Karen Rebaza oversees the Welcome Home, Boston initiative and the management and operations of the Boston Home Center.

She is an experienced and respected community banking leader in Greater Boston. Most recently, she served as a Vice President, Residential Community Development Officer at Rockland Trust, where she specialized in working with first-time home buyers. Prior to working at Rockland Trust, she served as the Assistant Director of the Boston Home Center, helping to launch the discounted One+Boston mortgage product.

Rebaza's role at the Boston Home Center merges her passion for community building with her background in the residential mortgage field. As Vice President for Residential and Community Development for Rockland Trust, she was responsible for growing Rockland Trust’s first-time home buyer efforts by providing educational workshops, working with community housing organizations, and exploring opportunities to expand its residential mortgage product and program offerings. 

In her previous experience with the Office of Housing, she served as the Assistant Director for Homebuyer Services, during which time she helped launch the ONE+Boston mortgage product, managed the Neighborhood Homes Initiative, which uses City-owned land to create affordable homeownership opportunities for Boston residents, and directed the Home Center’s foreclosure assistance and financial assistance programs. Prior to this role, Ms. Rebaza worked at Rockland Trust as a Vice President and Citizens Bank as a Senior Loan officer. Throughout her extensive career in the residential mortgage field, she specialized in CRA community lending, focusing on the first-time homebuyer programs in an effort to increase home ownership among Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Massachusetts. Because of her passion and dedication to the community and efforts to narrow the home ownership gap, she has received multiple awards throughout her career recognizing her work in the mortgage field as well as her dedication to the community.

She has also served as a member of the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) Selection Committee, and the Advisory Board at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Karen Rebaza lives in East Boston with her family and is deeply involved in advocating for the Boston community. She currently serves on the board of advisors for the East Boston YMCA, the advisory board for MAHA’s STASH Program, and board of advisors of Latina Center Maria.