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Common Ground's team of affordable housing specialists have a combined average of 16 years of experience. Learn more about what makes Common Ground an uncommon wealth of affordable housing expertise.

	Shirley Bekins Director of Housing Development Shirley has over 13 years of experience in affordable housing development and finance. She has worked on the development of over 700 units of low-income housing for seniors, families, special needs and homeless populations, including 11 Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects. In the past, Shirley has served as a graduate intern for the Assistant Secretary of HUD Community Planning and Development, as well as a board member of ROOTS Young Adult Shelter. View full profile
	Greg Elkerton Special Projects Manager Greg has over 21 years of community development experience. Before joining Common Ground, Greg was the Housing Development Manager for South East Effective Development (SEED) in Seattle for 5 years. In addition, Greg has experience in urban planning, environmental regulations, community organizing and event management. At Common Ground, Greg specializes in the financing and construction of affordable housing for families and special needs populations. View full profile
	Greg Gartrell Project Manager In the course of training as an architect, Greg dedicated his professional experience to real estate development, finance and asset management. He has worked for private developers, lenders, public agencies and non-profit organizations. His development experience has been focused on mixed-use multifamily housing in urban environments. He is drawn to the creative and intellectually challenging work of creating affordable housing and testing emerging development models. View full profile
	Pat Kelly, CSBA Project Manager Pat has over 26 years of housing-related experience. Her impressive range of previous employment includes the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, two public housing authorities, a first-time homebuyers program and her own Connecticut-based consulting firm. She has specialized experience in developing Section 202/811 housing for low-income elderly and persons with special needs. View full profile
	Angie Liou Project Manager Angie has over 7 years of affordable housing development experience. Before relocating to Seattle, she worked on affordable housing developments in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, primarily involving the preservation and rehabilitation of troubled low-income housing. Angie’s favorite part of the development process is interacting and working closely with clients, whether they are new to housing development or have years of experience. View full profile
	Juanita L. McLaughlin, CSBA, LEED GA Housing Development Associate Juanita L. McLaughlin has 6 years of experience in diverse built environment disciplines. She has a background in urban planning and design for publicly funded projects, in addition to nonprofit fundraising and community development. As a planner, Juanita has managed a variety of developments for a local architectural firm. She also has experience completing space needs analyses and long-term planning and visioning exercises for a diverse schedule of project types. View full profile
	Sondra Nielsen, LEED AP Director of Consulting Services Sondra has over 14 years of commercial and residential construction management experience. She has overseen an array of projects in Nevada, Arizona, California and South Dakota, including hospitals, outpatient healthcare facilities, retail centers, hotels/casinos, restaurants and tribal affordable housing. At Common Ground, Sondra oversees a project team as well as our growing asset preservation services. View full profile
	Rand Redlin, LEED AP Project Manager Rand has over 28 years of experience in real estate development. He has owned and operated his own development and construction company, handling many projects from start to finish. During this time, he gained experience in land acquisition, obtaining entitlements, arranging financing and constructing multifamily projects. His background also includes senior housing projects and the development and construction of multifamily homes in Los Angeles and Orange County. View full profile
	Scott Schaffer Executive Director Scott has served in nonprofit leadership positions over the past two decades. He’s led several successful organizations through periods of growth and transition, including Philabundance (Philadelphia’s largest food bank), Olympic Park Institute (a K-12 environmental learning center) and NPower National (a nonprofit technology network). He’s also served as a nonprofit management consultant, helping clients build high-impact, financially sustainable operations. View full profile
	David Schor Director of Finance and Administration David has been involved in nonprofit and for-profit accounting and financial management for over 8 years. He has consulted to nonprofits on accounting systems setup, budgeting, general ledger work, audit preparation, reporting and financial analysis. In the past, he has worked in assurance and advisory services, including both independent and internal audits, compilations and management reporting. View full profile
	Patrick Urion Finance and IT Specialist Patrick has over a decade of experience managing the administrative, accounting, human resources, fundraising and information technology functions at nonprofits and small businesses throughout the West. As one half of the Common Ground operations team, he ensures the office accounting and technology runs smoothly and efficiently. A professional trombonist, he is a member of the Tacoma Symphony and fills in as needed with the Seattle Symphony. View full profile
	Joaquin Uy Communications Coordinator Joaquin brings to Common Ground over 10 years of communications and management experience. He has written for such community media organizations as the International Examiner and the Filipino-American Herald. He went on to report and produce for Community Radio KBCS 91.3 FM, Seattle’s Pacifica Network Affiliate. He later served as the station’s News and Public Affairs Director. Joaquin is responsible for Common Ground’s website, communications, marketing and grant writing. View full profile
	Knute Brinchmann Independent Project Associate Knute has over 22 years of development experience, including ten years in publicly funded housing and community development projects. He has worked in Haiti, Mexico, Massachusetts, and Washington State. Knute has secured, closed, and managed projects with a wide range of funding sources, including Low-Income Tax Credits, bank financing, state and local government funding, bond financing, and HUD funding. View full profile
	Julie Brunner Independent Project Associate Julie has over 16 years of experience with community land trust and nonprofit housing development, housing related technical assistance, organizational capacity building, planning and community development, neighborhood revitalization and grant management. A previous member of Common Ground’s staff, Julie’s current consulting work focuses on affordable homeownership and community land trusts. View full profile
	Michael I. Blumson Housing Development Associate Michael Blumson has worked as a planner at a municipal planning department guiding a number of residential and commercial projects through the entitlement process. He has spent the last several years working in the affordable housing field on the operations side of development. He has also worked with a number of organizations performing financial sustainability modeling and strategic visioning to allow organizations to project their growth and make sound decisions about the future. View full profile
	Kym Haley Project Manager Kym has experience managing both the planning and construction aspects of development, in the private and nonprofit sectors. Kym has used her masters-level knowledge of construction management to move multiple projects through the development pipeline. In the past, she has managed 228 units at various different stages of development for four projects and has overseen the construction of 18 simultaneous construction schedules. View full profile
	Shawna Ruff Office Assistant Shawna brings to Common Ground over ten years of administrative and office management experience. She has four years in construction office support and project assistance. She has also supported diverse teams in the finance and marine industries. Shawna helps our office run smoothly; her dedication to efficiency is a boon both for our clients and vendors. View full profile

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Michael Blumson

Knute Brinchmann

Juanita L. McLaughlin

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