About the Headwaters Community Housing Trust
Headwaters is a community-based, not-for-profit organization committed to expanding the supply of permanent, below-market homes that local working households can afford to buy.
Next to Story Mill Community Park, Headwaters has created a neighborhood conceived by The Trust for Public Land and advanced by HRDC. With private investment and active support from local lenders, businesses, and the City of Bozeman, the Bridger View neighborhood includes 62 energy-efficient homes in a well-designed, walkable community.
Half of these homes were sold at prices that more working residents can afford. Through the community land trust model, these homes will remain priced below market rates in perpetuity.
The housing market
Addressing an unmet need
Bozeman needs more housing, but supply alone will not solve the issue. Bozeman needs more homes priced at levels that locals can afford.
Community and business leaders recognize the challenge and want to help. Headwaters is addressing Bozeman’s unmet need by:
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Providing businesses opportunities to invest in housing their employees can afford.
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Supplying a pool of prequalified buyers so developers creating community housing know high-quality, below-market homes will promptly sell.
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Creating permanently affordable homes that will serve generations of Gallatin Valley residents.
Our Values
Headwaters Community Housing Trust relies on seven organizational values that we embrace to meet our goals and fulfill our mission. Those values are:
Getting to Yes
We live out a spirit of possibility and individual empowerment.
Empathy
We strive to understand and value the lived experiences of partners, colleagues and clients.
Integrity
We take pride in the work that we’re doing; we hold each other accountable to our mission and values.
Fairness
We prioritize impartiality, respect, and honesty in communication and decision-making.
Grace
We hold goodwill and assuming best intent in our partners and colleagues.
Joy
We cultivate joyful collaboration in execution of our goals and mission.
Courage
We are brave and create space for creativity and leading edges. We embrace challenges, and are eager to ask “what if.”
Headwaters is so needed. We are seeing people get pushed further and further out of Bozeman. Surrounding communities used to be relief valves, but now they, too, are struggling with surging home prices. As a result, many people are moving out of the state. These are the folks we count on every day when we go to the grocery store or to the doctor’s office, send our kids to school — people who are looking after our health and safety. Without this core, Bozeman will lose the character and strength we have all come to love. Having Headwaters facilitate housing that keeps our workforce here is critical.
Mark Meissner
ERA Landmark
Our Team
Headwaters is led by dedicated people who are strengthening our community and empowering individuals and families through homeownership.
Nathan Stein
Executive Director
Originally from the Midwest, Nathan has spent his career working in pursuit of a Montana where everyone is able to thrive and live out their dreams. Bringing to Headwaters a background in public policy communications and coalition-building, and nonprofit development Nathan is dedicated to helping build a Bozeman where everyone is able to lay down roots and thrive.
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Nathan notes: “More and more families in Bozeman are being priced out of homeownership and struggling to envision a future in our Valley – but it’s not too late to change the way that our community grows. In partnership with community leaders, Headwaters will help bring to market quality, sustainable homes that Gallatin Valley residents can afford, and nurture a thriving, inclusive, and strong community.”
Courtney Naumann
Homeownership Director
Across the West, Courtney has built and led programming for people connected to land through use, ownership, and spirit for over a decade. Her expertise includes organizational leadership, technical assistance, conflict mediation, and effective stakeholder engagement. She’s rooted in strong commitments to social equity and cultivating spaces for connection. Courtney serves as the President for the Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition.
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Courtney notes: “Fostering meaningful relationships is the cornerstone of our work at Headwaters Community Housing Trust. Permanently affordable homes within reach for more people in the Valley is one step towards strengthening our community resiliency and enriching sense of place as it uniquely exists for each of us.”
Board
Headwaters Community Housing Trust consists of individuals who envision a Gallatin Valley in which everyone has an opportunity to own a home, lay down roots, and thrive in our community. Each member brings with them a wealth of knowledge and experience from various areas, including finance, government, real estate, development, and more.
Interested in Headwaters Community Housing Trust board service? Learn more and apply here!
John Taylor
President
John moved to Bozeman in 1997 to attend and play football for Montana State University. Other than a few years away to continue his football career, John has called Bozeman home ever since. John is passionate about giving back to the community he, his wife (a Bozeman native) and 3 children love so much. John is thrilled to be a part of Headwaters’ efforts to expand Bozeman’s supply of homes that make it possible for more local residents to own a piece of their community.
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“Home ownership is part of the ‘American Dream,’ says Taylor. “Hardworking members of our community should be able to afford to live in the community they help to make so great. I am excited to play my part in making that a reality for as many people as possible.”
Marisa Owen
Vice President
Marisa is proud to call Bozeman home since 2015. As a volunteer board member for Headwaters Community Housing Trust, she is thrilled to bring both her corporate and entrepreneurial skill sets in making homeownership possible for more residents. Marisa has been a Realtor since 2017 and brings a critical perspective to the board. She is excited to bring forward a collaborative approach and strategize solutions that will affect our whole community.
In her free time, you can find Marisa exploring the rivers, trails, and slopes with her husband – a Bozeman native – son, and yellow lab Oscar.
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Marisa notes, “We have a vital workforce in Bozeman that keeps our community thriving who are finding it increasingly difficult to find housing here. Through strategic collaboration with other organizations, developers, and employers, I believe Headwaters Community Housing Trust can help address the needs of our growing population. I believe we have an important job ahead as a community to help more of our residents become homeowners in the town they love.”
