| Meet the Council Members |
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| About OSHC Members |
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The State Housing Council consists of seven members appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate under ORS 171.562 and 171.565. The term of office of each member is four years, but a member serves at the pleasure of the Governor. Before the expiration of the term of a member, the Governor shall appoint a successor whose term begins on July 1 next following. A member is eligible for reappointment. If there is a vacancy for any cause, the Governor shall make an appointment to be immediately effective for the unexpired term.
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| Larry E. Medinger, Chair |
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E-Mail
Larry E. Medinger was appointed as Chair by Governor Kulongkoski effective July 1, 2007. He began serving his term on the State Housing Council in July 2001. He is the owner of Medinger Construction Co., Inc., a development firm in Ashland, Oregon. He has been building and remodeling homes and been involved in light commercial construction since graduating from Portland State University in 1968.
Mr. Medinger serves on various boards and commissions in the Ashland area. In addition to serving as the current Chair and a member of the Housing Commission for the City of Ashland, he also serves as a board member of the Oregon Building Industry Association and is the Co-Chair of the EPA Task Force on Clean Air in the Rogue Valley.
Since 1990, Medinger Construction has been the largest homebuilder in Ashland and the ninth largest in Jackson County. In 1988, and again in 1991, the Jackson County Homebuilding Association recognized Mr. Medinger as the "Homebuilder of the Year".
In 1999, Mt. Meadows Retirement, a project developed by Medinger Construction, received a national award as the "Best Small Retirement Community" from the National Commission on Senior Housing. It also received the "Golden Nugget" award at the Western Builders´ Show for the "Best Retirement Community" in the 14 western states, western Canada and the Pacific Rim.
Mr. Medinger's original term expired on June 30, 2005. He has been reappointed for another term which expires on June 30, 2009.
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| Scott R. Cooper |
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E-Mail
Scott R. Cooper began serving his term on the State Housing Council in July 2004. Since January 2001, he has served as County Judge of Crook County, a position which combines the duties of presiding over the county board of commissioners (called a County Court) and serving as chief administrative officer of the county.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1986.
Judge Cooper currently chairs the Central Oregon Community Investment Board and serves on the Executive Committee of the Central Oregon Area Transportation Commission. He is also a board member for the Accountable Behavioral Health Alliance, which provides mental health services to citizens in five Oregon counties.
Prior to being elected to county office, Judge Cooper served as: a member of the Prineville City Council; Executive Director of the Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce; Editor of Publications for the National Cattlemen’s Association; Director of Member Services, Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity; and was a Teaching Assistant at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
In 1996, Judge Cooper was awarded the Economic Development Leader of the Year Award by Governor John Kitzhaber in recognition of service to state and local economic development efforts. In 1998, he received the Friend of Education Award from the University of Oregon, College of Education Alumni Society.
He is also active in numerous community organizations in Prineville.
Judge Cooper’s term will expire on June 30, 2010.
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| John Epstein |
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E-Mail
John Epstein began serving his term on the State Housing Council in July 2004. He is the Manager and Senior Vice President of the Real Estate Community Lending Division for Wells Fargo Bank. Before joining the Bank in 1988 he was a project manager with Southeastern Development Group, a real estate development company located in Savannah, Georgia, and prior to that, was a commodities trader for Continental Grain Company.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Epstein serves on the boards for the Network for Oregon Affordable Housing (NOAH), Urban League of Portland, and Portland State University Business Outreach Program. He has also served as a board member for Washington Community Reinvestment Association (WCRA), CASA of Oregon, State of Oregon Community Development Incentive Fund, and the Portland Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
Mr. Epstein’s term will expire on June 30, 2008.
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| Maggie LaMont |
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E-Mail
Maggie LaMont has been the Executive Director of the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority in LaGrande, Oregon since 1987. She currently manages 256 affordable housing units in Northeast Oregon.
She has extensive experience dealing with housing issues in Eastern Oregon. “Besides my personal interest in housing, a position on the State Housing Council gives me an opportunity to represent the Association of Oregon Housing Authorities and Eastern Oregon in housing interests.” Ms. LaMont has been an active member of AOHA since 1987 and served as President in 1992.
