Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle Names 2015 Affordable Housing Advisory Council Members to Represent Hawaii, Idaho, and Montana; Oregon and Utah Representatives Named Chair and Vice Chair

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle (Seattle Bank) today announced the appointments of Michelle Griffith of Ketchum, Idaho, and Andrea Davis of Missoula, Montana, to the Seattle Bank’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council (Advisory Council). The bank also reappointed Roy Katsuda of Maui, Hawaii, as the Advisory Council representative from Hawaii. Ms. Griffith, Ms. Davis, and Mr. Katsuda will serve three-year terms beginning January 1, 2015, and ending December 31, 2017.

In addition, the Seattle Bank named Cleon Butterfield, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Utah Housing Corporation based in West Valley City, Utah, as chair of the 2015 Advisory Council, and Martha McLennan, executive director of Northwest Housing Alternatives based in Portland, Oregon, as vice chair of the 2015 Advisory Council.

Michelle Griffith is executive director for Advocates for Real Community Housing (ARCH) Community Housing Trust, based in Ketchum, Idaho. ARCH develops safe, permanently affordable housing, both rental and owner-occupied, for those with low to moderate incomes and works with public and private parties toward this objective. Since Ms. Griffith joined ARCH in 2009, the organization has expanded its development profile to include low-income housing tax credits. Ms. Griffith has more than 20 years of non-profit experience, including activities in the United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Russia. In Russia, she spearheaded fundraising for The Diema’s Dream Foundation, an innovative program to build housing, educational, and rehabilitative facilities for handicapped Russian youth. She also spent several years in leadership positions with BP Oil in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Andrea Davis is executive director for Homeword, a Missoula, Montana-based organization committed to providing safe, healthy, and affordable housing, using sustainable methods, across the state of Montana. The non-profit organization also promotes strong communities through housing counseling and education for those most in need. Ms. Davis is responsible for overseeing all facets of Homeword, including organizational and project-based development, fundraising, marketing, strategy, policy, collaboration, and personnel. Ms. Davis successfully led the organization through a comprehensive rebranding exercise, engaging a diverse group of community partners in developing a shared vision for Homeword that ensures its long-term viability and ongoing community relevance. She has also played a key role in spearheading partnerships that effectively deliver homebuyer education and homeownership counseling.

Having served two successful terms on the Seattle Bank’s Advisory Council, Roy Katsuda has a strong working knowledge of the bank’s community investment programs. Mr. Katsuda has served as the executive director of Hale Mahaolu since 1982. Hale Mahaolu is a private, non-profit housing corporation that owns and manages affordable rental and owner-occupied housing, senior centers, and adult day care facilities, and provides supportive programs such as personal care, housekeeping, and meal services for more than 1,000 clients in Maui County, Hawaii. The organization also provides foreclosure prevention programs. Since its inception in 1967, Hale Mahaolu has built and/or managed 1,075 affordable rental units in Maui County. The Seattle Bank’s Advisory Council, which includes representatives from each of the eight states in the Seattle Bank’s district, advises the Seattle Bank on affordable housing and economic development market opportunities and related credit needs. Advisory Council members are drawn from community and not-for-profit organizations that are actively involved in providing or promoting low- and moderate-income housing and community lending.

Visit the Seattle Bank’s website (www.fhlbsea.com) for more information regarding the bank’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council and community investment programs.

About the Seattle Bank

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle (Seattle Bank) is a member-owned cooperative, serving banks, savings institutions, credit unions, and insurance companies. The Seattle Bank provides its members with access to wholesale funding, which they use to make home mortgages, small business, and other loans in their communities.

The Seattle Bank also works with its members and their community partners to promote affordable housing and economic development. Each year, the bank provides 10 percent of its profits to fund affordable housing—both rental and homeownership—and provides millions of dollars in reduced-rate loans for affordable housing and community economic development.

The Seattle Bank’s Affordable Housing Program provides subsidy to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate affordable rental or owner-occupied housing for low- and moderate-income households. The Home$tart Program provides downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers earning up to 80 percent of area median income. The Community Investment Program / Economic Development Fund offer reduced-rate loans for affordable housing and community economic development.

One of 12 Federal Home Loan Banks in the United States, the Seattle Bank serves Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.