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Friend of Housing Award
Commissioners
The Washington State Housing Finance Commission is a volunteer board appointed
by the governor to represent various geographic, business, and public interests.
Enabling Legislation 43.180 RCW
KAREN MILLER, Commission Chair
Karen lives in Mountlake Terrace and is retired from the Snohomish County
Council where she represented the 4th County Council District for six
years. She served as Chair of the Council for two years and as Chair of
the Law and Justice and Human Services Committee. She served as
President of the Washington Association of Counties in 1996. Karen
presently serves on the Foundation Board of Edmonds Community College
and is a past President of the Trustees Association of Community and
Technical Colleges in the state of Washington.
Karen is the past
President of the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington and she also
served as the 2006 and 2007 President of the National Council of State
Housing Boards and currently serves on the NCSHB Board. She was
appointed to the Commission in 1997 and appointed Chair in September of
1999.
BRIAN BONLENDER, Director, Department of Commerce
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DAN McCONNON, Department of Commerce, designee
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JAMES L. McINTIRE, Washington State Treasurer, ex officio
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ELLEN EVANS, Commissioner Designee,
State Treasurer’s Office
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BETH BAUM, Commissioner,
At-Large
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DENNIS KLOIDA, Commissioner, Labor Interests Representative
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M.A. LEONARD,
Commissioner, Public Member
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STEVEN MOSS, Nonprofit and
Housing Consumer
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FAOUZI SEFRIOUI, Commissioner, Housing Consumer Interests Representative
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GABE SPENCER, Commissioner, Publicly Elected
Official Representative
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PAM TIETZ, Commissioner, Public Member
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MARIO VILLANUEVA, Commissioner, Public Member
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Brian
Bonlender was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee as Director of the
Department of Commerce in January 2013. A Yakima native, Bonlender
served as Inslee’s chief-of-staff and legislative director, running
the congressman’s office and acting as his primary advisor on
economic issues. Bonlender worked on legislation and policy in a
range of industries including agriculture, life sciences,
information technology, aerospace, maritime and clean energy. He
brings nearly 20 years of public and private experience to his new
post, including as a regulatory compliance consultant for industries
across the state and as an advisor to a clean tech startup. He has a
Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University. Brian
lives in Seattle with his wife and two children.
Dan is the Deputy Director for Community Services and Housing at the
Department of Commerce. In May 2010, Dan was appointed by the Director
of Commerce to serve as the Commerce designee to the Washington State
Housing Finance Commission. Prior to joining Commerce in 2008, Dan was
the Vice President for Workforce Education at Walla Walla Community
College. Dan has held several other executive positions at community
colleges in Texas, Mississippi, and Iowa. He also spent ten years as
Director of Workforce Education at the Washington State Board for
Community and Technical Colleges. Currently, Dan chairs the Interagency
Council on Homelessness and serves on the Washington Families Fund
Steering Committee, the WorkFirst Subcabinet, the Family Policy Council,
the Justice Assistance Grant Advisory Council, and the Workforce
Training and Education Coordinating Board. In the past, he has served on
the Governor’s Small Business Improvement Council, the Evergreen Jobs
Leadership Team, and the Washington State Workforce Education Council.
Dan completed his coursework for a doctorate in educational leadership
at Gonzaga University, has an MBA from Nova University, and a bachelor's
degree in business administration from Eastern Oregon State College. He
resides in Dupont.
James McIntire was elected as Washington’s 22nd State Treasurer in 2008.
Prior to this election, he was a successful business economist for
Navigant Consulting Inc. McIntire earned his PhD in economics at the
University of Washington, where he founded and directed a fiscal policy
center and taught economics for 25 years. He began his political career
working in the U.S. Senate for Hubert Humphrey, and served as a policy
advisor to congressional committee chairmen and Washington governors. He
has chaired statewide boards for economic development and nonprofit
housing. He served five terms as a State Representative. During his
service he was chair of the Finance committee, LEAP, and the Economic
and Revenue Council as well as serving as vice-chair on several other
committees. Currently, as State Treasurer he serves on various boards
and commissions, including the State Investment Board and the State
Finance Committee. 
Ellen Evans is Deputy Treasurer – Debt Management of the State of
Washington. Ellen was appointed by Treasurer McIntire to serve as the
Treasurer’s designee to the Commission in February 2011. She is
responsible for managing all aspects of debt issuance by the state and
participates in financial policymaking on a broad range of issues.
Trained as an economist, her professional experience has been largely in
institutional finance with Seattle-Northwest Securities, Salomon
Brothers, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the United Nations.
She lives in Seattle.
