Before turning over the reins of Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity to Juan Suarez at the end of this month, Board Chair Dawn Kahle announced the addition of ten new board members including Courtney Acarregui, Dawn Blair, Murphy Cheatham, Alan Cohen, Cristi Lockett, Stacy Marshall, Olga Martinez Hickman, Sean Tate, Asheya L. Warren and Venezuela Williams.
Serving two-year terms, the new members will be part of the 34-member board that will “guide the organization into its next phase of strategic growth.”
According to Dallas Habitat CEO Dave Crawford, “The combined talents and experiences of our incoming board members in the finance, nonprofit, human resources, legal, and real estate sectors, to name a few, present new opportunities for Habitat to lead Dallas in affordable housing. Following a challenging year for our community, the volunteer commitment of these individual’s time and talents to our mission is especially meaningful. I am confident with their guidance, building on the strategy we’ve outlined under Dawn Kahle’s leadership, we are well-positioned to accomplish our bold goals. Their service will be instrumental in transforming our community by providing financial education, affordable housing and policies that further equity across the DFW metroplex [sic].”
And if you thought Habitat was “just” building homes, think again. It’s a remarkable program in which clients are educated and counseled on achieving the financial foundation for home ownership. Why, just in 2019, 69% of the Habitat home buyers were women.
* Graphic provided by Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity