 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Information About the Board of Directors | |||
|
Janet Abbett |
is Farmworker Housing Program Manager at the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development. | ||
Juan Aguilar |
is Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager, KeyBank Native American Finance Services in Seattle, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona. Juan has more than 15 years experience in retail and commercial banking, and is a seasoned community, economic and business development specialist. He has owned and operated a small business, worked in both private and public sectors, and led grassroots efforts. In the late 1960s, Juan worked in community affirmative action programs in Yakima County . |
||
|
Roger Bairstow |
is an Executive Team Member for Broetje Orchards in Prescott, Washington. He has initiated home ownership opportunities for Broetje Orchard families and managed a multi-family development with C.A.S.A. LLC. In addition, he serves as Chair of the Snake River Housing, Inc., an affordable housing provider based in Prescott, Washington. Roger has worked extensively in expanding economic development programs for low-income families both in Washington and Oregon. Roger currently resides in Walla Walla, Washington. | ||
Gloria Burton |
represents Grupo Mexico of Washington State, a statewide association organized by the Mexican Consulate in Seattle, Washington. Grupo Mexico works to ensure and protect the human rights of all Mexicans and Latin Americans residing in Washington state. Gloria is a housing developer with the Archdiocese of Seattle Housing Authority and is responsible for managing the development of affordable housing for seasonal agricultural workers in Western Washington . In this role, she conducts community outreach, performs feasibility analysis, secures financing and sites, oversees the predevelopment and development activities, and is responsible for project management, accounting and compliance reporting. Gloria has more than 15 years’ experience in the management, administration and project management of multi-purpose real estate. | ||
Guillermo Castaneda |
is semi-retired and self-employed as a consultant in Granger, Washington. His services include: resource identification in establishing and increasing the capacity of low-income housing, health care and social services; grant writing; needs demand surveys; and personnel development. He also creates related written and visual arts materials. He worked for 30 years in establishing and increasing capacity of health care and social services to rural poor families of Eastern Washington, including training minorities in health care occupations. In 1972, Guillermo established the first self-help housing nonprofit corporation (Amparo) in Eastern Washington in Yakima County with Farmer’s Home Administration and the Northwest Rural Opportunities agency. He was instrumental in the construction of about 50 houses and problem solving for 50 additional completed homes. | ||
|
John Engber |
is State Director at the Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray. | ||
|
Donn Etherington |
is an orchardist based in Wenatchee, Washington. Donn has been highly involved in various community developments, including the fundraising and construction of the Performing Arts Center of Wenatchee with the Supporters of the Center, Inc. Prior to becoming a Wenatchee grower, he managed multi-family construction and developed affordable housing units in the Puget Sound area as President and Director of D.E. Construction, Inc. | ||
Mike Gempler |
is the Executive Director of the Washington Growers League in Yakima , Washington . The Growers League provides education, services and advocacy to more than 500 member growers, packers and processors on labor and employment issues. The League was formed in 1987; Mike has been Executive Director since its inception. Mike’s industry activities include serving as Western Vice President of the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), and chairing the NCAE OSHA/EPA committee. He also serves as a member of the Stewardship Council of the Food Alliance, and of the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center Outreach Advisory Committee. Prior to 1987, Mike worked in such agricultural areas as crop and livestock production, and food processing. | ||
Billie Heath |
is Program Coordinator/Housing with the Rural Community Assistance Corporation in Lacey, Washington. Billie has more than 24 years of experience in community development, nonprofit management, social services, organizational development and training. She currently provides technical assistance in the western region under Self-Help Housing and HOME technical assistance contracts. Billie has developed housing cooperatives, housing rehabilitation, supportive housing programs, self-help housing and multi-family housing. | ||
Dixie Kracht |
is the President/Owner of Creative Housing Solutions in Yakima, Washington. In this role, she has conducted housing condition and need assessments for three cities, designed and implemented housing rehabilitation programs for two cities, serves as the housing escrow holder for two cities, designed and implemented a federally funded infrastructure program for the State of Washington, and established the One-Stop Informational Center for questions, and regulation and requirement standards for the development of on-farm labor housing. She previously served as the Block Grant Manager for the City of Yakima. | ||
|
Mary McBride |
is the South Sound and Peninsula Director for the Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray. | ||
Alicia McRae |
is Executive Director of the Chelan County/Wenatchee Housing Authority. She has been active in housing development for 16 years. In that time, the Housing Authority has developed 148 units of year-round/seasonal housing for farmworkers in Chelan and Douglas Counties . The Housing Authority serves low-income, disabled, senior and farmworker families through ownership and management of rental units in the two counties. The authority also offers a first-time homeownership program. | ||
