Chris moved to Sonoma County in 2013 and fell in love with the beauty, culture, and lively spirit of the community. Endlessly energized by supporting her community, Chris has spent the past decade in the public and nonprofit sectors with a focus in the affordable housing and social services industries.

For the past six years, Chris served with Nation’s Finest, a national veteran housing nonprofit headquartered in the Bay Area. During her time as the Chief Operating Officer, Chris helped lead Nation’s Finest through a period of profound growth, with the agency doubling in size during her tenure. Prior to her time at Nation’s Finest, Chris worked with PEP Housing, a North Bay nonprofit affordable housing developer, provided management consulting services for several nonprofits in the Midwest, assisted students at Golden Gate University School of Law, and served as an active-duty military member of the United States Coast Guard. Chris also serves on the Board of Directors for both Legal Aid of Marin, and Trips for Kids Bay Area.

Chris is dedicated to ensuring the continued sustainability and reputation of COTS, as well as supporting a bright, diverse, and passionate team – a team that will continue to provide extraordinary services to our community for many years.

In her free time, you can find Chris mountain biking, hiking, or otherwise enjoying the natural beauty of Sonoma County.

Cathleen “Cat” Higgins

Chief People Officer

Cat has been in love with housing since she was a wee lass. She grew up spending hours with graph paper, drawing homes until her fingers went numb. She attempted to be an architect, but her math skills did not meet the mark. Not to be one to let a little thing like that stop her passion for housing, she decided to obtain a degree in graphic design and work in administrative roles in new construction marketing departments, supporting real estate sales teams, and eventually landed in property management.

In her property management job, she took on Human Resources and obtained her PHR, SHRM-CP certifications (like CPA exams), launching an entirely different career as an HR Professional working within housing.

Cat wanted to work for COTS in 2018, when her 10-year stint at the property management company was ending due to closure. COTS posted their HR Manager opening the same month her company closed. Kismet. Cat is serious about her duties to ensure each COTS’ employee has a supportive environment to find professional success and make a HUGE difference in the lives of others through housing.

Maureen Vittoria

Chief Operating Officer

Maureen has held leadership positions in both the private and nonprofit sectors, bringing more than two decades of experience in the fields of finance, accounting, HR, program development and management, construction, facilities management, and information technology.

Most recently, Maureen was the COO at Impact Justice, a national justice reform organization, where she provided legal, fiscal and compliance oversight and developed and implemented the infrastructure necessary for organizational health and the development of innovative programs from concept to full implementation.

Maureen also served as CFO for Abode Services, the largest homeless services nonprofit in the Bay Area. She led Finance and HR for four nonprofits under Abode’s umbrella, strengthening the organization’s infrastructure during a period of intense growth.

Maureen started her nonprofit career in 2013 with COTS, as their CFAO. She guided the organization through a transformational period and strengthened the financial and organizational accountability systems.
Prior to her nonprofit work, Maureen was a financial leader with Intel, where she held a variety of positions focused on delivering business and financial results, while maximizing performance, output, and cost. Maureen holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accountancy, and a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, both from Arizona State University.