Commissioners

The Commission is a volunteer board appointed by the governor to represent various geographic, business, and public interests.  Please contact us for high resolution photos.

Karen Miller, Chair, lives in Mountlake Terrace and is retired from the Snohomish County Council where she represented the 4th County Council District for six years. As Council member, Karen served as the Chair of the Law and Justice and Human Services Committees. 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 Service Corporation and she also served as the 2006 and 2007 President of the National Council of State Housing Boards.  She was appointed to the Commission in 1997 and appointed Chair in September of 1999.

Juli Wilkerson, Director, Community, Trade, and Economic Development, was appointed Director of the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) on January 30, 2004.  As Director of CTED, she serves in an ex officio capacity for the Commission. Her former positions have included:  City of Tacoma, Director of Economic Development; Director of Planning and Development Services Department, Assistant City Manager; and Assistant Director of Communications and Operations for the State Department of Revenue.  Juli lives in Olympia.

Michael J. Murphy, Washington State Treasurer, ex officio
Mike has been State Treasurer since January 1997.  Previously, he was the Thurston County Treasurer for nearly ten years. He also serves as the Chair of the State Finance Committee, which oversees the debt management of the state and is one of nine members of the State Investment Board.

Will Graham, designee, Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, was appointed by the Director of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) in January 2007 to serve as CTED’s designee to the Commission. Will has a 26-year background with CTED managing a broad portfolio of federal and state funded programs serving community needs. Prior to being appointed CTED’s Assistant Director for Housing in December 2006, he served as the Managing Director of Community Programs where he managed CTED's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. He also oversaw the state’s Emergency Food Assistance, Community Services Block Grant, and other programs.

Allan J. Martin, designee, Washington State Treasurer's Office, was appointed by the State Treasurer in August 1999 to serve as the Treasurer’s designee on the Commission.  Allan serves as Assistant State Treasurer responsible to the State Treasurer for daily management of the Office of the State Treasurer, acts on his behalf on Commission activities.  Prior to joining the State Treasurer’s Office, he served as Chelan County Treasurer.  Allan’s professional activities include serving as immediate past president of the Washington Municipal Treasurer’s Association, a member of the Washington finance Officers’ Association, and a member of the National Association of State Treasurers, associate member; Debt Management Network.  He is past president of the Washington State Association of County Treasurers.  He serves as Secretary of the Commission.  He lives in Olympia.

Claire Grace, public member, is the Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel for the Weyerhaeuser Company.  She is the Manager of the Business Transactions Group in the Law Department and Assistant to the President, CEO and Chairman of the Board in matters relating to the Board of Directors and shareholders.  Previously, she has worked for Washington Mutual, The United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, and the Office of the Washington State Attorney General.  Claire was appointed to the Commission in November 2003.  She lives in Shoreline.

Dennis Kloida, labor interests representative, is a Journeyman Steamfitter, UL 26. Dennis was appointed to the Commission in April 2003. Dennis 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.

Richard J. McIver, elected local official, has been a member of the Seattle City Council since he was initially appointed to fill a vacancy in 1997. He currently serves as chair of the Council's Finance & Budget Committee. He is also vice chair of the Council's Neighborhoods & Economic Development Committee and is a member of its Housing, Human Services, & Health Committee. Mr. McIver has been a member of the Sound Transit Board for over ten years, and recently completed a two year tenure as President of the Puget Sound Regional Council. Prior to joining the Seattle City Council, Mr. McIver served as the Executive Director of the Washington Association for Community Economic Development (WACED). He also served as Development Director for the Tacoma Housing Authority. He also worked for the National League of Cities at one time and owned his own private management consulting business. He was appointed to the Commission in May 2003 and lives in Seattle with his wife, Marlaina.

Tim K. Otani, public member, is a First Vice President for Washington Mutual’s Corporate & Employee Giving Department.  He is responsible for overseeing corporate contributions through the Northwest, Northeast, and Southeast parts of the country.  He is a member of the Low Income Housing Institute’s New Decade Planning Committee, and is also on the Board of Trustees for the National Housing Conference.  Tim was appointed to the Commission in October 2002.  He lives in Lake Forest Park.

Ray Rieckers, low-income housing representative, is currently the Director of Housing and Economic Development for the Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP); he is also an Adjunct Professor of Social Work and Human Services at Eastern Washington University (EWU). Ray has held other positions with both SNAP and EWU.  He was a founding member and past chair of the Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium and continues to serve on its Board.  Ray is a member of the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless. Privately, Ray also owns and manages several rental properties.  Ray was appointed to the Commission on January 26, 2004.  He lives in Spokane.

Faouzi Sefrioui, housing consumer interests, 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.

Mario Villanueva, public member, is the Director of the Diocese of Yakima Housing Services, a faith based, non-profit housing provider serving Central Washington and focused on providing service and education enriched affordable rental, senior and first time homebuyer housing. He has 10 years of experience in non profit agency administration. This includes working with a variety of public and private housing development financing sources. Mario has served on the Governor’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board, is President of the Washington State Farmworker Housing Trust Board of Directors, is a past member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, a former member of the Board for the Washington State Low Income Housing Alliance and, in 2007, was appointed to the Impact Capital Board of Directors. Mario was appointed to the Commission in July 2007 and lives in Yakima.

M.A. Leonard, public member, is a Vice President for the National Equity Fund (NEF), directing the company’s acquisition and portfolio activities in the Northwest region. 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; City of Seattle CDBG Float and 108 Loan Committees; 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.

This page was modified on 02/28/2008.