The St. Vrain Habitat Team

David Emerson
Executive Director
303-682-2485 x100
DEmerson@stvrainhabitat.org

David is responsible for all aspects of St. Vrain Habitat’s work. Prior to moving to Longmont in 2006, David served as a volunteer Executive Board Director of South Palm Beach County Habitat for Humanity for two and a half years. Subsequently, he was blessed to work at 3M Company, Merrill Lynch, and Walt Disney World among others. 

In his free time, David enjoys being a Dad to two college age children, spending time with his wife, playing sports and being actively engaged with his local church. David believes that homeownership is transformational and works tirelessly to make this a reality for more individuals. David holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a Mathematics and Economics Degree from Lafayette College.

Julie Gallegos (she/her/hers)
Associate Executive Director
303-682-2485 x103
JGallegos@stvrainhabitat.org

In 2008, Julie started with Habitat, working in both Homeowner Services and International Development. She holds a bachelor’s in Spanish from Azusa Pacific University and a master’s degree in international development from Saint Mary’s University. In her current position as Associate Executive Director, Julie is focused on organizational culture, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Julie has over 20 years’ experience working in nonprofits. She worked at a Refugee Resettlement Agency in Tucson and served as a director of a school for Sudanese and East African refugees in Egypt. Julie is passionate about Habitat’s international work. She enjoys leading Global Village trips to build homes in other countries. Outside of Habitat Julie is busy with her two young sons and trips to Mexico to visit her husband’s family. 

Karen Kraai
Financial Comptroller
303-682-2485 x117
KKraii@stvrainhabitat.org

Karen is a recent transplant to Colorado from California. She earned dual bachelor degrees from California State Univ Northridge in Accounting and Information Technology. She spent the majority of her career customizing corporate accounting/tax systems for various multi-million dollar companies. Later in life, she started her own woman-owned construction business flipping homes and is a building inspector for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.  She has always enjoyed building and fixing things and calls herself a “Dewalt Girl”. She volunteered for Habitat late in 2021 and enjoyed it so much that she decided to come work for us.

 Karen strongly believes in community service. She was a Girl Scout troop leader for several years, volunteers at her local Erie Food Bank and during the pandemic, she made hundreds of masks for the needy.  Family is first.  In her spare time she enjoys exploring the back country of Colorado in her bright red Jeep Rubicon.

Linda Momayez
Bookkeeper
303-682-2485 x105
LMomayez@stvrainhabitat.org

Linda started at Habitat for Humanity in June 2014. She grew up in Boulder, CO before moving to Orange County in California for 25 years. Missing her family, she decided to move back to Colorado in 2000 and now lives in Erie. She attends Flatirons Community Church and has watched it continue to grow in the last 20 years. Linda loves spending her free time with her two adult children and six grandchildren. She also enjoys gardening, camping and traveling.

Joel Russell
Director of Homeowner Services
303-682-2485 x104
JRussell@stvrainhabitat.org

Joel grew up outside of Chicago in Skokie, IL. He attended Valparaiso University in Indiana before moving to Colorado in 2005. Joel has worked in the Information Technology industry for the last 10 years, most of which were in the Poudre School District in Fort Collins. Joel became a Certified Mortgage Loan Originator in 2021 after feeling a passion and calling to provide affordable housing to underserved communities. Joel desires to bring hope to people who feel that they will not ever be able to own a home or close the wealth gap, so prevalent in our society.

Joel is happily married to his wife and has 2 sons and has been a foster dad to many more.  In his free time, you will find him camping, biking, and coaching his son's baseball teams.

Fabiola Carmichael
Homeowner Support Coordinator
303-682-2485 x110
FCarmichael@stvrainhabitat.org

Fabiola grew up in Mexico. She has a B.A. in Administration and Finance and worked at IBM Guadalajara for about 5 years. Fifteen years ago, Fabiola moved to Colorado to be closer to her sister and her husband’s family. She is bilingual and enjoys getting things organized. She has been working with the community to serve in different ways. She is very grateful to have recently joined Habitat for Humanity. Her goal is to keep learning to be able to help others.

In her free time, Fabiola loves spending time with her family and praying. She also enjoys hiking, playing sports, reading, traveling and gardening

Chris Hirai
Director of Development
303-682-2485
chirai@stvrainhabitat.org

Chris has recently joined the Habitat team as the new Director of Development. A Longmont native, he has deep roots in the community and is proud to serve where he was raised. With a background in construction, ministry, and mortgage, Chris brings a global perspective towards affordable housing for the local workforce, having lived overseas. He strongly believes that affordable housing builds stronger families and communities.

Chris is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He enjoys walking with his wife and attending his children’s many activities.

Doris Crespo
Volunteer Services Coordinator
303-682-2485 x106
DCcrespo@stvrainhabitat.org

Doris joined the Habitat team in 2022 as our Volunteer Services Coordinator. Born in California, Doris grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico. A current Council Member for the City of Dacono. She has always been passionate about giving back.

