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Describe your role at Bellwether: As an Asset Management Analyst, along with the Asset Management team, I’m oversighting the performance of properties in Bellwether’s growing portfolio. My team is actively involved in the direction and strategically plan for the intended outcomes of the properties. As a non-profit affordable housing provider, Bellwether has relatively more complex goals compared to private real estate companies – we have not only business-based goals but also have mission-based goals. My team helps steering the properties toward these goals. Often, we have to take a wide and long-term view, looking beyond just what is happening at the properties to the broader environment and how this will impact the properties. In my day-to-day basis I actively collaborate with other departments across the organization as well as our stakeholders – generate data to inform property management decisions, maintain compliance with lender and investor requirements, and ensure the long-term financial health of the portfolio. Aside from that, I’m also a member of Bellwether’s Equity Committee, where along with 11 other members, I’m actively proposing changes that need to be made within Bellwether to hold the organization accountable to become a more inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist organization – as part of our Strategic Plan. What do you find most meaningful about your work: I found meaning and satisfaction from quite different things over the course of my time and several roles at Bellwether. I started as a temporary compliance assistant. Then I got a permanent role as Property Management Administrative Assistant where I got to meet and speak with our residents and prospective residents daily. What I found to be the most meaningful of my work at that time was my role acted as a bridge that connects people who have the needs and reached out to us, to the affordable housing, services, and any other kind of resources that we have to offer. Later, I took the chance to join the Asset Management team. I studied and have work experience in finance, and I fell in love with Bellwether’s missions and what we do. I thought that I could use my skills and experience to contribute more to the organization that could be amplified and extended to the residents we serve, although it might not be as direct as in my previous role. I find it’s really meaningful to me that every day, the work I do along with every single employee at Bellwether, directly or not, touches and affects the lives of residents we serve for the better. Even though I work behind my desk, my team ensures the properties perform and comply so the organization can continue the work it’s doing – providing affordable housing. It motivates me every day imagining all of the lives touched by living in our properties, those who call it home – home that provides security for themselves and their families, so they can focus on other aspects of their lives. I also find the work that Equity Committee does is deeply meaningful to me. We center residents and employees on our work towards becoming a more inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist organization. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (can be past or present): I admire and am inspired by my mother; by women trailblazers and women leaders who paved the path for other women behind them and who gave the real examples that women can lead and should lead; by every amazing woman and those who identify themselves as womxn around me – most of them are the ones I have the privilege of working with at Bellwether; as well as by those who crossed my path, because every woman has their own story worth learning. My mother taught me to be resilient, to have principle, to believe that being an ambitious woman is good – it’s not bad, that it’s something to be proud of, and to believe that I can be whatever I want so long that I keep making the effort to get there. One advice that I hold dear to my heart, my mother said, “Respect yourself, only then people can start to respect you; and always treat people the way you want to be treated.” Many times, the way someone makes us feel, tell us more about that person than it does about us. A vessel can only pour out what it contains. So, I make sure that I take care of myself including my mental health, so that I can only give the best to others. My mother also made me believe in good karma and bad karma, so that I’m aware that everything I do will come back to me, as she said, “What you give is what you get – but make sure to give more than you take.” This not only applies to material things but also all the things beyond that. Charity does not decrease our wealth. Humility does not decrease our honor. She told me that gratitude and giving were the keys to happiness. That, for me, is a pure fact. That is what it means to have an “abundance” mindset over a “poverty” mindset. To not letting the temporary and quantifiable hold us back from what is permanent and priceless. She taught me to be an independent woman ever since I was a kid, as if she knew someday I would be living all alone far away from her, and here I am more than 8,000 miles away from her – fortunately not all alone. The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of women trailblazers and women leaders that I admire and am inspired by. One of the most memorable and powerful quotes of hers to me is, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” I am a strong believer of it. And I am proud of the fact that this is what I’m witnessing every day at Bellwether. What Colleagues Say: "Ayu is a natural leader with a deep commitment to advancing our equity and antiracism work. She has been an inspiration to work with!"

We are devastated by the rise in anti-Asian violence here in our own community and in communities around the country over the past year. We grieve the eight people whose lives were taken in Atlanta earlier this month, six of whom were Asian women. We join others in condemning racist and misogynist violence and reaffirm our commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. This commitment means, in part, naming and condemning these acts of violence that are spurred by racial hatred and white supremacy. It means calling on our staff, our residents and our supporters to become educated about the consequences of white supremacy. And it includes offering our Asian and AAPI community members our solidarity and support. If you’ve experienced or witnessed a hate crime, Chinese Information and Services Center (CISC) in Seattle has set up hotlines and an email address to report incidents: Cantonese-粵語/ English: (425) 240-5825 Mandarin-普通话/ English: (206) 393-2110 Russian/ English: (425) 326-9497 Spanish-Español/ English: (425) 598-5436 Vietnamese/ English: (206) 235-4372 If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support related to anti-Asian violence, contact Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS) at (206) 695-7600.