Nationally, Ms. LaMont has been a member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment officials (NAHRO) where she served on the Membership Services, Professional Development and Budget and Administrative Committees. She has served on the Board of NAHRO Pacific Northeast Regional Council, NAHRO Cascade Chapter and Community Services.
She attended Woodburn High School and studied accounting at Clackamas Community College. Eastern Oregon has been her home since 1973.
Ms. LaMont began serving on the State Housing Council in July 2003. Her term expires on June 30, 2011.
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| Stuart E. Liebowitz |
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E-Mail: None Available
Stuart E. Liebowitz began his term in November 2002. He is a Housing Advocate of the Umpqua Community Action Network (UCAN) in Roseburg.
In 1969, he received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California at Northridge and in 1974 a Secondary Teaching Certificate from Western Oregon University.
He has dedicated the past thirteen years of his professional life to serving the needs of the poor in his community.
Mr. Liebowitz is a founding board member of the Umpqua Community Development Corporation; a nonprofit organization dedicated to housing and economic development. "I have worked with low income people on a broad spectrum of housing issues," said Mr. Liebowitz. "This direct experience with clients has given me an understanding of the services which can most effectively benefit the poor."
Mr. Liebowitz´s term will expire on June 30, 2010.
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| Francisco Lopez |
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E-Mail
Low-income housing advocate Francisco López is the newest member of the Oregon State Housing Council, beginning his term July 1, 2007. He is the Support Services Brokerage Program Director for Integrated Services Network, a program affiliated with Catholic Community Services, which provides a wide range of services to persons with developmental disabilities.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador.
Mr. López is a Salvadoran-American who, as an immigrant to the United States, was a first-time homebuyer obtaining affordable housing. He was involved in the 1999 creation of the first farmworker housing tax credit program in Oregon.
As an advocate for the affordable housing needs of adults with developmental disabilities, Mr. López currently works with five consumer- and parent-operated organizations in Oregon. He has 25 years’ experience in community organizing, leadership development, social service program design, and affordable housing advocacy in the Unites States and Latin America.
Mr. López is exceptionally active in his community—currently as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Fairview Housing Trust Fund; as a lead organizer with the Victory Alliance Foundation; and as a Board Member of Oregon Advocacy Center.
In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of the SHARE Foundation, an international organization that promotes social and economic development programs in Latin America.
Mr. López is a recipient of the 1997 Mexican Government Ohtli Medal; 1998 Hispanic Heritage Award from the Austin Independent School District; Providence Portland Medial Center Mission Leadership Award 2000; and the Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers 2006 Citizen of the Year Award.
Mr. López’s term expires June 30, 2011.
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| Jeana Woolley |
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E-Mail
Jeana Woolley is President of JM Woolley & Associates, a planning and development services consulting firm which she established in September, 1991. Prior to setting up her own firm, Ms. Woolley was Director of Operations for Pacific Development, Inc., a real estate subsidiary of PacifiCorp.
Since establishing her own firm, Ms. Woolley has developed affordable housing and commercial mixed-use projects, as well as worked on a number of multi-disciplined consulting teams that produced specific redevelopment and revitalization strategies for commercial corridors in North and Northeast Portland. She was the fee developer of Allen Fremont Plaza, a 64 unit affordable senior housing project in N.E. Portland, which won the Governor's Liveability Award in 1999, and she currently is working on two mixed-use commercial developments on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Portland. Some of the major consulting projects she has worked on in the past few years include the MAX Station Revitalization Strategy Report, the Vancouver/Williams Infill Development Strategy Project, the MLK Jr. Blvd. Commercial Development Strategy Porject, and the South/North Light Rail Transit Economic Development Analysis Study.
Ms. Woolley has an extensive record of public service in a variety of community economic development efforts in the Portland area, particularly as it pertains to improving the economic viability and livability of inner Northeast Portland. She currently serves on a number of boards, including the N/NE Economic Development Alliance Board, the Albina Community Bancorp and Bank Boards, the North/Northeast Workforce Center Board, and the MERC Economic Development Opportunities Advisory Board.
Ms. Woolley began serving her term on the Council on July 15, 2005. Her term expires on June 30, 2009.
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| For More Information |
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Contact:
Jo Rawlins
E-Mail
503.986.2005
To talk with someone about developing affordable housing in your area, contact a Regional Advisor to the Director or call 503.986.2000.
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