Board members
BRITTANY PALMER,
PRESIDENT
Brittany Palmer (she/her) is the Executive Director of the North Missoula Community Development Corporation in Missoula, Montana. She brings experience in managing the organization's community land trust portfolio and working in local food and sustainable agriculture, including for a farmer-owned cooperative, to her role at the NMCDC and as Board Vice President for the NWCLTC. As a renter who has personally experienced housing precarity, Brittany believes that housing is a human right and uses this passion to guide the NMCDC and advocate for an equitable community. Brittany has a BA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati and an MS in Environmental Studies with a focus in Environmental Justice from the University of Montana where she researched and wrote about whiteness and settler colonialism at the National Bison Range in western Montana.
COURTNEY NAUMANN
VICE PRESIDENT
Courtney Naumann (she/her) is based in Bozeman, Montana representing Headwaters Community Housing Trust. On the shoulders of giants, she leads innovative operations for below-market home sales and directs homeowner stewardship, working to expand regional below-market housing opportunities. Prior to community land trust efforts, she held roles as a conservation district resource planner, planning consultant, and agricultural stewardship program manager across the Pacific Northwest. For four years, she participated in King County, WA's Conservation Futures Advisory Board and equity sub-committee to distribute more than $17 million annually towards open space protection. Courtney is rooted in values of intentionality and reciprocity, exploring the "why's" and "how's" of systems in place and challenging how they can be adapted to better serve.
DAVID ELLSWORTH-KELLER, SECRETARY
David (he/him) works to provide affordable homeownership opportunities as the Director of the Homeownership Program at Kulshan Community Land Trust in Bellingham, Washington. He came to Kulshan CLT and the Northwest following 11 years working with the Champlain Housing Trust in Burlington, Vermont and one year with the Athens Land Trust in Athens, Georgia. There he became a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Certified Housing Counselor. He earned a Masters in Management with an emphasis in managing mission-driven organizations from Marlboro College in Vermont. He has helped homeowners and homebuyers navigate the process of the purchase and sale contract and closing on over 150 transactions.
Simon Windell,
TREASURER
Simon Windell (he/him) brings his deep curiosity alongside his depth of operational, financial, and technical experience to his work part time for the Methow Housing Trust as CFO, and as an advisor and consultant to other Community Land Trusts, municipalities, developers and advocacy organizations.
Simon leans on his 15 years of experience in Operations, IT, Finance and Organizational development to build systems that work and to effectively articulate the power of investment in Community Land Trusts.
Simon believes in the beauty of the Community Land Trust model as a bridge between the paradox that is the fact that a house is private property, but access to Housing is a public good.
deborah Hayden
Bio coming soon!
Jerry Bustamante
Bio coming soon!
Thom nees
Thom Nees (he/him) serves as the Executive Director for Common Ground Community Housing Trust in Wenatchee, WA where his dedication to community service and advocacy shines. With a profound commitment to addressing housing insecurity and strengthening community ties, Thom leads initiatives that promote affordable, sustainable housing solutions.
His 30 years of non-profit executive management experience, Thom brings a wealth of experience into this role. He has consistently championed the causes of equity, compassion, and collective responses to social issues. His work focuses on fostering an inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
An avid outdoorsman, Thom enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and backpacking in the scenic landscapes of Washington State. Thom believes in the power of letting go of biases and responding with compassion to the needs of others, a philosophy that underpins his professional and personal life.
Thom's leadership is marked by his vision of a community where housing is not just the privilege of a few, but a fundamental right of us all. His approach integrates strategic planning, community collaboration, and innovative solutions to create lasting impacts in the housing sector.
Dom Merriweather
Dominique (he/him) was appointed Executive Director Proud Ground in July 2023. Prior to joining Proud Ground, Dominique was the Director of Finance & Business Affairs for Innovative Housing, Inc. where he provided financial, operational, and human resources oversight and leadership. Dominique’s professional background was developed in commercial lending for several NW regional banks. Dominique received his bachelor's degree from Concordia University and holds a master's degree from Portland State University.
Dominique is excited to lead Proud Ground and to continue its mission of expanding home ownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income families such as to allow them to remain in communities of their choice. He believes that the community land trust model is proven, as represented by Proud Ground’s nearly 25-year history, and Dominique believes that its greatest benefits are in creating strong families, stable communities, economic viability, and permanent affordability. Dominique was elected to the NWCLT Board in May 2024.
Dominique has been an active community volunteer with organizations focusing on community leadership, youth sports and mentoring, housing security and diversity. Currently he serves as a Commissioner for the Vancouver Housing Authority, is a board member for Partners in Careers and sits on the finance committee for Second Step Housing.
Mr. Merriweather is married with a blended family of six children. A proud inductee to two halls of fame, he spends his spare time cooking, perfecting BBQ recipes and traveling to his kids' sporting events or to tropical respites.
Miles nowlin
Miles (he/him) has worked in place-based affordable housing development since 2009, focusing on promoting shared land tenure practices in multi-racial, multilingual low-income communities. He began his career in Shelton, WA, where he discovered the power of solidarity partnerships in addressing gaps in vital community resources, especially for homeless youth and immigrants. As the founding board president of the Mason County HOST Program, he helped establish one of the region's first school-based host housing programs through collaborative efforts with schools, faith groups, and local government. Later, as a co-op technical assistant at the Northwest Cooperative Development Center, he assisted low-income residents in converting five housing communities into permanently affordable cooperatives. He also advocated for legislation and funding to support community-controlled affordable housing preservation. He recently completed his MA in Latin American Studies, during which he conducted research alongside leaders of the Caño Martín Peña Community Land Trust in Puerto Rico. Miles most recently served as the first full-time Executive Director at Common Roots Housing Trust in Walla Walla, where he helped launch SE Washington's first Community Land Trust.
JESSIE BAINES
Jessie Baines is a dynamic community leader whose career began in a moment for social justice, the Thomas et. al. vs. the Puyallup School District class action civil rights lawsuit wherein he and his fellow classmates were subjected to racism and discrimination. Baines would go on to play an integral role in the establishment of the first Office of Diversity Affairs within a public school district in the United States, moving forward Brown vs Board of Education.
A graduate of WSU, Baines represents equality and opportunity in his work. He is the owner of HULK Construction, a Tacoma-based general contracting firm where he oversees business development and client relations.
In 2020, Mr. Baines established the Pierce County Land Trust which is building its first 12 unit development.