Rhonda Herrin, Project Manager
Rhonda's project management responsibilities include oversight
of building contractors, liaison to community members, budget
management, and scheduling. Rhonda also serves as Marketing Manager for CoHousing Partners. She is based in the Nevada City,
California office.
Rhonda has over 14 years of experience in issue advocacy
and direct-action community organizing. She began her career in electoral politics working on successful
campaigns in six states for town council, school board,
state insurance commission, state supreme court, senate,
congressional and gubernatorial races. She has worked under
contract with 11 non-profit organizations servicing small,
medium, and large memberships.
Rhonda received formal grassroots organizing training from
the Midwest Academy, the education wing of the Citizen Action
organization, and has worked on national issue campaigns. She
has been under contract for several prestigious foundations
such as Families USA (Washington, D.C.), Food and Water
Foundation (New Jersey), and Hands Across America/USA for
Africa (California).
She founded the political and public affairs consulting
firm, the Herrin-McCain Group, in 1994, and worked as a
lobbyist specializing in labor issues in Sacramento. Her corporate consulting includes strategic planning, branding and business transformation.
Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science
from California State University, Sacramento. She finally
put to rest the notion of going back to school to begin
a master’s degree in social marketing, unless she
can figure out a way to ride her horse to classes.
Michael DeSantis, Project Manager
Michael joined the staff in 2007. He has an interesting background of 25 years in conventional and alternative construction experience. He is passionate about creating sustainable community through healthy, effective partnerships. His responsibilities as a project manager include moving projects toward completion by facilitating planning and permits, coordinating consultants and contractors, managing timelines and budgets. He is based in our Davis, California office.
Michael's most recent experience includes directing the NeighborWoods program for the Sacramento Tree Foundation. He also served as a volunteer mediator at the Sacramento Mediation Center.
Before moving to Midtown Sacramento in 2005, Michael coordinated the design and construction of the Highlands Center for Natural History, a community supported nature center in Prescott, Arizona. Michael also taught ecological design and directed independent studies at the college.
His understanding of construction is based on years of direct experience in the building trades, project management, and contracting business management. He earned ICBO building inspector certification and owned a contracting company for 20 years.
Michael loves to spend time with his extended family, tend his backyard garden, and explore the area on local hiking trails. He can occasionally be heard playing jazz guitar around town.
Chuck Belk, Project Manager
Chuck is the newest member of CoHousing Partners. He has worked during the past 15 years in property and asset management for both the conventional and affordable housing industry. His responsibilities include facilitating projects through local approval processes, managing construction budgets and timelines, contract management and guiding projects through completion.
Most recently he has managed 10 large, residential communities for a local affordable housing developer. His responsibilities ranged from financial management, budgeting and regulatory compliance to overall supervision of site-based staff. Bricks and mortar aside, Chuck’s primary responsibility was ensuring that residents enjoyed safe, attractive and affordable homes in which to enrich and build their lives.
He also worked closely with the organization’s development team. It was this involvement and his own personal commitment to environmental protection that first spurred his desire to help create sustainable communities and work with green building techniques.
Chuck holds a Master of Arts in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and a B.S. in Business Management / MIS from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
He is a voracious reader, politically active and enjoys hiking, biking, roller-blading and backpacking. Chuck is based in the Davis office, and enjoys the short commute from the home he shares with his wife and two children.
Tanya Toot, Finance and Legal Director
Tanya is responsible for the financial and legal matters,
overseeing the accounting, bookkeeping, financial instruments
and related documents. She is based with our sister firm,
Wonderland Hill Development Company, in Boulder, Colorado.
Tanya has 14 years experience in financial analysis, financial
administration, construction accounting, and has an interest
in real estate development. She holds a BS in Accounting
from University of Texas, Austin. Her local community involvement
includes service on the advisory board to Erie Elementary
School.
Annie Russell, Community Building
Annie is responsible for community building, supporting
cohousing groups from start up through move in. She is based
with our sister firm, Wonderland Hill Development Company.
She conducts trainings periodically in California, collaborates
with local community building resource people, and provides
ongoing consultation to groups via conference call.
From creating a community vision and ground rules, to decision
making processes and learning to talk about "the hard issues,"
Annie is with each community every step of the way. She
holds a BA in Sociology and an MS in Organization Development.
She has consulted with non profit and for profit organizations
throughout the U.S. and abroad in team building, technical
problem solving, and leadership development.
Annie lives in Silver Sage Cohousing, in Boulder, Colorado.
Eris Weaver, Community Building
Eris Weaver’s career as a professional facilitator and group process consultant has grown directly out of her nine years of experience living and working in cohousing. She enjoys working with communities to improve their interpersonal connections, communication skills, and decision-making processes. Cohousing has fulfilled so many of her needs, desires, and dreams, that she now can’t imagine living any other way!
Eris holds Masters degrees in Public Health and Library & Information Studies, both from University of California at Berkeley. Her previous professional life included community organizing and coalition building in a number of local public health projects; managing health sciences libraries; teaching at the community college and adult school level; and serving on the board of several local nonprofits.
Her other passions include sea kayaking, surfing, yoga, dance, and sewing. She lives at FrogSong in Cotati, California, where she serves as Costume Mistress and Mistress of Ceremonies for innumerable talent shows and theme parties.
|