Beth is the Manager of Enterprise Planning and Analysis at
the Weyerhaeuser Company, and former chair of Weyerhaeuser Foundation
Sea-Tac Advisory Team. Beth held several energy related positions before
joining Weyerhaeuser. She now forecasts financial performance of a $6.5
billion forest products company to inform senior management and support
financial and strategic initiatives. She communicates financial results
to the investment community.
Dennis was appointed to the Commission in April 2003. Dennis is a
Journeyman Steamfitter, UA Local 26. He was formerly the Administrator
of Local 26 Educational Development Trust and Training Coordinator for
the Southwest Washington Pipe Trade Joint Apprenticeship and Training
Committee. He formerly served on the Washington State Labor Council,
AFL-CIO Educational, Training and Apprenticeship Committee and the
Clover Park Technical College General Advisory Committee. Dennis lives
in University Place.
M.A. Leonard is currently the Vice President and the Impact Market
Leader for the Pacific Northwest with Enterprise Community Partners.
M.A. Leonard was formerly a Vice President for the National Equity Fund
(NEF). Prior to opening NEF’s Northwest office in 1998, she was
affiliated with Puget Sound LISC, leading to creation of the Washington
Community Development Loan Fund, now known as Impact Capital. Between
1982 and 1990, she managed development of over 1500 units of housing for
the Seattle Housing Authority. Prior to coming to Washington, she
developed affordable housing in Eugene, Oregon, and was involved in
housing policy and planning activities in both Oregon and upstate New
York. Leonard was appointed to the Washington State Housing Finance
Commission in July 2007. Prior and current service on boards and
committees include: Common Ground Board; Washington Community
Reinvestment Association Board, Rainier Valley Community Development
Fund Loan Committee; Seattle Investment Fund Advisory Board and
Investment Committee ; State Housing Trust Fund Policy Advisory Team;
Historic Seattle Council; Bank of America Rural Advisory Committee;
Technical Advisory Panel to the State Task Force for Housing for Seniors
and Persons with Disabilities; Early Childhood Education Center Board
and the Seattle Housing Levy Oversight Committee. She is a graduate of
the University of Illinois, completed the Masters Program in Regional
Planning at Cornell University, and resides in Seattle.
Steve is the Chief Executive Officer of the Blue Mountain Action
Council. He is former Board President of Washington State Community
Action Partnership; former Board President and current Board member of
the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless; former Board member
of the Washington State Rural Development Council; former Board
Treasurer of the Washington Low-Income Housing Network and a current
Board member of the Eastern Washington Partnership Workforce Development
Council.
Faouzi
is founder, president and CEO of A & Y Property Investments, a real estate
development and management company. He is also the co-founder of the
Evergreen Point Development Company. Faouzi is vice-chairman of the CTED
African Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest and advises several
African entities on low-income housing development issues. He is the
founder of the SB Foundation, which provides computers and computer
technology to impoverished African schools. Faouzi was appointed by
Governor Christine Gregoire to the Commission in August 2005. He lives
in Woodinville.
Gabe
is currently in his 2nd term of office as the Skamania County Assessor. Prior to
being elected, Gabe worked in the office as a residential and commercial
appraiser. He is currently the chair of the Columbia Gorge Housing Authority and
a board member on the Skamania County Workforce Housing committee. He is also a
committee member of the Washington State Association of County Assessors
(Assessment Administration and Timber Committees), statewide. He resides in
Stevenson with his wife Maria and their four children.
Pam
Tietz serves as the Executive Director for the Housing Authority of the County
of Clallam. Pam is founding member of the Clallam County Shelter Provider’s
Network and serves on the Clallam County Homelessness Task Force. She has more
than 20 years of affordable housing experience, previously working for Alaska
Housing Finance Corporation and the Bremerton Housing Authority. Pam was
appointed to the Commission on October 1, 2009. She resides in Port Angeles.
Mario
Villanueva was appointed as State Director for USDA Rural Development by
President Barack Obama In August 2009. For the previous 30 years, he worked in
the areas of affordable housing, community and economic development and social
services in many rural communities in central and eastern Washington. For 23
years he worked for 3 different rural, community/faith based nonprofit
organizations focused on serving low and moderate income populations. Fourteen
years of his nonprofit experience have been at the executive level. Prior to his
nonprofit work, he also worked 7 years managing his own business as a licensed
general contractor. Mario served as past President of the Washington State
Farmworker Housing Trust, as a board member of Impact Capital, a board member
for the Washington State Low Income Housing Alliance, a member of the Affordable
Housing Program Advisory Council for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle and
on two housing advisory task forces for past Governor Gary Locke and current
Governor Christine Gregoire. Mario was appointed to the Commission in 2007 and
lives in Tumwater.05/22/2013