Sonoma County affordable housing agency hires Shirlee Zane aide Michelle Whitman as executive director

Michelle Whitman, longtime district director for Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, will leave her post to become the first executive director for a joint, county-city government entity tasked with tackling affordable housing.

The Renewal Enterprise District, a collaboration between Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, was recently formed to develop affordable, climate-resilient infill housing in the county, according to a news release from the agency.

Whitman, who has served as Zane’s district director for the past eight years, becomes the agency’s inaugural executive director. Zane praised the appointment in the release, saying Whitman is the right person for the job.

The district will work with a variety of government entities to market and attract developers, and will seek private financing and public funds, as well as apply for and leverage state and federal grants to create housing, according to the agency’s website.

“By establishing the RED, both the City of Santa Rosa and County of Sonoma have taken a meaningful step toward action to address our housing crisis,” Whitman said in the release.