Joanne Karchmer –
Joanne has worked at the intersection of human services and public policy for more than two decades. Most recently, she served as Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s Deputy Chief of Staff, where she directed local, state, and federal legislative affairs and was the Mayor’s senior policy advisor focused on Oakland’s response to homelessness and on immigrants’ rights issues. Prior to that she worked for the Port of Oakland in intergovernmental affairs and in Oakland city government as a policy aide and advisor to former Councilmember Pat Kernighan.
Joanne began her career as an attorney in Boston working to assist low income and working families to secure benefits and compensation to stabilize their incomes. Shortly after relocating to the Bay Area, she served as a staff attorney at HomeBase, a non-profit, public policy law firm that works with communities to develop effective responses to homelessness through research, policy development, planning, and advocacy. Joanne then moved to the East Bay and became a public interest law counselor at UC-Berkeley School of Law School, where she began the school’s public interest mentorship program. She was quickly elevated to the role of Executive Director of Career Development, where she oversaw counseling, recruiting and all programming for students and alumni. As Executive Director, she launched the law school’s first post-graduate public interest law fellowship program, which financially supports recent graduates who are pursuing public interest careers. Joanne earned her undergraduate degree at Cornell University and her J.D. at Boston College Law School. She also serves on the Board of Directors for East Bay Agency for Children. In addition, she has worked on numerous political and ballot initiative campaigns in Massachusetts and locally. She lives with her husband and three children in Oakland.
Mark Stivers –
Mark joined the California Housing Partnership in 2019 as the Director of Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy. In close coordination with nonprofit and government partners, as well as state housing leaders, Mark uses his two decades of experience in the field to help develop and advance a comprehensive agenda of legislative and regulatory solutions to the state’s affordable housing crisis.
Prior to joining the Partnership, Mark most recently served as the acting Deputy Director for the Division of Financial Assistance at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he oversaw the department’s program design, award, loan closing and monitoring efforts for more than 20 loan and grant programs. From 2015-2018, Mark was the Executive Director of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, responsible for the administration of the California’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Prior to his tenure at TCAC, Mark served 16 years as the primary housing consultant to the California Senate, where he focused on land use and affordable housing legislation.
Mark began his career as a fair housing counselor with two Bay Area nonprofit fair housing organizations. He received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Yale University.
