. Coney has been married for 36 years to Pastor Ernest Coney Sr., Senior Pastor of Spirit of Truth Ministries, and is the proud mother of three lovely children and two grandchildren.