Judy Reed has led the Washington Community Reinvestment Association in its efforts to create and preserve affordable housing throughout the state for the last 15 years. But she credits the organization’s accomplishments — like nearly 8,000 apartments and homes it’s created for farmworkers, seniors, and the homeless — to the support of the bankers and lenders she’s known: “Without them, we would have been unable to achieve this kind of impact.”

People in the financial sector contest her modesty. “Judy has delivered an outstanding track record of success and value to the community,” says Jim Boora, chairman of WCRA’s board of directors.

The organization pools funding from 42 financial institutions to invest in the creation and preservation of affordable housing for diverse groups of people. It’s also produced over 85,000 square feet of economically priced space to house community centers and hygiene clinics.

For Reed, the work, which she’s leaving this month upon her retirement, is only natural. “The huge economic divide between working folks and housing prices has always been a grave concern for me,” she explains.

—Amy Besunder