HAP - About Us - Board of Commissioners

Housing Authority of Portland: Housing, Help and Hope for All

135 SW Ash Street Portland, OR. 97204

The HAP Board of Commissioners

The Board of Commissioners oversees the Housing Authority of Portland and is responsible for establishing policy and approving HAP's annual budget. The Board of Commissioners also hires the Executive Director, who serves as the agency's Chief Executive Officer. The Executive Director oversees the day-to-day operations of the Housing Authority and implements policies and programs established by the Board.

Each Board member is recommended by the jurisdiction he or she serves: four appointments are recommended by the City of Portland, two by the City of Gresham and two by Multnomah County. A ninth member participates in one of HAP's housing programs and represents residents. The recommended members are appointed by the Mayor of Portland and confirmed by the Portland City Council. Board members are volunteers who serve staggered four-year terms.

HAP's Board of Commissioners holds monthly public meetings. For a complete schedule of the Board's public meetings, please visit our Public Meetings page.

In addition to attending Board meetings, persons interested in contacting the Board may write them c/o the Housing Authority of Portland, 135 SW Ash Street, Portland, Oregon, 97204, or contact them via email at board@hapdx.org.


		Jeff Bachrach, Chair "Portland has a significant unmet need for affordable housing. I am excited to be part of HAP's effort to provide safe, affordable housing for those who are most vulnerable in our community." Chair Bachrach brings to the Board his extensive experience in real estate and housing development. Bachrach is a lawyer specializing in land development and real estate transactions. He is a former board member of REACH Community Development Corp., the Commercial Real Estate Economic Coalition and the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland. Bachrach also served as one of the original commissioners on the Portland Baseball Commission. A former newspaper reporter, Bachrach holds a bachelor's degree in literature and earned his law degree at Lewis & Clark College.

		Lee Moore, Vice Chair “This appointment is very meaningful to me … It brings me full circle and allows me to give back to a community that was important to me as I was growing up.” Vice Chair Moore brings a strong background in construction and facilities management to the board. Currently a small business owner, he has worked for the state of Oregon as director of the Properties and Construction Division and as director of the Purchasing Division. He served in managerial roles at Tektronix and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Most recently, he served as deputy director and assistant director of support services for the Oregon Lottery. Moore, who grew up in Portland's Vanport public housing development in Portland, serves as a member of the board of the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center. He is completing a degree in management at Marylhurst University.

		Mike Bennett, Commissioner “I'm serving on the HAP board to foster close relationships between the City of Gresham and HAP. This will benefit the work of both entities and the citizens we serve." Mike Bennett is a member of the Gresham City Council. He ran for public office out of a commitment to the city and desire to help it grapple with its growth issues and was elected in November 2006. He is dedicated to ensuring Gresham’s vibrancy and staying within the city’s available resources to achieve that goal. Before joining the council, he served on Gresham’s Finance Committee. Bennett brings career experience in high tech engineering, project management, and consulting to his public service roles.

		Harriet Cormack, Commissioner “I'm pleased to be able to join the board of an organization … that has an excellent record in pursuit of its mission of helping to ensure everyone in the community has safe, decent housing that they can afford." Commissioner Cormack is a longtime community leader who brings more than 25 years of real estate management and development experience to the position. Cormack served as director of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts for six years. Prior to that, she served as vice president for development for Cornerstone Development Co., leading the development of Portland's RiverPlace and Seattle's Waterfront Place. She led urban renewal efforts for the preservation of the Pike Place Market and adjacent residential development in downtown Seattle. Cormack, now retired, also brings solid housing experience to the board. She worked at the Boston Housing Authority in the 1960s and was a former chair of the Oregon Corporation for Affordable Housing (dba Homestead Capital).

		Gretchen Kafoury, Commissioner “Serving on the HAP board allows me to spend more time making a difference in the world of affordable housing, including achieving the ever-elusive goal of finding a permanent, sustainable source of revenue.” Commissioner Kafoury has had a distinguished career in public service and education. She spent 20 years in elected office, serving in the Oregon legislature, on the Multnomah County Commission, and on the Portland City Council. Her primary interests have revolved around social and economic justice, and she has left her mark on affordable housing, homeless programs, and domestic violence prevention. After leaving elected office, she joined the faculty of the Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University and taught courses ranging from Poverty and Homelessness to Oregon’s Future and Public Administration. She is a 'founding mother’ of the New Leadership Oregon Board and continues to be active training the next generation of Oregon women politicians.

		Nathan Teske, Commissioner "I have a passion for finding housing solutions that help people at lower income levels improve their lives. Serving on HAP's board allows me to deepen the community work that I have done in the East County." Commissioner Teske brings a background in social services to the HAP board. In his role as El Hispano Program Manager for Catholic Charities, he works to provide a comprehensive array of services to low-income Latinos. He also gained broad experience working with Latino youth as "Futuros" department director for the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement. He fills a Gresham seat on the HAP Board and is very active as a volunteer in the East County community in which he lives. He is a member of the Rockwood Weed & Seed Steering Committee and serves as chair of the Rockwood Weed & Seed Neighborhood Revitalization Committee.

		Gavin Thayer, Commissioner “I welcome the opportunity to serve the cause that has done so much for me, and continues to provide so many a sense of well being with such a high degree of respect.” Commissioner Thayer holds the resident seat on HAP's board, representing the 33,000 people the agency serves. As a resident of a public housing community, he has first hand experience with the policies and programs that impact HAP clients. Thayer, who is retired after a career in food service management, has a long background of community service. Currently he coordinates the volunteer coffee/brunch at his apartment community and volunteers for the Oregon Food Bank.

The HAP Board of Commissioners currently has one vacant position.