Carol J. Ornelas

Carol J. Ornelas is a visionary and advocate for providing quality “affordable housing” for families within the Central Valley – Fresno, San Joaquin, Sacramento, and Stanislaus. For the past 40 years, she has been the Chief Executive Officer for Visionary Home Builders of California, Inc. (VHB), a non-profit residential development company headquartered in Stockton, California. 

Carol Ornelas serves with distinction as the first female developer in the Central Valley and is highly recognized as a national leader in the non-profit housing development community. Her strength is in building and creating partnerships within the communities she serves and collaborating with City, State, and National officials to provide quality “affordable housing.” Under Carol’s direct leadership, VHB has built and rehabilitated more than 1,500 units of rental housing and more than 1000 residential homes for first time homebuyers in the Central Valley of California. She has been able to bring over $850 million in grants and private dollars to develop affordable housing in the San Joaquin Valley. 

In addition, the VHB Homeownership and Rental Center was established in 1999 to provide educational opportunities to community residents seeking guidance on purchasing a home, with special emphasis on financial responsibility, understanding mortgage and lending, as well as general education for sustaining a healthy home and lifestyle. The Homeownership and Rental Center has also assisted thousands of families through the foreclosure and loan modification process.

In 2010, Carol was one of 49 leaders nationwide selected to participate in the NeighborWorks® Achieving Excellence in Community.