Advisory Board

Advisory Board

As part of SKHHP’s commitment to amplifying and ensuring community voices lead our work, we created an Advisory Board which will inform and influence SKHHP Executive Board decisions by providing recommendations that advance the broader interests of the communities they represent. All Advisory Board members live or work in South King County and possess a personal and/or professional commitment to understanding and working to undo the impacts of institutionalized racism and disparities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

Board Members

ANDREW CALKINS

Andrew is the Director of Policy & Intergovernmental Affairs at the King County Housing Authority. Andrew has worked at KCHA since 2015, and brings to the SKHHP Advisory Board experience working for a large affordable housing developer, operator, and provider of low-income housing assistance in South King County. Andrew is an advocate for more equitable and impactful affordable housing solutions, and works at the federal, state and local level to bring additional resources to the region. He originally worked on researching South King County housing challenges as part of his graduate program and is excited by the opportunity to help advise and support SKHHP during its initial years. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys backpacking, tinkering with synthesizers, and playing with his two cats.

RYAN DISCH-GUZMAN

Ryan is the Outreach and Diversion Director at Mary’s Place. Ryan also conducted graduate research on the public health impacts of gentrifications on families of color in South King County, where he was involved with data analysis and program development. Ryan is eager to build deeper connections with South King County in general and Auburn, Burien, Renton, Tukwila in particular. Ryan brings to the SKHHP Advisory Board a passion for elevating the voices of families and an understanding of the complex challenges families face around access to housing alongside connections to corporate donors. Ryan highlighted the fact that 60% of homeless families are Black and the need for their voices at the table. Ryan demonstrates a strong understanding of the indisputable link between affordable housing and homelessness issues and racism.

AMY KANGAS

Amy is a Burien resident and social worker working with tenants in South King County through King County Bar Association’s Housing Justice Project. As a resident, she is very engaged in city council meetings, advocating for increased affordable housing and tenant protections and organizing other residents to engage with elected officials to advocate for more equitable housing policies. Amy brings to the SKHHP Advisory Board her frontline experience with the disproportionate impact of the eviction crisis on South King County and BIPOC communities. Amy has previous experience working at Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) as a mental health case manager working with individuals with disabilities experiencing homelessness and also as a permanent supportive housing (PSH) project manager, which affords her the additional perspective of the landlord side of PSH. Amy is also involved with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance as legislative district lead. Amy believes that housing is a racial justice issue and is committed to working with a strong equity lens.

PATIENCE MALABA

Patience is the Executive Director of the Housing Development Consortium and leads the 200-member association working on affordable housing and homelessness in King County, in a shared effort to scale access to affordable housing. Prior to this role, she served as HDC’s Director of Government Relations and Policy. She is recognized for her leadership in addressing the intersecting crises of affordable housing, racial equity, and climate change and is the 2020 Bullitt Foundation Environmental award winner. A commitment to environmental and economic justice and her passion for an equitable society led her directly to the affordable housing sector.
She joined HDC at an instrumental time for South King County cities and provided critical project management support for the South King Housing and Homelessness Partners (SKHHP) collaboration efforts and formal launch. Joining 10 years of work by HDC with South King County Cities to deepen interjurisdictional coordination on housing and homelessness, Patience provided staff support towards creating an inter¬ local collaboration across the finish line.
She is a regional leader who co-chairs the Eastside Housing Roundtable, co-chairs Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)’s Regional TOD Advisory Committee, recently was the Chair of the Seattle Redistricting Commission and serves on the PSRC Growth Management Policy Board. She also serves on several boards in our region and nationally.

TINA NARRON

Tina provides a wealth of experience in the financial services industry. She started her career as a teller and has worked her way up through senior lending positions before ending up in executive leadership. In addition to managing all aspects of lending for billion-dollar loan portfolios, Tina has also helped lead organizational and cultural transformations at credit unions to improve member service.
In her role as Verity Credit Union’s Chief Lending Officer, Tina believes that her team is essential to helping people achieve their dreams. As such, she is responsible for contributing to the development of loan products and services and equipping her lending team with the tools they need to be successful. Verity is here to empower communities to dream boldly, but also feel good about how they will get there.
In her spare time, Tina enjoys charity work, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

MAJU QURESHI

Maju has lived in Federal Way for 10 years, attended community college in Des Moines and has volunteered for environmental, youth, mental health and equity in education, and transportation access causes over the years. Maju is now the Economic Stability Director at the Multi-Service Center, where she oversees employment, youth services, housing (transitional and PSH), emergency assistance and shelter programs. Maju’s motto is taking things one day at a time and working intentionally with staff, partners and community members to uplift members of the community who are in need of some help, hope and change. Maju brings to the SKHHP Advisory Board a collaborative mindset, enthusiasm, and extensive knowledge of local resources. Maju demonstrates a strong commitment to serving communities of color who have been systematically oppressed and working to reduce and eventually eliminate disparities in the housing system while using an equity lens to define strategies.