Doris is bicultural, fluent in Spanish and English, and a motivated learner. She and her family have volunteered with Habitat since 2015. She enjoys reading personal development books and volunteering at her church and her community.

Amanda Roemer
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
303-682-2485 x111
aroemer@stvrainhabitat.org

Amanda recently joined Habitat as the Communications and Marketing Coordinator, bringing over 10 years of experience in broadcasting and multimedia communications. Originally from Southern California, she attended college there and has a background in early education. In 2022, she moved with her family to Northern Colorado, where she is also involved as a board member of the Black Professionals Network of Northern Colorado.

Amanda is happily married with two kids—a daughter and a son. She loves spending time with her family, creating handmade self-care products like candles, and enjoying crafts and games with her children.

Development Assistant - Coming Soon

Sunanda Dangol Gift of Home Tour Manager
sdangol@stvrainhabitat.org
Sunanda is our new Gift of Home Tour Manager. Originally from Nepal, Sunanda is passionate about safe housing and is eager to make a difference in our community. Sunanda brings her Nepali heritage to her work, including organizing the annual Nepali Jatra cultural celebration in Longmont. She is dedicated to improving her community and looks forward to contributing to a more inclusive world through her role at Habitat for Humanity.

Michael Rodriguez
Director of Construction
mrodriguez@stvrainhabitat.org

More coming soon…

Samantha Filip
Senior Site Supervisor
sfilip@stvrainhabitat.org

Sam served as an AmeriCorps member at Denver Metro Habitat completing two years of service with their construction team. Sam hails from Eugene, Oregon where she graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Political Science and an emphasis in Non-Profit Management.

She enjoys snowboarding, camping, hiking, and climbing – just about anything you can do in the mountains.

Malaya Dugan
Home Repair Manager
mdugan@stvrainhabitat.org

Malaya takes on the role of lead site supervisor for critical home repairs but has the skills and experience to manage new construction as well. Malaya was first introduced to Habitat in 2019 while serving as a Team Leader on an AmeriCorps NCCC team. That experience plus a year as an AmeriCorps Construction Crew Lead with St. Vrain Habitat led her to pursue a career in affordable housing.

Malaya is from northern Michigan and graduated from Harold Washington College in Chicago, IL in 2019. Malaya enjoys living near the mountains, listening to podcasts, playing video games, and building LEGO and Gundam sets.

Ben Livezey
Site Supervisor
blivezey@stvrainhabitat.org

Originally from San Jose, California, Ben joined our team in 2022. He is an AmeriCorps alumni.

Itzel Aranda
ReStore Manager
303-776-3334 ext. 200
iaranda@stvrainhabitat.org

Itzel joined Habitat in September 2024. She is a self-proclaimed “Dusty” – a thrift dealer and second-hand appraiser. Itzel grew up in Denver, Colorado, and continued her education at the University of Wyoming. Seeking new experiences, she is always willing to try anything at least twice! Itzel believes that making one-on-one connections is the key to cultivating a healthy community. 

 Itzel invites you to visit the ReStore so you can get a sense of the local impact that Habitat’s initiatives fund. See what it means to be a Habitat homeowner right here in Longmont, Colorado, when individuals and entire families come together in service and truly give the St. Vrain a beating heart.

Itzel se unió a Habitat en septiembre de 2024. Se autoproclama "Dusty", es decir, una vendedora de segunda mano y tasadora de artículos usados. Itzel creció en Denver, Colorado y continuó su educación en la Universidad de Wyoming. En busca de nuevas experiencias, ¡siempre está dispuesta a intentar todo aunque sea dos veces! Itzel cree que conectar uno-a-uno es clave para cultivar una comunidad saludable.

Itzel le invita a visitar la ReStore, para darse idea del impacto local que financian las iniciativas de Habitat. Vea que significa ser dueño de casa con Habitat aquí mismo en Longmont, Colorado, cuando las personas y familias enteras se unen en brindar servicio y realmente le dan a St. Vrain un corazón que late. 

Nikki Watt
ReStore Assistant Manager
(303) 776-3334 ext. 202
NWatt@stvrainhabitat.org

Nikki joined the St. Vrain Habitat team in August 2019. Formerly, she volunteered with The OUR Center, restocking shelves in the market and administrative projects. She started with Habitat as a volunteer in the ReStore and then the affiliate. In 2021, Nikki began to work with the online store for the ReStore.

After 16 years in the culinary field, Nikki was ready to expand her community involvement. She was attracted to Habitat due to our long term goal of sustainability through housing solutions and bringing communities together. Nikki could tell the St. Vrain Habitat team is committed and cares about the cause and the families they partner with and it’s “quite infectious.”

In her spare time, she enjoys reading historical nonfiction, biographies, and anything travel or food related. Her goal is to continue making chocolates whenever time allows. She also enjoys hiking, gardening, traveling, yoga, spending time with family and friends, and continuing to learn new things and challenging herself.

ReStore Supervisor
Coming soon…

Ed
Restore Associate

Doug
ReStore Associate