Our Staff
Keith Banks
Keith Banks serves as the Executive Director of Reba Place Development Corporation. He brings over thirty years of experience serving in the financial services arena working as an Accountant, Financial Services Manager, and performing upper level management for major corporations. Keith is an alumni of Leadership Evanston and has served on numerous local community boards, acting in leadership positions from Treasurer to Board Chairman. He is a passionate advocate for affordable housing. Keith grew up on the south side of Chicago in the Chatham and Pullman neighborhoods and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois in Accounting. Besides his work with RPDC, Keith also serves his community as an Independent Insurance Agent & Tax Consultant. He is an ordained Elder and active community member at Restoration Christian Fellowship in Skokie, Illinois. Keith has lived in Evanston for many years and has raised three children with his wife, Reverend Rosemarie Banks.
Martha Burns
Martha Burns serves as a Staff Associate for Reba Place Development Corporation. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to RPDC from years of work with CEDA (the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, Inc.) where she advocated for community members through housing, employment, and case management initiatives. Martha has worked as a political consultant for several local and state campaigns. She has been an active community member to effect positive change through work with the Evanston Township High School District 202 School Board, PTAs, Oakton Community College, and OPAL. Martha and her family live in Evanston.
David Janzen
David Janzen currently serves as the President of the Reba Place Development Corporation Board of Directors and works as an Assistant and Advisor on the RPDC staff. David has been an Evanston resident since moving into the Reba Place Fellowship neighborhood in 1984 with his wife and two children. He directed RPDC from its inception in 1996 until 2014. Prior to working with RPDC, David studied at Bethel College and Harvard Divinity school and earned an MA in history from the University of Kansas. He and his wife helped found New Creation Fellowship in Newton, Kansas prior to moving to Evanston. David is passionate about community building and advocacy and has spent time serving as Director and writer for the Nurturing Communities Network.