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Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Three to California Housing Finance Agency Board of Directors

Governor Schwarzenegger today announced the appointments of three members to the board of the California Housing Finance Agency: John Courson as chairperson, Peter Carey and John Morris.

"Each of these appointees has a history of service to Californians and their experience in finance and real estate makes them well-suited to serve on the agency's board," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "The Housing Finance Agency serves an important role -- helping low- to moderate-income Californians realize their dreams of home ownership and ensuring the availability of affordable rental housing-- and will be strengthened by their service."

For the past 14 years, Courson has served as the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Central Pacific Mortgage Company in Folsom. Prior to that, he was the president and CEO of the Fundamental Mortgage Company in Dallas, TX, and the president and CEO of Westwood Mortgage from 1964 to 1983. Courson also served as chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America from 2002-2003. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Courson, 61, of Folsom, is registered decline-to-state.

Carey serves as the president and CEO of Self-Help Enterprises, a non-profit housing and community development organization he has been involved with for 29 years. He is a member of the National Rural Self-Help Housing Association, National Rural Housing Coalition, California Coalition for Rural Housing, Tulare-Kings Building Industry Association, Visalia Chamber of Commerce and Tulare-Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He earned his Masters in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Lehigh University. Carey, 56, of Visalia, is a Democrat.

Morris has been the president of John Gilbert Morris, Inc. since it was founded in 1988. The firm manages and invests in commercial real estate, venture capital, leveraged acquisitions, public global equities and public global fixed income. Morris is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the University of California at Los Angeles Campaign Cabinet. He has a Master's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. Morris, 46, of Los Angeles, is a Republican.

These positions are unpaid and require Senate confirmation.

The California Housing Finance Agency was chartered in 1975 as the State's affordable housing bank. The Agency's overall goal is to finance below-market rate housing loans for low to moderate income families and to provide home mortgage insurance for families in hard to serve areas.