Teri Nomura, a local real estate agent and longtime advocate for affordable housing, has been honored by AAUW Port Townsend and its affiliate, the University Women’s Foundation of Jefferson County (UWF), as their Woman of Excellence for 2017.

The annual award is given to a Jefferson County woman who has made significant contributions as a role model, change agent, teacher/mentor and community activist.

Nomura has long been a part of the community conversation about addressing the need for affordable housing. She worked on the board for Real Estate Professionals for Affordable Housing (REPAH) to help the community’s vulnerable families and seniors with home repairs and other assistance that would allow these people to stay in their homes.

Nomura contributes to the Windermere Foundation, which helps needy children and families in Jefferson County. She is currently involved in creating a coalition of nonprofit agencies – including Habitat for Humanity, Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), Peninsula Housing Authority, Discovery Behavioral Healthcare, Homeward Bound, Dove House Advocacy Services, Jefferson Land Trust and the City of Port Townsend – in an effort to leverage her late father’s property at the corner of San Juan and Discovery to create a visionary affordable housing project.

Kathy Morgan, OlyCAP housing director, stated in her support of Nomura, “If anyone can bring the city, local nonprofits and investors together to make this vision a reality, Teri can do it.”

In her work as a real estate agent, Nomura mentors new agents, provides opportunities that will help them obtain leads and referrals, and navigate through the foreseen and unforeseeable steps that can make or break a sale.

“She is committed to the community and a natural leader whose effectiveness is such that people want to follow her and emulate her methods,” said Jefferson County Clerk Ruth Gordon.

Nomura is part of the Fund for Women and Girls/Port Townsend Wearable Art Show team, on which she works to help those who participate in the show and shares her own designs.

In 2006, Nomura stepped up to serve as chair of the local Democratic party. She built bridges and grew the organization, leading to a large turnout in the 2008 election. As a result, the state party recognized her with the Magnuson Award for Chair of the Year.

She has provided training for online data entry and logistics training for teams to lead successful caucuses.

As a member of Wild Olympic Salmon, one of the first groups of volunteers to work toward restoration of chum and coho salmon runs, Nomura was instrumental in the creation of a quilt depicting salmon and watersheds that was auctioned off to support the group, according to a press release. She also helped design a tracking game to draw citizens out into the many salmon habitats in Jefferson County.

AAUW Port Townsend and UWF promote education and equity through scholarships and awards, middle school career days, and elementary school projects in literacy and math.