News & Publications
Executive Director
Mary Routhieaux began as Community Housing Fund’s Executive Director in January 2023.
Prior to CHF, Mary served as Chief Advancement Officer and Foundation Executive Director for an affordable housing, care and supportive services organization for seniors in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Throughout her 25 year career, Mary has excelled at developing cross sector collaborations and integrating research & innovation, project management, grantseeking and fundraising to impact educational access and equity, develop schools as one stop service centers, implement seamless health career pathways and spark similar improvements throughout a decade in healthcare leadership.
Mary holds a graduate degree in applied economics from the University of Delaware and specialized certification in human design thinking and innovation from the University of Virginia.
Interim Executive Director
Mandie joined the Community Housing Fund in 2017 after 12 years with Federal Home Loan Bank Seattle (Seattle Bank). During her tenure with the Seattle Bank, she oversaw the disbursement of over $10 million in downpayment assistance grants to thousands of low- to extremely-low-income homebuyers through the Home$tart program, as well as administering a discounted loan program and a predevelopment grant program for affordable housing and community development projects.
In addition, she analyzed applications for many rounds of the Seattle Bank’s Affordable Housing Program, the largest source of private affordable housing funding in the nation.
Prior to her work in affordable housing, Mandie held several administrative positions at Seattle Children’s Theatre and was a co-founder and founding board member of Sirens Theatre Company.
She was born and raised in Washington County, Oregon, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Whitman College.
Committee Member
Finance Project Manager, Housing Development Center
Anita is a native Oregonian and has worked in affordable housing for nearly 11 years. She has worked to bring many affordable housing projects to fruition with Housing Development Center (HDC), including guiding development and fostering partnerships between nonprofit developers and culturally specific service and advocacy organizations.
Prior to her tenure with HDC Anita worked as an Urban Planner in several cities in Southern California and in Bangalore, India.
She holds degrees in Architecture from the University of Oregon and a degree in planning from the University of Southern California.
Committee Member
Relationship Manager/AVP, Umpqua Bank
Grace Chang is Relationship Manager and Vice President at Umpqua Bank, the West Coast’s largest community bank. She specializes in affordable housing and commercial real estate lending at Umpqua Bank. Grace is passionate about the intersection of finance, social impact, and community development and believes in the power of capital markets to harness social change.
Grace is an active member of the Urban Land Institute Northwest (ULI), dedicating to the creation of sustainable thriving communities and responsible land use, where she serves on ULI’s Young Leaders Committee. Grace serves as a Board Member for Transition Projects, Portland’s largest homeless services provider.
Grace is a graduate of Portland’s Regional Arts & Culture Council Art of Leadership program, a nonprofit board development program. Grace also serves as an Alumni Admissions Interview volunteer for her alma matter, Swarthmore College. She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts from Swarthmore and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) as well as a Master’s in Science from the University of Oregon. Grace enjoys swimming, cycling, and yoga and exploring the beauty of Oregon’s trails with her dog.
Kira Cador has over 30 years of experience in development and asset management. She has managed the development of market rate and income restricted multi-family projects throughout Oregon and California including: senior housing projects, retail and flex/office projects.
She has served on multiple boards and advisory panels, including on Metro’s Affordable Housing Bond oversight committee, as a Technical Advisory Group member for Washington County’s Equitable Housing Project, as a member of the panel of experts for the City of Portland’s Inclusionary Housing zone, and as a member of the Housing Technical Advisory Committee for the City of Beaverton’s Anti-Displacement Housing Strategy.
She currently serves as Vice President of the Board of KairosPDX, an education/leadership focused nonprofit.
Kira holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Washington State University.
Chair, Executive Committee; Loan Committee
Manager, Office of Community Development, Washington County, OR
Shannon Wilson was recently appointed as the Office of Community Development Manager for Washington County. Prior to that she served as Housing Development Manager for the Housing Authority of Washington County for five years.
She began her community development career at Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) in 2001 as an AmeriCorps VISTA member working on asset building programs. During her 16 years there, she developed expertise in direct service delivery, grant writing and management, program development and oversight, affordable housing development, and organizational leadership.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from St. Olaf College and a Master’s in Public Administration from Portland State University.
