Habitat for Humanity International Elects New Board Officers and Directors

ATLANTA, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity International is pleased to announce the election of new officers and members to its board of directors.  Habitat's 24-member board is responsible for establishing policy and guiding the organization's efforts to construct, rehabilitate, repair and improve housing in partnership with low-income families in nearly 80 countries around the world.  Habitat board members volunteer for two-year terms that can be renewed up to four times.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050501/NYSU020LOGO )

"We are grateful for the service of each board member," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "They are all extremely dedicated and committed to addressing affordable housing issues, and we are privileged to have their leadership."

Those elected as officers to the board include Elizabeth Crossman of Trail, Ore.; Renee Glover of Atlanta; Fernando Zobel de Ayala of the Philippines; Eduardo Tabush of Guatemala; and Henry Cisneros of San Antonio, Texas.

Elizabeth Crossman, HFHI board chair, is the former president of Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation. Crossman directed charitable contributions for Weyerhaeuser Company and was responsible for the company's scholarship, matching gifts and employee volunteer programs. In addition to Habitat for Humanity International, Crossman serves on the Rogue Community College Foundation board and has previously served on the Washington Dollars for Scholars, Scholarship America and YWCA of Seattle-King County-Snohomish County boards. 

Renee Glover, HFHI board vice chair, is the current CEO of the Atlanta Housing Authority. Under Glover's leadership, the Atlanta Housing Authority has sponsored the creation of 11 mixed-use, mixed-income communities with an economic impact of approximately $3 billion.   She has been nationally recognized for her role in transforming U.S. urban policy. Glover previously was appointed by the U.S. Congress to the Millennial Housing Commission in 2000, which was charged with providing legislative recommendations to Congress on national housing policy. In November 2007, Glover was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and was appointed to the Bipartisan Policy Center's Housing Commission in December 2011.

Fernando Zobel de Ayala, HFHI board vice chair, is the current president and chief operating officer of Ayala Corporation. Zobel previously served on Habitat's board from 2001 to 2008. In addition to serving on several boards of the Ayala group, including co-vice chairman of the Ayala Foundation, Zobel sits on the board of Caritas Manila, the foundation of the Roman Catholic Church in Manila. Zobel received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and has completed a program in international management at INSEAD in France.

Eduardo Tabush, HFHI board treasurer, is the CEO of Meritage Assets Corporation and Joomlashack.com. He is a serial entrepreneur having founded several companies.  He has worked extensively with Habitat for Humanity in Guatemala. Tabush received a bachelor's degree from Babson College in the United States and is a fellow of the Central America Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.  

Henry Cisneros, HFHI board secretary, is the chair of City View. Cisneros has served in several public positions, including secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1993-1997 and mayor of the city of San Antonio in Texas for three terms. From 1997-2000, Cisneros was president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications, a Spanish-language broadcasting company.

Those elected as new board members include Cary Evert of Tulsa, Okla.; Steven Preston of Farmington, Conn.; Joe Price of Charlotte, N.C.; and Mary Lynn Staley of Edina, Minn. 

Cary Evert is the president of Hilti North America.  Evert has been very active with Tulsa Habitat for Humanity and serves on its Council of Advocates.

Steven Preston is the executive vice president of Waste Management. He served as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2008 to 2009 and as the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration.  Prior to this public service, Preston worked in the private sector for nearly 25 years in financial and operational leadership positions.

Joe Price is the former president of consumer and small business banking andchief financial officer at Bank of America. Price held many executive positions at Bank of America from 1993-2011 and was previously affiliated with PriceWaterhouse. He has been very active with Habitat for Humanity Charlotte and serves on the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Mary Lynn Staley has been very active with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity for several years and serves on its board of directors.  She has also participated in several Habitat for Humanity Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work projects. 

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitat.org, or follow us at www.facebook.com/habitat or at www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat's blog community at www.habitat.org/blog.

SOURCE Habitat for Humanity International