Our Team

Yolanda Alvarado

CHair

Yolanda Alvarado is a native Houstonian who grew up in Houston’s East End and has lived in Idylwood for 25 years.  As a child, Yolanda learned the importance of community work.  She continued learning about community work and activism at the University of Houston’s Graduate School of Social Work where she earned her Masters of Social Work Degree.

Yolanda has been an activist in her local community and in the Greater Houston area for the last 40 years. She has worked on numerous political campaigns and voter registration programs.  

Blanca Blanco

Vice Chair

Blanca E. Blanco is independent financial advisor and has been advising and helping her clients and their families in achieving their financial goals for the past 15 years. She graduated from University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Masters in Business Administration.  She has been a financial advisor with major firms - Edward Jones, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Securities, and today she has established her own independent financial firm through Cetera Advisors, LLC, a network of independent financial advisors. 

Blanca lives and works in the East End and is a community leader in her area. She is involved in several civic organizations in her area.  She has been married to Alfredo Blanco for over 25 years and has two grown children and three grandchildren.

Elliot Barner

Treasurer/Secretary

Elliot Barner is a new resident of the Idylwood Subdivision in the East End Community. Elliot grew up in Mesquite, Texas and has lived in Houston for 10 years. 

Elliot earned his B.A. in Classics from Baylor University in 1998 and his law degree from South Texas College of Law in 2003.  Elliot has been an associate with Radcliffe Bobbitt Adams Polley PLLC since 2010. Elliot currently serves as general counsel, bond counsel and special counsel to various types of special districts and water districts. 

Elliot’s law practice follows his strong belief in community building and engagement, in which he strives to identify and implement the strongest solutions to the challenges and opportunities his clients face. Elliot is currently a member of several organizations, including the Houston Bar Association, the Administrative and Public Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, the National Association of Bond Lawyers and Association of Water Board Directors.  

In his personal time, Elliot enjoys traveling, attending live music events. 

Dan Joyce

Executive Director

Dan Joyce is a Houston-based lifestyle and editorial photographer who specializes in landscape, tourism and aerial imagery. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Sony Alpha Imaging Collective, an elite group of photographers and ambassadors for Sony’s digital imaging products. Dan serves as the Vice President for the East End District and Executive Director for the East End Houston Cultural District. He has been involved with the production of the annual East End Street Fest since 2014. When not behind a computer or a camera, Dan enjoys traveling, live music, and spending time with his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Jack and Lila.