Mary Schoen-Clark

Mary Schoen-Clark has over two decades of experience in human service development and delivery which includes the development of affordable housing, community facilities, energy assistance, Head Start, and youth employment programs.

Schoen-Clark has received national recognition as a housing expert and was appointed to the Iowa Governor’s 2000 Housing Task force spear-heading the tax credit set aside for the “hard to house” households at or below 40% of Area Median Income, 2001. She then developed Quarton Place and Ann’s Gables show casing this new ‘no debt, service self funded model to serve very low-income households. She was honored with the McAuley Institute’s “Courage in Community” Award in 1997. Under Schoen-Clark’s leadership, in just 12 years, MAHP, a housing development corporation, grew from one employee and an intern with a $40,000 budget, to 43 employees, a $7 million annual budget managing over 500 units of affordable housing. MAHP acting as project developer and construction general also construct over 100 single-family homes for homeownership and provide homeownership education.

In recent years Schoen-Clark served as Chief Executive Officer of Oregon Coast Community Action (ORCCA). Under her leadership ORCCA experienced significant growth in both programs and facilities. Accomplishments included the $10 million development of a new Child and Family Resource Center and the first ever Regional Food Bank to serve Oregon’s South Coast. Other community development projects accomplished in her tenure included a Food Distribution Hub in Myrtle Point and a Family Domestic Violence Shelter in North Bend both with solar panels installed to lower the energy expenses of the facilities and preserve resources for operations.

Under Schoen-Clark’s leadership ORCCA was able to increase services to clients even as the community and the country felt the effects of the great Wall Street recession expanding it’s resources to serve the community from $4 million to over $9 million annually. In addition, over 20 community jobs were created though ORCCA’s energy & green initiatives, $350,000 in local wages and $1 million in supplies purchased with the installation of solar panels on one of ORCCA’s affordable housing projects, Park West Apartments.

Schoen-Clark’s background as an Oregon State University graduate in Child Development and Family Life shines though in her effort to increase services to children and families,