Describe your role at Bellwether. I oversee daily operations of a Portfolio of Affordable Housing Apartments. I have 8 buildings in my group along with several commercial spaces. What do you find most meaningful about your work? What I find most meaningful is seeing the smiles and hearing “thank you” from the families that we serve. When we do tenant events where we hand out school supplies and a parent comes to you with tears in their eyes expressing gratitude because they didn’t have enough money to buy supplies that makes it all worthwhile. My passion is mentoring others and sharing experiences that was done with me. Over the years I have been able to work my way up from a temp leasing agent to where I’m at today. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). The woman that inspired and mentored me was Judy who was my Senior Manager in conventional market rate housing. As I started this career as a leasing agent, I would be intimidated by her during site visits or training. During the 10 years Judy and I worked together, she showed me how to work with vendors and maintain lasting relationships. She elevated my confidence when dealing with residents with effective communication. She also reminded me that people are the same as I am and I should never be scared of other individuals. She would always say, “They put their pants on the same way as you do, one leg at a time!” I still stay in touch with Judy to this day as she relaxes by her pool in sunny Arizona. What Colleagues Say: “I’ve really admired the way Katrina’s able to handle very difficult, delicate situations with grace, ease and humor. She is a leader who is open, fair, and honest. Her ability to balance her job with family is amazing. “

Describe your role at Bellwether. I was a housing developer from 1997 to 2003 and Deputy Director / COO from 2009 to 2016. I first joined Bellwether in 1997, when I moved back to Seattle from Washington, DC, where I had been developing affordable housing since 1991. I had been in touch with Executive Director Nancy Smith, and when I was exploring positions back in Seattle, she let me know that she and Sarah Lewontin could probably use some more help on the housing development front. So, with a newborn and a toddler at home, I took a “part time” job as a project manager, working with Nancy, Sarah and Vaughn McLeod on our development deals. The construction of Tate Mason was underway at the time and my introductory project was to refinance a buildings. For me the real thrill over those subsequent years was developing two new downtown buildings, Stewart Court and the Gilmore. After the completion of the Gilmore, I left Bellwether to do some independent project consulting and then spent the next five years in executive positions with private companies focused on workforce housing development. In 2008 then-Executive Director, Sarah Lewontin, asked me to return as Deputy Director following Lee Murray’s retirement. In that role I led the real estate development group and directed internal operations, allowing Sarah to focus on the outward-facing roles of the CEO. During that time we rebranded the organization and were making structural changes to enable healthy growth and build greater development capacity. As we were contemplating bigger organizational changes, I was able to entice Susan Boyd, formerly our housing attorney but recently back from a year’s sabbatical, to join Bellwether as Director of Real Estate Development. Susan was obviously a pivotal addition to the team. That new leadership in development allowed me to focus more broadly on the operational structure, financial health and strategic initiatives of the organization. Those years of close collaboration with a dynamic Leadership Team on the evolution of the organization were extremely satisfying. My last big project at Bellwether was creating and launching the Bellwether Impact Investment program, which exemplified the willingness of the organization to try a new approach to address a long-standing challenge—in that case the shortage of gap funding for our new housing developments. What did you find most meaningful about your work? I found meaning and satisfaction from quite different things over the course of my time and several roles at Bellwether. I was initially drawn to affordable housing development because I saw it as core to developing vibrant urban communities for all. I had studied architecture and later finance, and I just loved managing all the complex moving parts of a new development. Though my work was mostly done before people started moving in, at each stage of design and construction I could picture the spaces and imagine the thrill of moving into that fresh new building myself, happy to think of all the people that would enjoy that comfort of home over time. In my later leadership roles at Bellwether, I had a broader view on the magnitude of our impact: all of the lives touched by living in our housing over the long arc of Bellwether ownership, and the magnifying impacts as we increased our development capacity and buildings under management. I found real satisfaction in making the incremental adjustments within the organization to strengthen our position—financially, culturally and organizationally—and then investing in changes that I knew would grow future impact. That vision was very gratifying: that the impact of what I was doing in the moment would get magnified over time and the benefits would accrue to people yet to move into Bellwether housing yet to be built. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (can be past or present). I feel like my life path has been influenced by a succession of impressive women around me, significant among them those that I have worked with at Bellwether. At times when I was making formative decisions, I was fortunate to intersect with strong women exemplifying values-driven lives and that made all the difference. Had my college roommates not been social justice leaders, would I have focused on the impact of housing in society? Had I not worked with Virginia Anderson and other powerful women in Seattle real estate development early in my career, would I have pursued housing development? If Nancy Smith hadn’t shown me the exciting developments that Bellwether was doing back in Seattle, would I have stayed in the non-profit housing field when I left DC? All along the way I have been fortunate to have had the counsel and partnership of smart, bold, committed women whose values I share. Frankly, the best work I’ve seen in housing around the country has been driven by organizations led by these kinds of women. What Colleagues Say: “Tory was the concept-creator, the spreadsheet analyzer, the pitch-maker and the functional organizer for Bellwether’s impact investment strategy and implementation – an approach to funding affordable housing that really put Bellwether on the map. And Bellwether’s impact investment fund has been the inspiration for funds such as the Microsoft affordable housing fund, the Seattle Foundation’s Evergreen Fund (for which Tory is the lead consultant) and the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, which have brought BILLIONS of corporate dollars into affordable housing in the Pacific Northwest.”

