SANTA BARBARA — Peoples’ Self-Help Housing (PSHH) and its affiliate nonprofit property management agent, The Duncan Group (TDG), would like to thank retiring board member B. Ray Gateley, as well as welcome newly elected members Paula Johnson and Menka Sethi.
B. Ray Gateley retires from two Boards. Gateley plans to spend more time with his family and travel. He was elected to the PSHH Board in 2000 and has served on TDG Board since 1998. Gateley brought his dedication, expertise and commitment to both boards and has been known as an advocate, supporter and voice of reason.
“We are filled with gratitude for Ray’s many years of leadership and unwavering commitment to both organizations,” said John Fowler, PSHH & TDG President.
Gateley is a retired civil engineer and was Vice President and Principal Engineer for Penfield & Smith (now Stantec) in Santa Barbara. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Institute for Advancement of Engineering, and was a member of the Home Builders Association in Santa Barbara. He and his wife Nancy reside in Santa Barbara.
Paula Johnson joins TDG Board of Directors. Johnson was elected in March of 2016, though previously served on the Board of Directors of the Goleta Valley Housing Committee, overseeing the Villa la Esperanza Development for over 15 years, which is now part of the PSHH portfolio. She has served as the chair of Starfish Housing Committee since it started in 2013.
“TDG is extremely fortunate Johnson has accepted the invitation to join the Board. Her community involvement and compassion for families and individuals in need will be a great asset to us,” commented Fowler.
Johnson recently retired as a bookkeeper for the Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara. She resides in Goleta.
Menka Sethi joins the PSHH Board of Directors. Sethi was elected to the PSHH Board in June of 2016. She is currently Principal of Sustinere, a strategic urban consulting practice focusing on transportation, housing, economics and finance. She also teaches as an adjunct professor of real estate finance at Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business.
“The PSHH Board is thrilled with the addition of Sethi. Menka’s years of urban planning, real estate finance and architecture expertise, and her deep understanding of housing development and management is priceless,” said Fowler.
Sethi has managed mixed-use development, new construction and leasing projects ranging from $5 million to $100 million in size, involving complex entitlement processes and use of tax credit equity funding. She has served on the board of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of King County, guiding the organization in creating independent living opportunities in single-family home environments for Multiple Sclerosis patients. She holds a BA degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Columbia Business School, and resides with her family in San Luis Obispo.
About PSHH: Founded in 1970, PSHH is an award winning non-profit organization that develops affordable housing and community facilities for low-income households and homeownership opportunities for working families and special needs populations, such as seniors, veterans, the disabled, and the formerly homeless. With nearly 1,200 self-help homes completed and almost 1,700 rental units developed, PSHH is the largest affordable housing developer on the Central Coast, with offices in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. For more information on Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, visit www.pshhc.org, email communications@pshhc.org or phone (805) 781-3088.