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 on July 14 by the Metropolitan King County Council. Marchione replaces KCHA Commissioner Doreen Cato who has served on the board for two terms.

“I am delighted to welcome Ms. Marchione to our board,” said KCHA Executive Director Stephen Norman. “She has broad experience and engagement with civic issues in the region, brings a passion for serving the most vulnerable residents in our communities, and has been recognized many times for her outstanding leadership skills. She has worked extensively on suburban city issues and brings an important perspective to the Authority.”

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, Wash. for eight years and on the Redmond City Council for four years.

Marchione currently serves on the boards of the Kirkland Performance Center, the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board and the steering committee for the Gates Foundation Sound Families Initiative. She has received 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.

“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.”

Dr. Doreen Cato, who has served on the board since 1997, has completed the maximum allowable 10-year term for a commissioner. “We’ll miss Doreen (Cato)’s guidance on issues such as homelessness, diversity, youth education and resident services," said Board Chair Nancy Holland-Young. “Her passion and compassion for low-income families helped shape KCHA’s policies and programs, the positive effects of which will be felt for the foreseeable future.”

KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs for residents of King County. The Authority serves more than 18,000 families, elderly and disabled households on a daily basis.