Eden Housing Welcomes Two New Members to its Board of Directors
February 27, 2023
— New Members Bring Decades of Affordable Housing Experience —
February 13, 2023 — Eden Housing is pleased to announce the addition of Ali Solis and Kara Douglas to its Board of Directors.
Ali Solis is the Principal of S3-Solis Solutions, a consulting firm that provides strategic counsel focused on government relations, public policy, and strategic planning. She is the former President and CEO of Make Room Inc., a national nonprofit organization giving voice to America’s struggling renters. Prior to her time at Make Room, Solis served as a senior advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Along with the National Council of State Housing Finance Agencies, she co-led the ACTION Campaign, a national cross-industry advocacy network of 3,800 national, regional, and local organizations, which she created to protect and expand the Housing Credit and Private Activity Bonds as a means of providing affordable homes for lower-income, working families in communities across the country.
In 2008, Solis led the Save America’s Neighborhoods campaign with over 100 national industry organizations helping to stabilize communities struggling from the foreclosure crisis and secured $7B in Congressional appropriations to create the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. She was previously the legislative director for the congressionally chartered Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. Solis works closely with the White House, U.S. Congress, state and local policy leaders and industry stakeholders to advance solutions that address rental housing affordability.
The former president of Women in Housing and Finance, Inc., a professional association of 800 women and men from the housing and financial services industries, Solis has been named to Hispanic Business’ 50 Influentials list and in 2015 was a Stevie Award Recipient, Women in Business, Executive of the Year for Nonprofit/Government. She also serves as a bilingual mentor for the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition.
Kara Douglas most recently served as the Assistant Deputy Director for the Department of Conservation and Development for Contra Costa County, where she oversaw many funding programs for the County, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, HOME Program, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, among others.
She currently serves on the board of Hope Solutions, and previously served on the Board of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California. Douglas received the 2015 Unsung Hero Award from the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California and was recognized in 2018 by the East Bay Housing Organization.
“We’re honored to have the deep experience and expertise that Kara and Ali bring to the table,” said Eden Housing CEO Linda Mandolini. “They are both inspiring leaders who are deeply committed to helping guide our mission to create and sustain high-quality affordable housing communities that advance equity and opportunity for all.”
About Eden Housing
Eden Housing is a non-profit organization with 55 years of experience providing safe and affordable housing that helps families stay secure, allows communities to thrive, and solves many of the most pressing housing challenges facing California cities. Since its inception, the Bay Area-based organization has developed more than 10,000 affordable homes and is a leader in making its residential communities environmentally sustainable and efficient through integrating energy conservation. Eden is also known as a champion of housing policy advocacy at the local, state, and national level, supporting practices that both create and preserve affordable housing for diverse communities. Learn more at www.edenhousing.org.
Media Contact:
Birgit Johnston
Johnston Communications for Eden Housing
birgitjohnston@me.com