LEAH GREENWOOD (LEFT), of Clark County, accepts an award from Friend of Housing Commissioner Ma Leonard at the Housing Washington Conference in Spokane.
In recognition of her leadership of Vancouver’s Affordable Community Environments (ACE), Leah Greenwood has been honored as a Friend of Housing by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
“Leah Greenwood put the housing needs of her community and ACE’s mission over personal or organizational self-interest,” said Karen Miller, chair of the Housing Finance Commission. “Her guidance through ACE’s merger with REACH Community Development is an example of true leadership.”
Greenwood was one of five Friend of Housing awards presented recently in a ceremony at the 20th annual Housing Washington conference in Spokane.
Friend of Housing awards are presented each year to individuals or organizations who have made exceptional contributions to creating or supporting affordable housing. Examples include helping to solve housing problems, creating innovative financing mechanisms, or drafting legislation or policy that addresses the state’s housing needs.
In 2008, Greenwood was hired as the housing development manager for Affordable Community Environments and within six months was appointed the executive director.
Focused on putting the small organization on a path of greater financial sustainability, she realized that ACE would be in a stronger financial position by partnering with REACH CDC, a 31-year-old affordable housing developer based in Oregon. After assisting both boards of directors through the merger process, Greenwood is now ACE Housing Development Project Manager at REACH Community Development.
Prior to joining ACE, Greenwood worked for nine years at the Portland Development Commission, where she managed the Housing Policy, Planning and Development Team focused on housing in Portland’s urban renewal areas. She holds a Masters of Urban Planning from Portland State University with a focus on community development. She also received a B.S. in business administration from the University of Oregon.
For more information on Housing Washington and the Friend of Housing Awards, see www.wshfc.org/conf.
For 31 years, REACH (www.reachcdc.org) has built innovative and affordable housing for low-income families and individuals in the Portland metropolitan region. REACH develops and manages affordable housing and provides supportive services to residents, as well as free home repairs to senior homeowners. Today, REACH’s portfolio includes 1,852 units including single family homes, apartment buildings, and mixed-use developments located across the region. REACH has won numerous state and national awards for its creative approach to building healthy communities and its innovative housing projects. For more information, go to http://reachcdc.org.
Celebrating its 30th year in 2013, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission is a publicly accountable, self-supporting team that works with lenders, investors, developers, nonprofit organizations and more to bring private investment dollars to benefit families and achieve public goals throughout Washington. The Commission has created and preserved more than 275,000 affordable homes across the state, while contributing more than $42.5 billion and 240,000 jobs to the economy.