Describe your role at Bellwether. I view my role as threefold. Starting with ensuring that our staff have a well-cared for space to work and the tools needed to complete their important tasks. The next role is to be consistently available to our residents as a center to respond to questions or requests for assistance in unforeseen situations. The third role includes providing accurate information and giving help navigating the rental process to perspective residents. What do you find most meaningful about your work? Often the smallest heartfelt offer of assistance can help change the lives of others. I find that my days are filled with these opportunities. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). I would like to tell you about my friend SanNi. She went back to school and got her law degree when she was 30. She is now 40, a labor attorney, and recently opened her own law firm. SanNi is a mother of three children, litigators all. Several nonprofits find her organizing for them. It is so easy to admire her endless skills and to be her friend. Her life is messy, she is fearless most of the time, and helping others is what she does. Quote from a colleague: “Since joining us in 2019, Nancy has transformed office management’s relationship with employees. She works diligently in service to them and our residents. She is highly autonomous in her role and leads by example.”

Describe your role at Bellwether: I’m the Project Manager for our Compliance and Property Management departments. My team provides training and support to site staff, and I also help maintain compliance with Bellwether’s funders. What do you find most meaningful about your work? In my role I get to look for things that aren’t working and help create solutions. I also collaborate with a lot of great people across different teams. The end goal is always to improve the experience of our applicants, residents, and staff . Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). I am a big fan of Eva Walker; she fronts the local band The Black Tones and is also an awesome KEXP DJ. I am grateful for musicians who are finding ways to create and perform when so many crucial resources have been stripped away by the pandemic. Many people (myself included) rely on music now more than ever to bring us joy and connection. What Colleagues Say: “Rachael is arguably the best manager I have ever had the privilege to work for.” “She consistently leads with compassion and a standard of excellence.” “During COVID-19, Rachael was affected more than anyone else on our team (work -life balance wise) She still took the time to listen to us, help problem solve to this new life and be a constant support. She supports our passions and encourages us to lean into where we are naturally inclined.”

Describe your role at Bellwether: I am a Portfolio Manager overseeing the Management of seven properties and one property in development. I am responsible for the hiring of building staff and supervising their performance and development. I develop building budgets and manage the financial performance of my portfolio. I work to ensure that Bellwether’s properties are maintained to high standards, monitoring, and implementing capital repairs and replacements, and preventive maintenance. My team and I ensure that our residents receive excellent customer service while making sure that we are operating in compliance with applicable laws, and in compliance with funder requirements. What do you find most meaningful about your work? Being a part of the solution in a small way and helping families and individuals obtain housing. I believe that housing is a Human Right, and my hope is that everyone be valued and accepted as they are because more than anything else, we are Human first. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). I admire my Grandmother and my Mother most as both inspired me in very different ways. My Mother and Grandmother were in a car accident in early 1954 in which they were hit head on by an oncoming truck somewhere near The Dalles. Both my Grandma and Mother were thrown from the car as my Mother was in my Grandmother’s lap. They both sustained serious injuries. They were transported to then Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Pasco, WA which is where they resided. My Grandmother was almost 26 at the time and my mother was 4-5 months old. My Grandma sustained a crushed pelvis, a broken leg, broken arm and hand, a skull fracture, and a broken neck. My Mother suffered a traumatic head injury. My Mother spent a year in the hospital and celebrated her 1st birthday while there. My Grandmother spent over a year in the hospital having the learn how to walk again. She also had to learn to write again and ended up switching to her left hand from her dominant right hand during this process. She remained a leftie throughout the remainder of her life. With time, hard work, perseverance, and prayer both recovered but both had telltale scars and symptoms for the rest of their lives. My Grandma walked with a slight limp, had a mark in the back of her head where her hair did not grow and had a permanent scar the length of her right upper leg. My Mother suffered from Migraines throughout her life and her skull never fully fused at the top of her head. There were also triumphs. My Grandmother had two more children and my Mother grew up to have four girls of her own. I was inspired by them both as both played huge roles in my life as the oldest daughter and granddaughter. My Grandmother lived a great life for 83 years and my Mother had a shorter one at 62 years but great, nonetheless. When I think of them both, I think how blessed I am to be here because, our story could have ended that day on that highway over 67 years ago. For this, I take nothing for granted and know that with perseverance and hard work, anything is possible. What Colleagues Say: “Yvette is passionate, inspired, determined, responsive and truly wants to see others around her succeed. She is someone I trust and I am forever grateful she is my People Leader, I have gained many skills thanks to Yvette!”