|
Marty Miller |
is the Executive Director of the Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing (ORFH). ORFH is a private nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive development services to construct or rehabilitate rural and farmworker housing throughout Washington state. With the partnership of their local sponsors, ORFH has developed more than 1,100 units in rural Washington state, serving more than 5,500 farmworkers and other low-income rural residents. Marty is a strong advocate at the federal, state and local level and works to bring positive change to policy issues affecting farmworkers and their families. Marty is a member of the National Rural Housing Coalition's Board of Directors and serves on their Farmworker Housing Committee. He is also a member of the National Farmworker Housing Directors’ Association. | ||
John M. Smith |
is the retired Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Skagit County, who served that agency for two decades. | ||
|
Stella D. Vasquez |
has been the Director of Program Operations for the past five years for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic (YVFWC), which operates both in Washington and Oregon, and whose mission is to improve the quality of life for unserved and underserved populations by providing comprehensive, collaborative and culturally competent health care services. She administers, oversees and directs multiple YVFWC non-clinic programs. She has more than 36 years of experience in social services and community involvement. She previously worked more than 31 years for the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). There she managed Community Service Offices in Region 2, providing DSHS services such as financial, medical, food stamps, childcare and support services to clients in six counties. Stella resides in Wapato, Washington. She serves on numerous state and local community boards. | ||
Mario Villanueva |
is Director of the Catholic Charities Housing Services in Yakima, Washington. He has been involved in private- and public-sector housing development, ownership and management for the past 25 years. His experience includes private-sector commercial and residential construction, nonprofit owner-occupied and rental housing rehabilitation, single-family home ownership, and community-based, affordable rental housing development for agricultural worker families and migrant individuals. His expertise also includes construction management, property management, service-enriched site programming for tenants, and nonprofit agency administration. He has been involved with numerous community-based affordable housing projects throughout central and eastern Washington in nearly 22 rural communities. To date, Catholic Charities Housing Services has developed 231 housing units worth $27 million in real estate assets in seven rural communities, with approximately $21 million in projects at various stages of development. | ||
Tomás A. Villanueva |
is involved in community issues and advocacy for farmworkers’ health and safety, housing, and children’s education. For 40 years, he has been a strong advocate for farmworkers across Washington state and the nation. In 1967, Tomás established the United Farm Workers Cooperative and Service Center to advocate for the rights of farmworkers. In the 1970s, he established the first farmworker health center in the Northwest, now known as the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. He was also instrumental in developing the first set of regulations on farmworker housing under the Washington Industrial and Health Act, and successfully advocated to strengthen the state Labor Contractors Act to include farmworkers under the workman’s compensation. His advocacy efforts at the state legislative level have resulted in better working conditions for farmworkers, including coverage by the state minimum wage and health and safety standards, and the protection of farmworkers’ children under state Child Labor laws. Tomás resides in Toppenish, Washington. | ||
|
Steven Witte |
is the Pacific Northwest Regional Director for the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), and is based in Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington. Steven oversees the union’s organizing, political and contract administration duties for Oregon and Washington. Prior to joining UFW, Steven was Executive Director for the Oregon Farm Worker Ministry, a farmworker advocacy organization based in Portland, Oregon. Steven has worked extensively on educating and empowering communities to stand with farmworkers in their struggle to organize. | ||
Michael Youngquist |
is Owner of Mike & Jean’s Berry Farm in Mt. Vernon, Washington. This is a high-labor (300), vegetable (fresh market cauliflower, cucumber, green peas), berry (strawberry and raspberry) and seed (cabbage, spinach, beet) farming operation. The processing operation washes, inspects, mixes, packages and freezes berry products. The marketing division (Skagit Growers) will sell berries and cauliflower to retail, food service and wholesale customers. Mike has worked in agriculture since 1964. Mike & Jean’s Berry Farm has been highly involved with the Housing Authority of Skagit County and the Office of Rural and Farm Worker Housing to develop additional farmworker housing. This project is now completed. The farm is pursuing efforts to build seasonal farmworker housing in a joint venture project. In addition, Mike & Jean’s co-founded a nonprofit day care/preschool to provide additional educational opportunities for summer agricultural workers’ children and local children. | ||
Brien Thane |
was formerly Executive Director of the Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing (ORFH), located in Yakima, Washington. | ||
|
Vacancies |
Other Stakeholder Group Representative | ||
 |
||
| Washington State Farmworker Housing Trust copyright © 2006 |  |
|
 |
||
