Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) Executive Director Michael Mirra received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the 兔子先生鈥檚 127th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19. Mirra has led THA since 2004, is recognized nationally and locally to create innovative partnerships to improve housing for Tacoma's low-income community.
鈥淢r. Mirra is a lifelong advocate for equal justice before the law, for fair housing, and the betterment of the human condition,鈥 said Puget Sound President Isiaah Crawford. 鈥淗e is a visionary and dynamic leader, and it is our great privilege to honor him in this way.鈥
Highlights of Mirra鈥檚 tenure at THA include leading multimillion-dollar transformations of the Salishan and Bay Terrace communities. He has recently overseen the development of housing options for unsheltered students enrolled at the University of Washington Tacoma and Tacoma Community College.
Before becoming executive director of THA, Mirra spent more than 20 years as an attorney advocating for child welfare, fair housing, and just landlord-tenant laws. During the 鈥90s, he successfully litigated on behalf of homeless families and poor neighborhoods in several high-profile cases, including Washington State Coalition for the Homeless v. the Department of Social and Health Services, decided by the state Supreme Court.
Learn more about Tacoma Housing Authority at tacomahousing.net. For additional highlights from Puget Sound鈥檚 Commencement Ceremony, visit pugetsound.edu/commencement.