Loan Committee
Principal, North Development Group
Daryn has worked in affordable housing for over 20 years in various capacities, including with a tax credit investor, state housing agency, a nonprofit developer, and most recently with a national for‐profit developer. He has been involved in the development of over 1,000 units of affordable housing in eight different states.
Daryn graduated from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, VT with a degree in business administration and completed additional coursework in Real Estate Development at Portland State University.
He has lived in Oregon for twenty years and currently resides in Portland with his family
Finance Committee
Executive Director, Community and Shelter Assistance Corp. (CASA of Oregon)
Peter Hainley serves as the executive director at CASA of Oregon, where he has worked in a number of capacities since 1992. He leads 28 employees in helping other nonprofits and public agencies meet the needs of low-income families throughout Oregon, particularly rural farmworker housing, and asset and leadership development.
CASA is the country’s largest network provider of Individual Development Accounts. CASA also assists with conversion of manufactured home parks to cooperative ownership and is a CDFI lender. Prior to his work at CASA, Peter served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.
He holds a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Portland State University.
Affordable Housing Manager, City of Beaverton
Javier Mena is the City of Beaverton’s new Affordable Housing Manager. Born in Ecuador, he immigrated to Portland in 1982. He served in the Army for two years and graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Economics and a minor in International Studies.
He has over 24 years of finance and policy experience in the private and public sectors. Over the past 12 years he has focused on the affordable housing continuum, from shelter to homeownership, keeping equity at the forefront of activities and initiatives.
He currently serves on the Network for Oregon Affordable Housing (NOAH) board, and the Oregon Zoo Bond Oversight Committee. He loves the outdoors, is a soccer fanatic, and will root for any local team and against any Seattle team. He enjoys local theater, but not so much musicals.
Loan Committee Chair
Retired Director, Public Finance, KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.
Dr. Ron Lehr recently retired after 25 years of public finance banking experience. He is a nationally recognized leader in the municipal arena specializing in housing finance.
He has led over $1.5 billion in tax exempt bond issuance. He is the former CEO of the Alaska Housing Finance Commission and former Budget Director for that state.
He earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Oregon, a bachelor’s in Mathematics from University of Alaska/Fairbanks, and Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics from Washington State University.
Finance Committee
Retired Executive Director, Community Action
Renee retired as the Executive Director of Community Action in 2015, after more than 25 years with the agency. She is an accomplished advocate, and serves on a variety of boards and commissions.
In addition to the Community Housing Fund, these include: NW Regional Education Service District, CASH Oregon, Washington County Early Learning Steering Committee.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Child Development and Teaching from Michigan State University.
Treasurer, Executive Committee; Finance Committee Chair
Retired City Manager, Cornelius, Oregon
Rob Drake has served as the City Manager of Cornelius for 10 years, with plans to retire in 2022. Prior to that, he served as the Mayor of Beaverton for 16 years, with a staff of about 500. During that time, he served as president of the League of Oregon Cities.
Prior to his public service, he spent 17 years in key sales and senior management positions with Oregon food and beverage wholesalers. He volunteers on a number of local boards and committees, including: Beaverton School District (Audit Committee), and PSU/Portland Metropolitan Studies Institute.
Rob has also worked as a strategic consultant to local jurisdictions, and served as interim city manager for two small Oregon cities.
Secretary, Executive Committee
Director of Federal Programs, Hillsboro School District
Olga served on the Hillsboro City Council from 2007 to 2016. She was Assistant Principal at Hillsboro High for 7 years, and currently serves as the Director of Federal Programs for Hillsboro School District.
Among her many responsibilities, she oversees federal funding related to homeless students, and truly appreciates the role that stable housing plays in student success.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts/Spanish from Oregon State University, a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education from Portland State University, and a PhD in Educational Administration from Lewis & Clark College.
Immediate Past Chair, Executive Committee
Chief Operating Officer, The Contingent
Felicia Tripp-Folsom is the Chief Operating Officer at The Contingent. She joined that organization in 2019, after serving as the Deputy Director of the Portland Housing Center (PHC), a NeighborWorks homeownership center, which she joined in 2000.
She is a graduate of the Achieving Excellence Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and previously worked at the Emergence Foundation.
In her professional life, she is busy working on issues involving, affordable housing, social justice, healthcare, and educational reform.
She sits on the board of directors of Altair School, Children First for Oregon, Innovative Changes, and North/NE Business Alliance. She holds degrees in English and History from Reed College.