At Housing Lopez, we believe strong homes require strong stewardship. The work of creating permanently affordable housing isn’t only about buildings. It’s about the people who bring wisdom, lived experience, and a deep commitment to this island we all call home. This year, we’re grateful to welcome three leaders whose paths to Housing Lopez are different, but whose shared belief is the same: that Lopez must remain a place where local workers, elders, and families can live with stability and dignity.
Some people support affordable housing from the sidelines. Others stay close for years, offering guidance and steady commitment, until the moment comes to step fully in. Angie Lausch is one of those people.
After seven years as a trusted advisor, Angie joined the Board in 2025 as our new Board Chair. With more than 35 years in property management—including new development and lease-up projects across the Northwest—she brings invaluable experience to the stewardship of our homes. Her time as San Juan County’s first Affordable Housing Coordinator gave her an early understanding of the housing challenges facing our islands. Now retired, she is proud to help ensure Lopez remains a place where working families and longtime residents can continue to thrive. Many neighbors also know her from Blossom Grocery, where she connected with the community in the most everyday, meaningful ways.
Bill’s Johnson’s path to Housing Lopez started when he joined the board in 2020. Grounded in both professional skill and personal experience, Bill is now serving as Treasurer and as a member of the Project Development Committee. He joined the board out of a desire to work alongside others to address what he sees as one of the island’s most urgent challenges. As a renter and real estate broker with a project management background, Bill brings practical insight to the financial and development side of our work.
For him, affordable housing is deeply personal as living in Lopez has given him, for the first time in his adult life, a true sense of belonging. He believes that a sense of community shouldn’t be rare, it should be protected. Outside of Housing Lopez, Bill is also a musician, composer, writer, artist, DJ, and emcee, bringing creativity and heart to everything he does.
Steve Adam’s commitment stretches back decades. Serving as Vice Chair and as a member of the Project Development Committee, his belief in affordable housing is rooted in lived history. Steve and his family moved to Lopez in 1980, hand-built their home, and raised their two daughters here. Over the years, he has watched the island change, and he knows firsthand what it takes to keep a rural community viable for working families.
For 30 years, Steve taught integrated science and technology at Lopez Island School, shaping generations of students. But his service extends well beyond the classroom. He has served as Fire Commissioner, County Planning Commissioner, and now as a Port of Lopez Commissioner. To Steve, affordable housing is fundamental to keeping Lopez strong, intergenerational, and connected. When he’s not working on community efforts, you might find him at the Lopez airport hangar with his airplane, a reflection of his lifelong curiosity and hands-on spirit.
Together, Angie, Bill, and Steve bring experience, creativity, history, and heart to Housing Lopez. Their leadership strengthens not only our projects, but our capacity to steward homes for the long term.
Because at the end of the day, it’s all about ensuring Lopez remains a place where people can put down roots, and stay.
