Meet the New and Renewing 2023 MHT Board Members

Katie Leuthauser

When I first moved to The Methow Valley full time in July of 2016, it was evident that rentals, and affordable housing was scarce, as I lived out of my car for a month. Luckily, through my work as a teacher at Liberty Bell Highschool, and through other connections in the community, people began to look out for me on the rental front. I found stable housing and was able to really settle in and connect more with this amazing community. Knowing that The Methow was where I wanted to stay, I began thinking about buying a house. Unfortunately, the lack of real estate in my price range became a huge barrier. But after some encouragement from friends, I applied for a Methow Housing Trust home. I closed and moved into my lovely house in the Winthrop South neighborhood in May of 2022. I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of the board, so that I can support the many people who deserve stable, affordable housing.

Through my work as a teacher, as well as other jobs and volunteer opportunities I partake in, I have met many people in need of stable housing. I understand the incredibly important work that the Methow Housing Trust does, and am honored to help that cause.

Don Linnertz

Shortly after moving to the Methow Valley in 2014, I began volunteering with TwispWorks and 9 months later became an employee, deeply engaged with the Methow Valley Long Term Recovery Organization. Formed after the 2014 Carlton Complex fires, the four priorities named by MVLTR were housing, disaster readiness, communication and economic vitality.

I had the opportunity to assist with the formation of the Methow Housing trust as a member of the Steering Committee and first Policy Committee. I’ve had a passion for this work since our early conversations about mission, implementation approach and equity first began. Once the first MHT Board was formed, I continued to serve on the Advisory Board. I was honored to be part of the formation of the Methow Housing Solutions, a collaborative that formed to identify additional solutions to our local housing crisis.

I remain engaged in this community I love and welcome the opportunity to work with the MHT Board. As the organization builds on its tremendous success, I look forward to discussions about the mission, ensuring the approach is equitable and, engaging with the donors who invest in long-term housing security for Methow Valley residents. I love making connections and finding ways to ‘get further faster’ through collaboration with organizations who may be solving a particular facet of the housing issue.

Laura Grignon

I look forward to serving on the Board of the Methow Housing Trust. I am honored! As some of you know, my professional background is as a professional civil engineer and project manager. I have been volunteering for the Trust for the past year, on the Land and Housing Development committee.

I love the richness and dynamism that a diverse population brings to a culture and am distressed that housing is increasingly becoming the realm of a small segment of our society. My goals in serving on the Board are twofold: one, to use my skills to further inclusive, affordable housing in the Valley; and two, to continue to learn and broaden my own horizons. As a newly (semi) retired person, I have time and experience to contribute. This past year of volunteering for the Trust has taught me that it is a group that I would be proud to be involved with. I have been impressed with the dedication, contributions, skills, and can-do attitude of everyone that I’ve come in contact within the organization.

Teresa Mitchell

Giving back to this amazing community has always been important to me, and serving on the MHT board has afforded me a path to truly contribute to the health and well being of our valley. I am delighted to be a part of an organization that truly embraces equity and has a tremendous impact on building sustainability. Since joining the board in 2019, I have served on a number of board committees including the Equity Task Force, the Capital Campaign Committee, the Policy Committee, the Board Development and Recruitment Committee and the Executive Committee as Board Secretary. In this next term of service, I am anxious to help build a board assessment toolkit, contributing to the important work of analyzing and refining organizational policies and continuing to cultivate new interest in our work through the board recruitment process.

John Battle

I was raised in Virginia and completed an education in architecture in New England. I spent summers in high school and college working in construction and as a union journeyman carpenter when I moved to Seattle in 1976. I obtained a general contractors license and specialized in custom residential remodeling and then moved into commercial construction management. Following that, I was able to use my architectural and construction backgrounds to work for 20 years and as development manager of large commercial construction projects. From my college days in New England I developed a love of cross country skiing and once I arrived in Seattle, I soon learned about the Methow Valley and have been coming here to ski ever since.

In 2008 I was a member of a team awarded the job to manage the design and construction of the Spring Creek Bridge in Winthrop. This project brought me to the valley on a regular basis for several years, and me and my wife Candice got to know many people and places here. During that time, we bought a cabin just south of the smoke jumper’s base, fulfilling our long-term dream.

I have always wanted to use my skills to make a contribution to the valley and have served on the Board of TwispWorks. I currently serve on the Twisp Planning Commission and the Board of the Methow Housing Trust. During these years in the valley, I became progressively more aware of the limited options for housing. There are so many things that excite me about MHT, the mission, the people involved and the opportunity to develop housing for the occupants of the valley. It has been wonderful to be a member of this board and the valley community.

Nancy Nash-Mendez

I have been a board member since the creation of the organization and I consider it an honor to be serving alongside such dedicated board members and very skilled staff. The field of affordable housing is not for the faint of heart and I continue to be inspired and impressed by the amount of homes we have been able to build in such a short time. I am happy to be serving as a member of the Board Recruitment committee and I do look forward to serving in any capacity that will allow us to keep moving our mission forward.

Methow Housing TrustJanuary 12, 2023