Board of Commissioners
The Seattle Housing Authority is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners, two of whom are housing authority residents. The Mayor of Seattle appoints the board members, subject to confirmation by the Seattle City Council.
The Commissioners are responsible for approving the agency's annual budget and for setting policy. Seattle Housing Authority's Executive Director serves the Board.
The Board of Commissioners can be reached by mail, phone, or fax:
Seattle Housing Authority
190 Queen Anne Ave N
P.O. Box 19028
Seattle, WA 98109-1028
206-615-3501 (Tel)
206-615-3504 (Fax)
Regular Board meetings are usually held on the third Monday of the month. Informal Board briefings are usually held on the second Tuesday of the month. Agendas are normally published the prior week. Meetings are sometimes cancelled if there is no official business for the Board to attend to.
The next regular Board Briefing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8 at 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in the Jesse Epstein Conference Room, First Floor at 190 Queen Anne Avenue North in Seattle.
Agenda:
1. Review 5/21/12 Board Agenda Items:
- Commitment to Safe Practices (15 minutes).
2. Yesler Entitlement Process and Anticipated City Council Approval Schedule (30 minutes).
3. Update on Yesler Terrace Developer Request for Qualifications (30 minutes)
4. Initial Relocation Planning for Current Yesler Residents (10 minutes).
Board Resolution votes
| Resolution | Passed | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution 5008 Resolution Approving Delegation of Informal Consultant Procurement Process to Departments. Voted: 4/16/2012 |
Yes, 5-0 | Littel - Yes Gibson - Absent Cabdi - Yes Martinez - Yes Min - Yes Morrison - Yes Watson - Absent |
| Resolution 5011 Resolution Approving An Amendment to 2012 MTW Plan and An Amendment to the Amended MTW Agreement Relating to Potential Property Disposition, Elimination of Temporary Rent Ceiling, Process for Replacement Housing Factor Funding. Voted: 4/16/2012 |
Yes, 4-1 | Littel - Yes Gibson - Absent Cabdi - No Martinez - Yes Min - Yes Morrison - Yes Watson - Absent |
| Resolution 5012 Resolution Approving and Ratifying the Executive Director Designee’s Employment Agreement. Voted: 4/16/2012 |
Yes, 5-0 | Littel - Yes Gibson - Absent Cabdi - Yes Martinez - Yes Min - Yes Morrison - Yes Watson - Absent |
| See previous resolution votes » |
John Littel, Chair
Commissioner Littel is the political director for a Northwest trade union. He was previously assistant to the executive secretary of the Seattle Building Trades Council where he was responsible for negotiations and labor relations at the Seattle and King County Housing Authorities.
Littel also serves as vice chairperson for the Washington State Correction Industries, is a board member on the King County Workforce Development Council, is chairperson for the Seattle School District School-to-Work Advisory Council, and part of the Washington Environmental Council. He recently served as a member of the Yesler Terrace Citizen Review Committee.
Nora Gibson, Vice Chair
Commissioner Gibson is executive director of a nonprofit organization which provides adult day health services in the Pacific Northwest. Her 30-year career has focused on providing community-based long-term care for aging adults.
Gibson is affiliated with a number of professional organizations and is currently a board member of the National Pioneer Network, the Brain Injury Association of Washington, Alzheimer's Association and Washington Adult Day Services Association.
Yusuf Cabdi
Commissioner Cabdi is originally from Somalia and has worked on Somali and Muslim family and housing issues since settling in Seattle in 2003. He currently serves as the chairman and founder of an advocacy group that works to promote the interests of African immigrant communities in Washington state. Cabdi has also served in various leadership and community support positions within the refugee and immigrant communities. A resident of SHA's public housing, he speaks several languages, and is especially interested in programs that foster the safe and productive lives of youth in low-income public housing. Commissioner Cabdi is currently working on his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at City University. He served as the SHA Board Chair during 2009-2010.
Juan Martinez
Commissioner Martinez works as a Constituent Liaison for a Congressional office in Seattle. Commissioner Martinez formerly served as the state field director for a community advocacy organization where he worked with community, education, labor, faith, and human services organizations to advocate for a progressive tax system that would benefit working families. Martinez also spent five years working as a case manager for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. Martinez graduated from Evergreen State College with a concentration in public policy and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Seattle University. He also serves on the board of directors of the Seattle Central Community College Foundation.
Kollin Min
Commissioner Min is a program officer for a charitable foundation in Seattle where he works on issues related to ending family homelessness. He was previously director of the Washington State office of Enterprise Community Partners, a national nonprofit that finances affordable housing and community development.
Min graduated from Yale University with a law degree from the University of Washington. He has worked in government and politics as well as in organizations supporting the environment and green building.
Doug Morrison
Commissioner Morrison has been a resident of public housing for more than 20 years. He has held several offices on the Resident Action Council, and served as president of this resident advocacy organization from 2005 to 2010. He has also chaired the Joint Policy Advisory Committee, a resident group that advises Seattle Housing staff on policy changes.
Morrison served for ten years in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a nurse and a substance abuse counselor prior to retirement. He volunteered as a Master Gardener, as a docent at the Seattle Aquarium and with the Seattle Symphony.
Heyward Watson
Commissioner Watson retired in late 2011as Executive Director for a nonprofit that works to help transform distressed communities and neighborhoods into healthy ones by providing early bridge financing for real estate projects.
He is the former Director of the Fannie Mae Washington State Partnership Office. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, he was the Director of Homeownership Programs for the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Mr. Watson has over 26 years in the mortgage banking industry. He is a graduate of the University of Washington with a B.A. in Sociology, and received his Masters of Science in Business Management from Antioch University.
Tom Tierney, Executive Director
Mr. Tierney joined Seattle Housing in March 2004 where he is responsible for the strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the organization. He has held executive positions at both the Port of Seattle and the City of Seattle. While at the Port, from 1998 to 2004, he served as deputy chief executive officer and managing director for economic development and directed all corporate departments, including labor relations, personnel, information technology, accounting, finance, public affairs, intergovernmental relations, engineering, construction services, police, and real estate. He also directed the development of more than 100 acres of Port land for non-traditional mixed use.
During his tenure with the City of Seattle, from 1985 to 1998, Tierney played key administrative roles in the administration of Mayor Norman Rice. He earned a BA in Economics from Colorado College and a Masters in Economics from San Francisco State University. He has also done advanced graduate work in economics at the University of Washington, and has served as a lecturer and instructor at Seattle University and the University of Washington.
