King County Executive Ron Sims has appointed Doreen Marchione to serve a five-year term as a King County Housing Authority commissioner.

Marchione was approved last week by the Metropolitan King County Council. Marchione replaces KCHA Commissioner Doreen Cato who has served on the board for two terms.

“I’m excited to be able to share my expertise as a housing provider and developer with such a dynamic, mission-oriented organization,” said Marchione. “Expanding and preserving the supply of affordable housing is critical to improving the quality of life in the Puget Sound region, ending homelessness and increasing self-sufficiency for low-income families.”

Marchione recently retired after 15 years as President/CEO of Hopelink, a community action agency that offers a variety of services from housing to child care and transportation to help low-income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities build towards self-sufficiency. Before joining Hopelink, she served as the mayor of Redmond for eight years and on the Redmond City Council for four years.

Marchione currently serves on the boards of the Kirkland Perfomance Center, the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board and the steering committee for the Gates Foundation Sound Families Initiative. She has received of a number of prestigious honors including the Municipal League’s Outstanding Elected Official Award, the Leadership Legacy Award from the Center for Ethical Leadership and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Redmond Chamber of Commerce.

As one of five commissioners, Marchione will help guide KCHA’s policies and priorities.

Dr. Doreen Cato, who has served on the board since 1997, has completed the maximum allowable 10-year term for a commissioner.

Photo coutesy of Hopelink.