In Memoriam of Judy Jack Rental Manager, 1984 - 2004 Judy Jack accepted the challenge of managing Olive Tower when it was in the middle of a full renovation with 50% occupancy - she then took on the Sterling Court, and the John Winthrop, and ended up running the rental office, when we had acquired 4 or 5 more buildings. She loved figuring out which buildings were available, depending on your income, and then matching the applicants desires with the right apartment. She took great pride in being Rental Manager and had a good, intuitive feel about people.

Describe your role at Bellwether. I am a Site Manager. What do you find most meaningful about your work? I find providing affordable housing throughout the city of Seattle very meaningful, as I have personally taken advantage of affordable housing and it tremendously helped me financially. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). I am inspired everyday by many women that surround me in my everyday life, although the woman who inspires me most is my mother Eltifat. Since I was a little girl, I saw her strength and courage to do and be different, despite the norms society has set. Love you mom! Quote from a colleague: “From my first meeting with Zahra, I knew she was someone who leads from her position and someday would be a very influential People Leader. I’ve been inspired by her being a co-chair for the Equity Committee."

Describe your role at Bellwether. I am part of the Resident Service Coordinator team. We work to provide residents with support and resources to services to ensure stable housing. We coordinate with co-workers and outside providers with the same atmosphere of support. What do you find most meaningful about your work? Connecting to the residents is the most meaningful aspect of my work. The ability to provide additional support and a listening ear bring me great joy. I love hearing about their stories and getting to know them. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). That’s easy, my great grandma has always been the most important person in my life and my role model. Granny was always encouraging and supportive. What Colleagues Say: “Olexia has inspired me in many ways including how she is able to connect to her residents, teammates, and community partners. She demonstrates willingness to jump in and help troubleshoot any situations that arise. Olexia also demonstrates tremendous empathy and vulnerability to those around her including myself, making it really easy to connect to her and share.”

Describe your role at Bellwether: As an Assistant Site Manager, I see myself as being part of the solution to homelessness. I am an advocate for prospects/residents who assists them in navigating the application/certification process as well as providing a safe comfortable home for them. Mary is also the author of The Neteru - How We All Came To Be! What do you find most meaningful about your work? Being there for our residents! I love hearing about their successes and knowing that they can accomplish them because they have a comfortable home to live in. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). There are so many great women that I admire and who inspire me. One of them is Harriet Tubman. Because of her many Black people experienced freedom long before slavery became illegal. She recognized her role and stepped into it unapologetically and with vigor. She inspires me especially when I am in a situation that seems impossible. She made a way when there was no way. If she can find one, especially at that time, then surely, I can. What Colleagues Say: “The recent management transition at [one of our buildings] has not been easy but Mary is always positive, friendly and helpful. She starts everyday with a good attitude and willingness to get the job done.”

Describe your role at Bellwether. I was a board member from 1993 through 1999 and chaired the board in 1998. I have continued to support Bellwether and was one of its first impact investors. What did you find most meaningful about your work? As one of the most successful organizations providing affordable housing in Seattle, we have consistently offered housing for people who work in our city. I am particularly pleased that local companies have supported Bellwether and that they recognized, over forty years ago, that work force housing is essential in a healthy city. Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present). There are so many! Michelle Obama has been a wonderful role model as a strong, independent leader with a consistent moral voice – “When they go low, we go high”! I also have enormous respect for Nancy Smith who was the CEO of Bellwether for many years. She was a tireless, humble leader who guided the organization from a start-up to one of the largest affordable housing providers in the region. What Colleagues Say: “Barbara has an unwavering commitment to an affordable and equitable Seattle. Her vision and drive have been the impetus to produce hundreds of affordable homes in our community.”