New Board Chairperson at Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay

Doug Yount will be taking the role as the Chairperson of the nonprofit affiliate’s Board of Directors starting this month. Mr. Yount has served on the board for the past year, and will be taking over from Ron Buswell, long-time Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay supporter and former interim Executive Director.

Mr. Yount has a lifetime of experience in real estate development, in both the public and private sectors. In public city planning, he facilitated an award winning economic development strategy for the City of Salinas, led a project team for an award winning master plan community in Marina, and served several communities throughout California as a city manager and redevelopment director. In service to his community, Mr. Yount recently served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for United Way Monterey County, formerly as Chair of the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, and has been active in Rotary.

"I am honored to be taking this leadership role for a cause I deeply believe in. Habitat’s impact on the community in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties is something I greatly support. I hope that my experience and leadership will continue the upward trajectory led by Habitat in increasing our region’s stock of affordable housing and important home ownership opportunities," said Doug Yount.

Mr. Yount is currently Project Director for the Dunes on Monterey Bay, a master plan mixed use community by Shea Homes in Marina, California. As such, Mr. Yount understands home building from pre-development and entitlement, through construction and sales. He has a strong passion for volunteerism, particularly neighborhood improvement projects, where he once developed a national award-winning revitalization program called Paint Our Town.
“Doug brings the kind of experience and expertise that Habitat needs to keep growing, and most importantly keep building affordable homes,” said Ron Buswell. Mr. Buswell, the outgoing Board Chairman, has served the Habitat affiliate for over 12 years, first as a construction volunteer, with which he is still active, then as a board member and Board President, interim Executive Director, and most recently Board Chairperson. Mr. Buswell will continue his services as a board member. He has a legacy of service and dedication to the families that rely on Habitat’s home building programs.

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay is an independent locally operated and funded affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Our mission is to build decent, affordable homes and provide homeownership opportunities to qualified families who live and work in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. For more information, please visit www.habitatmontereybay.org.