Habitat for Humanity East Bay

Seth Anders is very excited to be in the East Bay after growing up and going to college in the East Coast. With a degree in Architecture and experience in the building trades, Seth will be continuing service as a Crew Leader and wants to develop his interest in the non-profit sector and in community development. He is very happy to be collaborating amongst like-minded individuals all working to provide eco-conscious affordable housing to hardworking families. He realizes that when people join forces, giving freely of their time and talents, that what results can be a more educated and enlightened community. Seth is thrilled to be meeting so many new people everyday, learning their stories, and thereby broadening his own world.

John Barker will continue building houses with Habitat East Bay during his second term of service with AmeriCorps. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, John started working in the construction trades during high school and went full-time after graduating. After earning a technical degree in carpentry, he resolved to participate in the building trades "not to reinforce the status quo, but to seek social justice."

Lacey Carnahan comes to Habitat East Bay from the Pacific Northwest where she earned degrees in both woodworking and sculpture.  She is passionate about social justice, bicycling, art, and baking.

Jody Chamberlin has made the cross country move from New England to California. Before she arrived here to serve as the ReStore Coordinator, she found herself spending her time teaching high school students about history, civics, and world cultures. While she was getting her Bachelors in Modern European History and her Masters in Secondary Education she was involved in many community service organizations, such as Circle K and Alpha Phi Omega at the University of New Hampshire. Jody wanted to experience living in another area of the country, and now here she is, living on the West Coast and loving it.

Noah Frigault hails from Massachusetts and is returning for a second year of AmeriCorps with Habitat East Bay.  A graduate of the Maine College of Art in Portland, he received a BFA in painting in 2005.  He has volunteered at various organizations in Maine and New Orleans and is currently volunteering at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley in preparation for matriculating to law school either in Boston or the East Bay.  Most recently, Noah volunteered as a farmhand for the Worldwide Organization of Organic Farmers in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

Born and raised in a passive-solar heated house in Northern Vermont, Katherine Fritz has come to join the Housing Development and Construction Management departments as the Green Program Assistant. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Biology at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida and has studied sustainable design architecture in a variety of courses as well as in her spare time. She hopes to help Habitat East Bay in their process of building green as well as to learn about the process of designing and building homes to meet LEED, Green Point Rated, and Energy Star certification criteria.

Louisa Galassini moved to the Bay Area three years ago after receiving her Architecture degree from the University of Michigan. She has been working with Habitat for Humanity for the past two years, starting as an AmeriCorps Crew Leader for Habitat Greater San Francisco. She is pleased to continue her work in an environment that combines social concern with tactile solutions. In her spare time she enjoys backpacking, rock climbing and photography.

Mark Kilroy moved out to the Bay Area from Boston five years ago to pursue an education in Architecture and Community Design at USF. Both spending six weeks in Lusaka, Zambia building a library for orphaned street children and studying Eastern European architecture in Budapest, Hungary drove mark to CCA for his Masters of Architecture last fall. He volunteered this past summer on the first affordable housing project in the US built to zero net energy standards for Habitat for Humanity Martha's Vineyard. After deciding to take a break from his studies in architecture, he is excited to join Habitat for Humanity East Bay as a Crew Leader.

Carrie Kretsch is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. Since graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Biology and Spanish, she has enjoyed living abroad leading construction-based community development non-profits in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.  She recently moved to San Francisco and is very excited to be a construction Crew Leader with Habitat East Bay.

Mary McCall was the second child of seven and grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she attended UNCCH. She developed a deep appreciation for ice cream, biking, chinchillas, commmunity participation, and sustainable building. She enjoys long walks, bike rides, the bay area, and is currently searching for the perfect chocolate milkshake and cheeseburger combo. Mary is joining the construction team for her second term at Habitat East Bay because it's rockin, and she can't live without it.

