Melanie Rees
The leading authority on workforce housing in mountain towns.
With 25 years as a self-employed housing consultant and five years before as a State of Colorado economic developer, Melanie’s perspective and experience uniquely position her as your first-choice expert in the field. Her strong organization, analytical and communication skills produce reports that are on time, within budget, to the point and actionable.
Melanie’s qualifications includes:
- Earned an MBA from the University of Denver and undergraduate degrees in economics and political science.
- Frequently speaks at conferences on various workforce housing issues.
- Is an approved market analyst for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA).
- Has a long relationship with the Colorado Division of Housing.
Her roots in housing run deep. Her father was a builder who had pride in every home he built.
Melanie has lived in Colorado for nearly 35 years, about half of it on the Front Range and half on the Western Slope. She understands firsthand the challenges and rewards of life in mountain towns. Her favorite reward – time in the backcountry on foot, horseback or skis.
Our Team
To provide the capacity and complementary skills needed to for wide ranging projects, Melanie frequently teams with these housing experts, each of whom is an authority in their own right. When we team, we are exceptional.
WSW Consulting
Wendy Sullivan, principal of WSW Consulting, is a housing planner and attorney licensed in Colorado and California, specializing in affordable housing market research and strategy. She has near 20 years of community planning experience in both the public and private sector. Wendy has conducted and managed housing needs assessments, market studies and housing policy development for a range of communities in several states, with particular focus on high-cost resort communities.
Navigate
Christine Walker in Jackson, WY brings hands-on experience to addressing workforce housing needs. As the former Executive Director of the Teton County Housing Authority (TCHA) in Wyoming, Christine facilitated the development of and managed hundreds of homes for the Jackson Hole workforce. She understands the nuances of public policy and housing programs, how to structure programs and management to maintain affordability and quality of units over time and how to Navigate various program, funding and partnership opportunities to meet your housing needs.
Williford
Willa Williford is passionate about sustainable community planning and investment. Willa’s experience includes housing development, finance, asset management and operations in the public and private sectors. Most recently, she served as Deputy Director for the Boulder County Housing Authority, where she was responsible for growing the inventory of affordable housing by 500 units, purchasing land for future housing, and developing financially sustainable, results-oriented programs and policies. Willa supports the communities she works in to balance values such as environmental preservation, design excellence, and social diversity.