About the Trust

Download our 2006 Annual Report.
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The North Shore Housing Trust is a 501(c)(3) that originated in 2001 as a result of an intensive study by hundreds of residents involved in the North Shore Affordable Housing Task Force. Focusing on the key issues of homelessness, working families, excessive housing costs and the lack of supply in the local housing markets, the Task Force recognized that the housing problem is regional in nature, requiring a comprehensive regional strategy based on partnerships and sensitivity to local needs.

The Trust’s primary focus, therefore, is developing innovative programs and policies that target the existing gaps in the regional North Shore affordable housing network. These range from smart growth strategies to workforce housing development, and providing technical assistance, community education, and affordability monitoring.

To ensure community accountability and partnerships, the Trust is a membership organization. Our members represent the business, local government, nonprofit, social service, and faith-based communities.

Our members elected five new directors to our Board and re-elected six returning directors at the December 2006 Annual Meeting. Four officers were also elected. Martha Solish was celebrated for her service; she departed the Board after three years of service. The Board of Directors is comprised of affordable housing advocates, practitioners, builders, financiers, economic developers, and others who bring together decades of industry experience.

Board of Directors

Susanne Marzi Cameron is a resident of Newburyport and is the President for Community Relations and CRA Officer for Citibank North America based in Boston. Prior to joining Citibank, Susanne was Vice President for Community Development at TDBanknorth. She also managed community development business for Fannie Mae where she was responsible for product development and design, working with nonprofits, municipalities, housing finance authorities, realtors, and elected officials to develop affordable housing strategies all over New England. She is a proxy member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Community and Banking Council, including the Affordable Housing and Economic Development Committees and a member of the Advisory Board for LISC Boston.

Susan Collins-Hanley has been involved in the real estate industry for the last 20 years and specializes in assisting first-time homebuyers. She is currently a loan originator at Bank of America and a homebuyer educator counselor with Community Action, Inc. She is a North Andover resident, a strong advocate for affordable housing for people of all ages and believes homeownership is a good partnership between communities and homeowners.

Robert Gillis, Jr. is a vice-president with the Cape Ann Savings Bank serving as senior residential mortgage lender. A life-long area resident, Bob has worked at the bank for 29 years. Bob is also President of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, President of the Community Land Trust of Cape Ann and Treasurer of Cape Ann Housing Opportunity, Inc. He is a resident of Gloucester.

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Gordon King is a resident of Marblehead and is the Senior Director of Facilities Planning and Management for Suffolk University. He has been the principal in two planning and development consulting firms and served as the Director of Aviation Planning, Transportation Planning and Construction, and Planning and Permitting for MassPort. He served the Commonwealth in various capacities within the Division of Capital Planning and Operations. He has also served on the Board of Directors of other non-profit housing and economic development corporations in the Boston area.

Marcos Ortiz is a resident of Salem and is an Assistant Vice President in Affordable Housing Acquisitions for MMA Financial, one of the largest syndicators of Low Income Housing Tax Credits in the country. He also recently worked for the Salem Harbor Community Development Corporation as a project manager. Mr. Ortiz has previously served on the North Shore Housing Trust Board of Directors in has capacity at Salem Harbor.

Marc Potvin, Esq. is a New Hampshire resident who serves as director of the Community Counsel Program at Neighborhood Legal Services, focusing on low-income community development issues. Among his recent accomplishments are the successful preservation of Salem Heights as affordable housing and writing a North Shore housing market study and the HUD Consolidated Plan for the regional North Shore HOME Consortium. Marc’s extensive history in community organizing and the anti-poverty movement includes serving as Executive Director of the North Shore Community Action Programs.

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Julie Quinn is a resident of Wakefield and is the Housing Coordinator for the City of Salem. She has a background in affordable housing and community development, having worked as a project manager for Affirmative Investments in Boston and as part of a housing development team with the East LA Community Corporation.

Anthony Rita is a resident of Ipswich and is a commercial and construction loan officer for the Enterprise Bank of Lowell. He previously served as a financial analyst for nSight, Inc., a publishing and marketing firm in Burlington, MA. He volunteers for the Cape Ann Habitat for Humanity and is currently completing a program in accountancy.

Deidre Savage is a resident of Gloucester and a principal at Saltaire Properties, where she works as a real estate broker. Ms. Savage has worked as a real estate Asset Manager for Shawmut Bank and St. George Properties. She has engaged in local real estate development and was recently the Executive Director of the Perfect Storm foundation. She is also a member of the North Shore Association of Realtors.

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Michael Schaaf is Principal of Community Investment Associates, a consulting firm assisting nonprofits, government, and financiers to undertake community economic development. Specializing in finance and capitalization, he has assisted projects in many North Shore communities, including Gloucester, Ipswich, Lynn, Newburyport, and Salem. His experience includes assistance to Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation affiliates, Director of Lending and Projects at MA Government Land Bank, and Loan Officer at National Cooperative Bank. He resides in Ipswich where he serves as Chairman of the Ipswich Affordable Housing Partnership and member of the Finance Committee.

Nancy Schwoyer is Executive Director and a founder of Wellspring House, Inc., a well-recognized non-profit focusing on solutions to family homelessness and poverty. Nancy was a catalyst for the creation of the Trust and served as its first President. Her many accomplishments include an associate position with the Goldsmith University's Centre for Urban and Community Research in London. She also lectures, organizes workshops and publishes articles on poverty issues and organizational development. Nancy's affiliations include serving as President of Cape Ann Housing Opportunity, Inc. and on the boards of The Community Land Trust of Cape Ann, One Family, Inc. and Homes for Families, Inc. She is a resident of Gloucester.

Jonathan Sherwood, PhD. is an Amesbury resident and the Director of Technical Assistance at AIDS Housing Corporation in Boston where he specializes in providing support to AIDS housing programs and service providers throughout New England. At AHC, Jonathan has directed the development of publications for AIDS housing providers, 2 statewide (and multiple county-wide) AIDS housing reports and needs assessments, capacity trainings for supportive housing program staff and has been a presenter at a number of national conferences on homelessness and special needs housing. He has worked as both a housing specialist for an anti-poverty organization and as a case manager at an emergency shelter and currently sits on the Master Plan Implementation Committee for the Town of Amesbury.

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