SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) is pleased to announce the appointment of Maryann Beerling, Mee Heh Risdon and Andrea Whitsett to its Affordable Housing Advisory Council (Advisory Council). The three new appointments are the latest additions to the 15-member group.
The Advisory Council provides FHLBank San Francisco with expert guidance on affordable housing and economic development issues. The group also advises on the Bank’s community grant and credit programs. Each year, the Chair of the Advisory Council reports on the challenges and opportunities in the three-state region and the ways that local partners make local communities vibrant, equitable and resilient.
“Advancing affordable housing initiatives is at the core of everything we do, and our Advisory Council members provide critical expertise, experience and insights to help shape our programs and ensure that we are focused on the most innovative approaches to invest in our communities,” said Teresa Bryce Bazemore, President and Chief Executive Officer of FHLBank San Francisco. “We are delighted to welcome Maryann, Mee Heh and Andrea to our Affordable Housing Advisory Council and look forward to their contributions.”
Here are the bios of the three new members:
Maryann Beerling is the chief executive officer of Compass Affordable Housing, Inc., an organization that provides low-cost housing, programs, support services, and advocacy to low-income households and people in transition from homelessness. She has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofits and government agencies in affordable housing and project development. Her work includes organizing public-private partnerships to advance single-family and multifamily housing development, nonprofit capacity building, grant writing, and executive leadership. Ms. Beerling is a member of the City of Tucson’s Commission on Equitable Housing and Development and Arizona Housing Alliance and is an honorary member the Arizona Association of Grant Writing Professionals.
Mee Heh Risdon is the director of housing at A Community of Friends (ACOF), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit. At ACOF, Ms. Risdon oversees the housing development team and supportive housing pipeline. Prior to joining ACOF, she was a senior loan officer for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national nonprofit intermediary, originating $83 million in loans for permanent supportive housing in Los Angeles. During her career, she has worked on all aspects of affordable housing including feasibility analysis, acquisitions, planning, and project management. Ms. Risdon serves on the board of Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing. She has a Master’s in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University.
Andrea Whitsett is the executive director of Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan research institute that houses the Kyl Center for Water Policy, the Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability (ARCHES), and the Arizona Governance and Policy Academy. Ms. Whitsett has overseen the publication of a wide range of research on topics including affordable housing, child and family well-being, workforce development, and educator retention. She is president of the national Consortium of University Public Service Organizations and the past chair of the Arizona Foundation for Women. She is also a member of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s DATOS Research Committee. Whitsett holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Yale University, where she was awarded an Amy Rossborough Fellowship, in addition to a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Arizona State University.
About Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a member-driven cooperative helping local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada build strong communities, create opportunity, and change lives for the better. The tools and resources we provide to our member financial institutions — commercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings institutions, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions — propel homeownership, finance quality affordable housing, boost economic vitality, and revitalize whole neighborhoods. Together with our members and other partners, we are making the communities we serve more vibrant, equitable, and resilient and changing lives for the better.
