Community Matters Newsletter – Fall 2012

President and Chief Executive Officer, Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM, has announced Steven Spears as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

As Mercy Housing continues to help close the gap of affordable housing over the next few years, Spears, an experienced senior finance executive, will be responsible for ensuring the integrity of financial reporting and strategic financial planning for the organization as a whole. Most recently, Spears served as Chief Deputy of the California Housing Finance Agency. While serving as CalHFA’s Acting Executive Director in 2009, Spears played an integral role in the Agency’s ability to secure $5 billion of federal assistance during the country’s economic crisis. As a result, the Agency stabilized its financial position and returned to lending activity the same year.

“Steve is an exceptional addition to the Mercy Housing leadership team,” said Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM. “He has a proven track record in housing finance and executive level experience that we feel will add significant value to our organization. Given his considerable finance acumen and experience, Steve will play a lead role in setting the overall strategic direction for the organization and assuring the long-term financial sustainability and growth of Mercy Housing.”

Spears comes to Mercy Housing with more than 30 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining the California Housing Finance Agency, Spears was managing director with The SAER Group at KP Advocates and MetWest Financial and Strategic Services with a financial consulting practice that focused on strategic solutions to a variety of problems facing state and local government. He also served as Deputy State Treasurer for Public Finance under California State Treasurer Matt Fong and as Fong’s Legal Counsel at the Board of Equalization.

“I am very excited to be joining Mercy Housing’s management team,” said Spears. “For the past 30 years, Mercy Housing has been a demonstrated leader in the development and management of affordable homes and has a history of delivering the organization’s mission in a financially responsible manner. I’m looking forward to carrying on those values in my new role.”

Additionally, Spears has been involved with teaching, coaching and mentoring youth for over 30 years and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Pacific Union College in Angwin, California. He and his wife Marcie and their three children have relocated to Denver from the Sacramento area. Spears received his Juris Doctorate from the McGeorge Law School at the University of the Pacific, his Masters of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Tennessee and his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Southern Adventist University.