After graduating from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas in May 2008 with a BS in Biology and Spanish, Amanda Mohammed heard a call to head to California. After completing a Post-Baccalaureate Program in Neurobiology at Cal Berkeley, she was able to uncover her passion for social justice through her coursework and position at the Wesley Foundation. After taking public health courses and working with students on social justice issues, such as global conflicts in regions like Darfur, Sudan, she rediscovered an advocate and humanitarian within herself, which she hopes to embody as a future physician. As an AmeriCorps VISTA with Habitat East Bay, she is looking forward to harnessing and focusing her experiences in fundraising and advocacy efforts towards the organization’s mission as a Fund Development Coordinator.

After serving as an AmeriCorps member at Habitat Greater Los Angeles as the Volunteer Coordinator in 2006, Melissa Nicholas wanted to join the construction team!  So two years later, she moved from L.A. to the East Bay.

Ellen Noyes grew up in San Diego, CA and moved to Northern California to attend school at UC Davis. After graduation, she moved to the Bay Area where she worked as an after-school instructor and a journalism intern.  This year, Ellen is excited to get to know and work alongside East Bay families as a Homeowner Relations Coordinator. In her free time, Ellen enjoys traveling, hiking, playing sports, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.

Born and raised in Orange County, Susanna Pho moved to the East Bay five years ago to pursue a B.A. in Architecture at U.C. Berkeley. She is very excited to work closely with new and potential homeowners as a Homeowner Relations Coordinator. When she is not in the office or volunteering enthusiastically at Habitat construction sites, Susanna enjoys baking, bedazzling her belongings with pom poms, and hiking.

Alana Riemermann has come all the way from chilly Minnesota to bask in sunny Oakland, California. Last year, she was enrolled in AmeriCorps NCCC, where she travelled throughout the states doing 6-8 week service projects. During her year in NCCC, she spent almost five months working on post-natural disaster recovery and housing issues which sparked her interest in Habitat for Humanity. She is very enthusiastic to have a positive impact in such a diverse, resilient, and interesting community as that of the East Bay. She will be serving as the Homeowner Relations Education Coordinator where she will be assisting potential homeowners with their financial issues.

Blythe Rowe was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia.  After stints in Pennsylvania and Texas, she is excited to start exploring the East Bay.  Blythe earned a master’s degree in Architectural History.  Her focus on preservation and existing structures spurred a deeper interest in construction and sustainable building practices.  Blythe is thrilled to be spending a year learning all about Habitat homes, families, and volunteers.

Megan Sallabedra is returning to Habitat East Bay for a second term of service with AmeriCorps. She has a bachelor’s degree in History of Art and Visual Culture from UC Santa Cruz, where she focused on Architecture and Latin American visual cultures. After graduating, she worked as a teaching assistant for the university and for a green architect and builder before making her way to the East Bay.  Megan loves the beach, free days at Bay Area museums, and making silly talk with Sonia, her fellow volunteer coordinator.

A Bay Area native and second year AmeriCorps member, Sonia Saverio is eager to use her resources and skills to give back to her community. A college graduate from San Francisco State University, she studied Anthropology and Women Studies with supplementary interests in philosophy and religion. With a passion for volunteerism, she is excited to join this year’s AmeriCorps team and work closely with Habitat East Bay’s volunteers. It is important for Sonia to be part of an organization whose mission she strongly believes in and to continue to build relationships with community members. Serving as a Volunteer Coordinator for Habitat East Bay, Sonia gets to live the dream of working for the community and being a part of a greater cause.

Hailing initially from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Joy Wei came out to California to pursue a master’s degree and the good life. After graduating, Joy became very excited to join Habitat East Bay as an AmeriCorps member.  She is excited to see real live construction of green building methods.  She is also pumped to work outside, get buff, and have impromptu boggle competitions.

Andy Zack grew up in Baltimore, Maryland where he lived with his extended family on the city’s only llama farm. He came to the Bay Area via Middletown, Connecticut where he studied Political Science at Wesleyan University. He is excited about living on the West Coast and working for Habitat East Bay as an AmeriCorps Crew Leader.