Addressing Seattle's Housing Crunch

Patience Malaba is recognized for her leadership in addressing the intersecting crises of affordable housing, racial equity, and climate change and is the 2020 Bullitt Foundation Environmental Fellowship awardee. As Executive Director, at the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County, she leads the association in a shared effort to increase access to affordable housing. A commitment to environmental and economic justice and her passion for an equitable society led her directly to the affordable housing sector. Prior to this role, she served as HDC’s Director of Government Relations and Policy. Previous positions include work with Seattle for Everyone, a broad coalition that was central to the success of Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA), Futurewise, and the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 6. Patience co-chairs the Eastside Housing Roundtable, co-chairs Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)’s Regional TOD Advisory Committee, Chairs the Seattle Planning Commission Housing and Neighborhoods Committee, and serves on the PSRC Growth Management Policy Board. She serves on the board of directors of the Transportation Choices Coalition and is a member of Sound Communities. Her appointments include the City of Seattle’s Redistricting Commission and Washington State Department of Commerce Homeownership Disparities Workgroup. Patience holds a Master of Public Administration from Seattle University, an Organizational Leadership Certificate from George Mason University, and a BA in International Development from Lupane State University in Zimbabwe.

As a Principal of Spectrum Development Solutions, Jake’s expertise spans complex land use issues, transit-oriented mixed-use development, healthcare and historic renovations. Jake began his career developing affordable housing projects in New York City and currently oversees a variety of projects and clients throughout the greater Seattle area including Northwest Kidney Centers, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Throughout Jake’s career, he has consistently demonstrated his commitment to the community in developing mixed-use and multifamily housing. Recent examples include Anthem, Decibel, and Reverb which created nearly 300 apartments of workforce housing for young professionals, teachers, nurses, and civil servants. Jake’s passion is evident in his desire to always keep what’s best for the community at the forefront of his decisions.

Conor has been involved with multifamily real estate development since graduating from the University of Washington in 2006. He is currently overseeing the development of over 1200 affordable units in the next 5 years, totaling just over $500 million in total development costs.