UCHE OKEZIE

Uche brings 18 years of housing experience and is currently Director of Real Estate Development at HomeSight, managing affordable housing and commercial projects. Uche also lives in Burien and is eager to be more involved in affordable housing decisions affecting her community. Uche is very aware of the worsening housing crisis in the South King County region and believes that housing is a human right and is excited to work to create solutions and policies that incorporate a holistic platform for people most impacted by the housing crisis, while ensuring that voices are heard. Uche demonstrates a passion for working to create more equitable housing solutions for BIPOC communities and in particular, Black home ownership.

CATHY SISK

Cathy has worked for Mary’s Place for the last five years as a Family Engagement and Stability Coordinator. A resident of South King County, she brings a first-hand experience of the challenges of housing displacement leading to homelessness. Taking from that experience, Cathy now works to ensure families have rental stability and the resources to stay a part of their communities. When not working, she coaches cheerleading, and is the Director of the Youth & Children’s Division of the Pacific Northwest Conference A.M.E Church.

 

DR. LINDA SMITH

The Reverend Dr. Linda M. Smith is Founder and Executive Director of the SKY Urban Institute (Empowerment and Transformation Center). Dr. Smith holds a Doctoral in Transformative Leadership and a Master of Divinity with a Post Graduate certificate in Transforming Spirituality. She is completing a second Doctoral, Prophetic Leadership in Justice and Social Change in the 21st Century and beyond.  She is the author of Pathway to the Soul, spiritual coaching, and several other publications; She is a preacher, speaker, teacher, author, life coach, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice consultant, and Spiritual Director. She comes from a professional background in Human Resources and has been actively involved in coaching managers and leaders in personal, professional, and spiritual development for over 35 years. She has corporate, organizational, spiritual, and ministerial experience. She serves as Pastor of SKY Vision of Hope. She has served in many capacities engaged prophetically for justice. She was the founder of the Center of Hope in Renton WA, a homeless shelter. She also serves as Pastoral and Spiritual Providers for Mary’s Place. She has been actively involved in many social arenas speaking and advocating for issues of equity, justice, race relationship, and homelessness in the Greater Seattle and South King County area and is currently involved with the City of Renton's Village of Hope initiative, which addresses the needs of those experiencing homelessness. Her involvement in civil government in the public square includes activities that support eradicating issues around poverty, homelessness, and racial injustices. She has served honorably as Renton Human Service Advisory Board, Church Council of Greater Seattle, King County Regional Human Service Citizen Oversight Board, and other organizations and activities that support eradicating issues of poverty, homelessness, and racial injustices. As an advocate for RKC Black Alliance for Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, she advocates for #Stand#4 Justice Demands that include: 1) Equity & Empowerment Commission; 2) RISE – Racial Investment to Secure Equity; 3) Anti-Racist Budget Social Service Investments; 4) Employment & Contracting 50% in her city.

MENKA SONI

Menka is founder and president of the nonprofit, AmPowering, which focuses on communities in King County and works at a grassroots level to address homelessness and food security along with other transformative empowerment projects. Through their mobile food bank, she is helping families on the verge of homelessness by providing interim shelters in hotels and all necessary support. She is an advocate of equitable and impactful resources for affordable housing. Outside AmPowering, Menka is Arts Commissioner with City of Redmond, Executive Board member with Redmond Chamber of Commerce known as One Redmond Foundation, LTAC board member with City of Renton and appointed by the Mayor of Renton as special Inclusion Task Force member. Menka is known as a community connector and organizer of big charity events that not only bring communities together to bridge the gap, but also help to provide resources to homeless neighbors. Menka also works for T Mobile, where she is Employee Diversity Committee member. With her involvement in city, community & corporate, she brings great experience.  She also brings real estate knowledge and experience with her. Menka demonstrates a personal passion for relationship building and community outreach work and will bring to the SKHHP Advisory Board both her grassroots level experience along with corporate connections.

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Please send all questions and inquiries to info@skhhp.org