Ellie O’Leary, Executive Director of Coastal Homebuyer Education, Inc. recently announced the appointment of Joanne Donovan, Vice President, Residential Sales Manager and CRA Officer at North Shore Bank, to their Board of Directors.
The mission of Coastal Homebuyer Education is to provide workshops for low-to-moderate income first time homebuyers. These workshops enable households to make sound decisions preparing for the purchase and maintenance of their own homes. Those who complete a Coastal Homebuyer Education workshop are awarded the certificate required for a variety of mortgage programs as well as affordable housing and down payment assistance plans such as Equity Builder.
In her new board position, Donovan will be responsible for supporting the organization as it sets policy and pricing for their first time homebuyer workshop program. O’Leary said of Donovan’s appointment:
We are so pleased to have Joanne join our Board of Directors. Working with her and North Shore Bank has been such a pleasure. When coordinating our workshops with Joanne, she is always prepared and welcoming.
With over thirty years of residential lending experience, Donovan joined North Shore Bank after their merger with Saugusbank in 2014. Prior to joining Saugusbank, she was the Vice President of Residential and Consumer Lending at Cambridge Savings Bank. She’s currently a member of the North Shore Association of Realtors, Massachusetts Community and Banking Council, and the Wakefield-Lynnfield Chamber of Commerce.
Donovan stated of her new role:
It’s an honor to be named to the Board of Directors of Coastal Homebuying Education. For so many years they have been assisting first time homebuyers attain their dream of home ownership. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.
About Coastal Homebuyer Education, Inc.
Coastal Homebuyer Education is a 501(c)3 organization with CHAPA, Mass Housing, and Massachusetts Housing Partnership approval of our home buying education program. They are able to offer HUD approved certificate through the Framework program. Since becoming an independent non-profit agency in 2009, they have awarded the Massachusetts Housing Collaborative first time homebuyer certificate to nearly eighteen hundred households including twenty-six so far in 2019. They expect enrollments to rise this spring as the strong real estate market continues. They have had great success with their schedule that allows buyers to complete the whole workshop over one weekend. For more information on Coastal Homebuyer Education programs, call 978-992-4106.