James founded Housing Tools in 2012 after working as an affordable housing developer, and Housing Manager in local government. He applies his expertise in real estate development and government policy to provide a holistic approach to solving community problems. He has over 20 years of experience in developing affordable housing, and planning and implementing housing and community development programs. He has participated in the development of more than 30 different housing projects, including mixed-use, transit-oriented, home-ownership and special needs projects. James lives in Sacramento and enjoys travel, sports, spending time in nature, making music, and gazing at all manner of maps.

Sherry has over 25 years of combined experience in community development, housing, and public health at the City and County levels, and previously served as the Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services for the City of Chico, where she oversaw the Department’s efforts to address a wide range of housing and community development needs. Along with a vast knowledge of housing and community development issues and resources, she has a specialty in community engagement and meeting facilitation. In her time away from work, she is an Animal Reiki practitioner and teaches vegan cooking classes.

Jamie has over 20 years of experience in the fields of Affordable Housing and Economic Development. While at the City of Woodland, Jamie was the primary staff person for the City’s affordable housing program. His accomplishments there included adding 200 new units of multifamily rental housing and processing over 80 homebuyer loans to low-income families. In his free time, Jamie enjoys getting lost on backroads, movies (new and old), and spending time surrounded by family, friends, and pets.

Tam Le has over 5 years of experience in affordable housing project coordination and management. She has project managed or worked on 43 funding applications and escrow closings throughout California, with budgets ranging from $12 million to $115 million. She enjoys the team aspect of collaborating with banks, cities, housing authorities and large development non-profits on various projects. In addition to project management experience, she has been a project coordinator in the commercial solar industry, managed a large non-profit program, and has held leadership positions in numerous non-profits. When not working, she can be found traveling, painting, or hanging out with her animals.

Jess brings expertise in project management, community engagement, and program development to her work facilitating a wide array of projects in rural communities. At Housing Tools, she has helped communities access funding through the Homekey, No Place Like Home, and Permanent Local Housing Allocation programs, among others. Jess specializes in planning and implementing virtual meetings and webinars for community engagement. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree with a focus in health administration from California State University, Chico. In her time away from work, Jess enjoys practicing yoga, and exploring new places to visit, hike, and photograph in Northern California.

Cassie has a background as a Public Health Educator, Case Manager, and Community Development Project Specialist, with extensive experience in community outreach, data management and analysis, program and policy development, social media strategizing, and graphic design. She has assisted Housing Tools with community engagement and planning, including development of a social media toolkit and report creation of local homelessness and housing data, for the No Place Like Home program in seven rural Northern California counties. When she is not working, Cassie spends her time traveling with her partner, tending to her indoor garden, volunteering for her favorite organizations, and caring for her beloved dogs Poppy and Duncan.

Sareena’s work in the field of inclusive, equitable development and social justice initiatives is what drew her to Housing Tools. Her expertise is in planning, project management, and project development for nonprofit agencies. She holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Land Development from Sacramento State University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, weightlifting, and traveling with her dog, Charlie Brown.