Hunter Brewster
Secretary
An Arkansas native, Hunter is thrilled to now call Bozeman home. Hunter and his wife Sarah purchased a Headwaters home in the Bridger View neighborhood in the spring of 2023. Hunter started working in Bozeman for Simms Fishing Products. Now he manages e-commerce sales for Daniel’s Gourmet Meats while also pursuing a degree from MSU. He is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and make things happen, having started a landscaping business at age 14. When he’s not working or studying, Hunter enjoys snowboarding and skiing at Bridger Bowl, spending time with family, camping, fishing, and traveling.
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Hunter says, “Joining the Headwaters board will allow me to give back to this organization that helped us find footing in an ultra competitive market. Long term local housing stewardship is an essential solution in this community and I am proud to be part of that effort. The people that live and work in this beautiful place deserve the chance to invest in a home here. Headwaters is making that possible for working folks like me.”
Andrea Kavert
Board Member
Andrea states: “It just doesn’t seem feasible now, moving to Bozeman.” Andrea came to Bozeman to attend MSU, intending to return to the Flathead Valley. When she fell in love with local trails, she decided she wanted to make Bozeman her home. But even with a good job, the housing market was beyond her reach. Ultimately, she bought a home through a community land trust. Today she serves on Headwaters’ Board of Directors.
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Kavert reflects, “I have friends who left after graduating because they didn’t see any future in staying here. They didn’t think they would ever be able to buy a house. Having a positive personal experience finding below-market housing thanks to a community land trust, it’s a great privilege to work towards providing similar opportunities for more people in our valley.”
Janay Johnson
Board Member
Janay grew up in the Midwest, but has called Bozeman home since 1992. Most of her professional life has been spent in development and leadership roles for local nonprofit organizations. Janay is currently the Executive Director of the Bozeman Public Library Foundation, where she led a successful $5.6M capital campaign to renovate the Library. She is thrilled to contribute to the effort to keep Bozeman affordable and attainable for its workforce. She enjoys spending time outdoors skiing, hiking, and camping.
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Janay offers, “What happens to a community when all the young, educated professionals leave because they can’t afford to live there? We need creative, common-sense solutions to housing affordability to preserve the character and diversity of Bozeman. As a resident of Bozeman for over 30 years, I’m proud to contribute to the long-term viability of the community by serving on this board.”
Mindy DeCosse
Board Member
A Bozeman native, Mindy grew up in the housing industry and studied architecture at MSU. Following 13 years with local design/build firms, Mindy now manages the Community Land Trust and Down Payment Assistance programs at HRDC. She volunteers extensively and loves sharing her knowledge of the building industry to help others find or build their next home.
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Mindy notes, “Working in the housing industry for years, I’ve watched housing become less and less accessible. I’m looking forward to connecting people with solutions to our housing problems.”
Susan Dana
Board Member
As a resident of Bozeman for 30+ years, Susan brings her experience on non-profit boards and as an attorney to HCHT’s team of dedicated staff and board members. Having known thousands of students, staff and faculty over a 25-year career as a professor and administrator in the Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship at MSU, Susan knows how hard it is for working people to find high-quality affordable housing for themselves and their families. She spends her free time volunteering on non-profit boards, serving her homeowners’ association, being outdoors and writing about constitutional law cases.
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Susan says, “Growth in the Gallatin Valley has brought many benefits, but no community can thrive if the people who provide the services and sustain the economy can’t afford to live there. I am eager to help HCHT continue to find innovative ways to ensure that those who make the Gallatin Valley work can find high-quality and reasonably affordable places to make their homes.”
Padden Guy Murphy
Board Member
Padden is Co-Founder & President of Montana Festival & Last Best Future, a non-partisan 501(c)(3) non profit organization that brings together people, ideas, and projects to positively shape Montana’s future. In his day job Padden is Managing Partner of the strategic advisory firm, Foundry Ten. Foundry Ten helps good humans working on hard problems build the companies, brands and movements that will shape the next century. In this capacity Padden works with CEO’s, Founders, and CMOs of innovative technology and built environment organizations – from Google, to Bjarke Ingels’s housing startup Nabr, to SHVO’s reimagination of the iconic Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, to startups like Webflow, Neighborschools, and Metropolis – to build strategic communications, public policy, and brand marketing campaigns.
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Previously, Padden held senior roles at WeWork, Lyft, REEF, and Getaround. Padden was born and raised in Great Falls, the middle of five siblings and son to two great Montanans. Padden serves on the board of Montana Ambassadors, and previously was Senior Fellow at the National League of Cities, Co-Host of The Mayors podcast with Richard Florida, and served on the board of Bunker Labs, and the Bozeman Community Development Board. Padden lives in Bozeman with his wife, Lumay, and young children Wilde and Maven.
Chris Naumann
Board Member
For the last 30 years Chris has called Bozeman home. From starting a small Main Street retail business to directing the Downtown Bozeman Partnership to his current role as an urban planner at Sanbell, he has strived to build community. Outside of his professional roles, Chris has served on a variety of volunteer boards including the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Bozeman Fiber, and Bozeman Parking Commission. He and his wife, Laura Ryan, feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to buy a home and raise a family here in Bozeman. Chris believes that Headwaters Community Housing Trust plays a critical role in helping others do the same.
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Housing affordability is at a critical juncture. It is a community-wide problem that requires community-wide participation. By supporting the Headwaters Community Housing Trust today, you can be part of the solution.
