HOUSING specialist Pat Baker has been appointed as the new chairman of the York Housing Association Board.

Pat, with more than 20 years experience of working in the housing sector, recently moved to Yorkshire to pursue her freelance housing career

She said she was delighted to be invited to join the board and to act as an ambassador for the association.

She said: "With a recently appointed chief executive, the organisation is in a time of change and together we will be exploring different ways of working in the future. I welcome the opportunity to represent York Housing Association both in and out of the region.

"The association is continually looking at ways of improving its services for customers and wishes to form more strategic partnerships with other local organisations and agencies to ensure that it is making a difference to people's homes, communities and quality of life."

Pat has a wealth of housing management and development experience to offer. After graduating from the University of Sheffield she held a range of different posts from housing benefit assistant through to development director.

Before embarking on her freelance career last year, Pat worked with a wide range of housing organisations, including Derby City Council, South Yorkshire Housing Association, Castle Vale Housing Action Trust, Touchstone Housing Association and Keynote Housing Group.

Projects during these years included developing the first housing Public Finance Initiative scheme while with South Yorkshire Housing Association.

Updated: 10:08 Wednesday, March 24, 2004