The Board of Directors for the Washington Community Reinvestment Association is pleased to announce that Christine Roveda has joined the WCRA as its next President. “On behalf of the WCRA Board, we are excited to welcome Christine in her move from long-time Board member and Board Chair to her new role as President of WCRA,” said Bob Powers, interim Board chair.
In becoming the President of the WCRA, she is replacing Susan M. Duren who came to the company when it was formed in 1992 and was promoted to President in 2007. Under Ms. Duren’s leadership, the WCRA grew to a company with total assets of over $122 million and net assets of $5.7 million, providing critical CRA credit to member banks and supporting residents throughout the state.
The Board of Directors would like to express their appreciation for Susan’s many years of service. “Susan’s long tenure and leadership have positioned WCRA well for the future. The quality of the affordable housing loan portfolio as well as new initiatives to support early childhood learning facilities are a credit to Susan and her team,” Powers said.
“I have been honored to serve as the first lender and then President of the WCRA. During my tenure I have experienced a group of dedicated Board members and an exceptional staff that is driven to give the best service to our borrowers, members, and the community. It is with that assurance that I leave this small but mighty organization in the capable hands of Christine to further the success of the company,” Duren said.
Roveda brings years of experience in construction, real estate finance and community development to the WCRA. Following graduate school and a career in heavy civil construction, she joined Wells Fargo Bank in 2002 and since then has worked exclusively in the Commercial Real Estate Group, most recently providing credit supervision for the Multi-Family Capital and Community Lending and Investment business lines. She is excited to serve as WCRA’s next President and return her full focus and energy to affordable housing and economic development in Washington.
She holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in Construction Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In addition to her former board position at the WCRA, she is a past board member of Impact Capital and Homesight Washington, and currently volunteers as a track and field coach for Seattle Parks and Recreation.
“I am honored and grateful to be joining the dedicated staff of the WCRA. I look forward to working with the WCRA Board, our existing and future member banks and borrowers, and our public and private lending partners to continue the WCRA’s mission,” Roveda said.
Founded in 1992 with support from the Federal Reserve Bank and major banks with a presence in Washington, WCRA is the key public private partnership making affordable rental housing, economic development, and special needs housing safe and decent for Washington residents.