History

In response to mounting pressure on affordable housing options in the Puget Sound area, Community Home Ownership Center (CHOC) was founded in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, by a group of regional lending, non-profit and government entities. CHOC’s founders felt it was critical to create a clearinghouse of information to link potential first-time homebuyers with assistance services and programs. In 1999, the CHOC board of directors decided to spread its mission statewide and then, in 2005, the board voted to change the name of the organization to Washington Homeownership Center to better reflect its mission as a statewide agency.

We are indebted to the hard work and persistence of the CHOC founding Board of Directors listed below, as well as many other subsequent board members, committee members and volunteers, that have brought us to this juncture in our development as an agency; allowing us to provide critical information and referral, and hope, to low and moderate-income families and individuals in Washington that dream of owning their own home.

1996 Founding Board of Directors
Kathryn Williams, President
Torris McCall, Vice President
Carol Greeley, Secretary
Angela Eason-Ceaser, Treasurer
Mark Beales
Jim Boudreau
J. Craige Naylor
Sebastian Portuesi
Tim Strege
Dennis Waller
Paula Benson

1997 Board of Directors
Gretchen Bruce
Jim Boudreau
Mike Olden
Robin Finley
Jesus Cruz
David King
Tracy Bolvin
Barbara Testa
Torris McCall
Cita Barry
Mike Lee
Lisa Mora
Curt Tiedeman

1999 Board of Directors
Julie Jones
Stephen Gray
Robin Finley
Jesus Cruz
Gretchen Bruce
Jim Boudreau
David King
Paula Benson
Barbara Testa
Tracy Bolvin
Mike Olden
Cheryl Sabin
Cita Barry