December 29, 2009--Cynthia A. Parker, Regional President for Mercy Housing and President of Intercommunity Mercy Housing, has been selected as the new President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing, the leading nonprofit developer of affordable housing in California.

Parker, 56, brings over 30 years of diverse and relevant experience to BRIDGE. Prior to her tenure at Mercy, she served as Senior Vice President for Seattle-Northwest Securities, a public finance firm, where she oversaw affordable housing, commercial and public facility real estate financing in five Northwest states. Previously, Parker worked for the City of Seattle, where she established the new Office of Housing, doubled the agency's housing production and managed a $61 million biannual budget.

Earlier, Parker served as the Executive Director of Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services and General Manager of Portland Student Services. A former President of the National Neighborhood Housing Network and a former director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, she has chaired the Sound Families Initiative for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She currently serves as a director of the National Affordable Housing Trust and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle. She is a graduate of Portland State University.

"We view Cynthia's strengths as 30 years of organizational leadership, a clear understanding of our business and a commitment to mission on a par with the Board and senior staff," said BRIDGE Chairman and co-founder Rick Holliday. BRIDGE Board member Ron Nahas, who chaired the CEO Search Committee, said: "Cynthia has proven that she can think outside the box, and we look forward to her leadership as she builds on BRIDGE's strengths and charts a course for the future."

Parker views the position as one that will fully leverage her range of experience in organizational management, public policy, and housing finance, development and ownership. "I'm thrilled to be joining BRIDGE," she said. "The company is in great shape, yet this is an unprecedented time for our industry. I'm looking forward to guiding BRIDGE through the many challenges and opportunities ahead."

Effective February 10, 2010, Parker fills the vacancy left by Carol Galante, who left BRIDGE in April 2009 when she was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"We are extremely grateful to Executive Vice President Lydia Tan, who stepped up to serve as Interim President and CEO," said Holliday. "She, along with the senior management team and staff, did a tremendous job of keeping our operations running smoothly during the transition period."