Our Team: Construction & Design
At the core of our efforts is the coordination of design, construction, and engineering of systems to make our homes work. These are our key players.
Matt "TK" Devine
Founder & Designer
Creator and Founder of OBH. Graduate of University of Florida and Northwestern University and globally recognized author, speaker, and advocate in alternative housing.
Nate Steigenga
Lead Builder
Contractor and showcased artist, head of porta-home prototype fabrication. Graduate of Central Washington University and founder of Gemini Construct.
Tony Vitullo
Lead Engineer
Resident expert in biological, hydrological, and thermodynamic systems.Graduate of UC Santa Barbara, hydroponics guru, and founder of Urban Hydro Farms.
Tada Ryvola
Lead Architect
Specialist in ADU design and construction, founding member of OBH. Graduate of the University of British Columbia and SCI-Arc and active partner at United Environment Architecture.
Allan Lee Haskell
Lead Utilities Designer
Principal creator, coordinator and constructor of original prototype utilities. Specialist in sustainable utilities and construction and founder of Cater Green and EnviroMeasures.
Geno Johnson
Construction & Design
Principal assistant for first phase porta-home fabrication and design. Freelance designer, arts department and production manager for film & television production.
additional contributors
We'd like to extend a special thank you to the following folks for chipping in along the way--sometimes in a big way--to making our Construction & Design effort a success: Will Norskog, Matthew Schow, Danny Sefarti, Evan Ni, Chuck Henry, Rick Verdugo, Erica Childs, Jack McGuire, Shawn Wilson, and many other volunteers who helped over the years. You are appreciated!
Our Team: Urban Planning & Logistics
Development of our programming and advocacy efforts have required a Herculean effort. These champions of coordination and execution are the keys to our success.
Lucia Hwang
Planning Coordinator
Longtime planning advisor for OBH. Planning technician for City of Burbank with Urban Planning degrees from UCSD and CSU Northridge.
Michael Newton-McLaughlin
Planning Coordinator
Founding member of OBH and original planning coordinator. Masters from UC-Berkeley's City Planning program.
Gil Navarette
Logistics Coordinator
Coordinator for outreach and landowner identification efforts, from market research to GIS mapping. Graduate of UC-Berkeley.
Jennifer Kim
Planning Researcher
Strategist and researcher for land identification and outreach. Graduate of San Francisco State University with vast experience fighting for environmental and social justice.
Keegan McChesney
Planning Researcher
Early phase planning researcher and ongoing programs advisor. Holds BA in Planning from Occidental College and Program Fellow at Enterprise Community Partners.
Shelley Hoover
GIS Coordinator
Bio Coming Soon
Mandalyn Mendoza
Planning Researcher
Late phase zoning and property coordinator. Masters of Planning from UC-Irvine and member of the Women's Leadership Initiative Council.
Jane Roberts
Planning Coordinator
OBH's Jane-of-all-Trades, from strategic to conceptual efforts. Graduate of both Evangel and Harvard, having worked with AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity.
Sonia Suresh
Planning Researcher
Early phase urban planning coordinator. Graduate of Boston College and UCLA, having worked with AmeriCorps and the San Francisco Parks Alliance.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS:
Major contributions in the areas of planning, logistics, and strategy have come from many more than the above, with special thanks going to the following OBH past volunteers: David Galt, Ivor Bok, Crystal Santoso, Osman Beretey, and James Adkins. Thank you for your time and vital support!
Our Team: Operations & Events
Our Operations, Marketing, Events and Social Media Contributors have been the unsung heroes of OBH's success over the years. The following folks have been a big reason for that success.
Nadir Wright
Operations & Accounting
OBH Board Treasurer. Bachelor's from Tufts, Master's in Public Health from Columbia University, MBA from Baruch College, and Treasury Manager at BKM Capital Partners.
Lori Neville
Operations Coordinator
General OBH operations advisor from early phase. Experience in ownership and corporate management in everything from the automotive industry to LA's Midnight Mission.
Josiah Salerno
Operations Advisor
OBH Board Member and operations liaison. Global Operations Manager for the Madera Group with experience running various operations in hospitality and television production.
Katherine Black
Events & Operations
Key advisor for operational and event management. Graduate of CSU Los Angeles and longtime owner of Happy Trails Catering with a strong background in nutrition and sustainable living.
Kevin Naruse
Social Media Advisor
Key social media advisor for OBH. Graduate of CSU Northridge and social media manager for Painted Brain with a specialty in content creation, coding, and analytics.
Sarah Kiddoo
Legal Intern
Critical researcher and advisor for legislative advocacy efforts. University of San Francisco Law student, woodcraft enthusiast, and longtime Southern California resident.
Kate Younkin
Event Coordinator
Co-lead of organizing our Green Day LA launch event. Graduate of Mansfield University of PA with a background in marketing and event management for Nextgate and Entrada.
Emily Grossman
Event Coordinator
Co-lead of organizing our Green Day LA launch event. Graduate of the University of Arizona with a background in entertainment, including operations management for Disney, ICM, and BBC.
Yuliana Taylor
Event & Marketing Advisor
Marketing outreach for programming and Green Day LA launch event. Graduate of San Jose State University and freelance digital marketing guru, designer, and photographer.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS:
OBH is eternally grateful to the efforts of folks who supported our operations along the way, especially the essential contributions of Andy Cohen and the vital efforts of Olivia English, Chris Blaski, Jessaca Rowe, Sun DeGraaf, Paola Andrade, Cindy Quah, and Casey Lewis, to name a few. Thank you all for making OBH into a reality!