The Board of Directors of One Small house is unique in every sense of the word. To begin, every member is a professional “something else” yet finds countless hours and dollars to help support the work being done. From family physician to professional musician, this diverse set of people is united in their focus of helping families in need. In addition, this Board isn’t a team who makes decisions from afar. Instead, these are the people leading trips, swinging hammers and consulting with family members. One Small House has remained in touch with its work because from the top down, everyone involved with this organization is part of every home, orphanage and clinic that is built. Beyond this, the Board also generously agrees to cover all of One Small House’s expenses that aren’t directly related to building homes. This means that EVERY CENT received from donors goes DIRECTLY into new homes.
Dr. Robert Katz is a family medicine physician in Middletown, Connecticut. He and a wonderful group of friends founded One Small House in July of 2001 as a spin-off of from Club Dust, an amazing organization that has been building homes in Mexico since the 1980′s. Since the inception, One Small House’s goals have remained simple: Make a difference and have fun. Over the past ten years, Rob has done just that. He has organized the construction of over thirty homes, a community health center and hospice facility for the needy residents of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. Before he began this endeavor, Rob served as a United States Marine from 1995 – 1999. He is a graduate of Hunter College and SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.
Joe McBride is a former tax attorney from a Fortune 50 company. Prior to his legal career, Joe was a driving instructor in Manhattan, a taxi driver and sold law books. Now retired, Joe is all but slowing down. Beyond handling the day-to-day operations of One Small House, he is also a visionary for future projects. Joe has recently built homes in Haiti and the Mississippi Delta as a way to expand the reach of One Small House.
Dave Kinnoin a professional singer and songwriter, is the father of two teenage sons, husband of major donor, Mary Kincaid, and big brother to Tony Whitfield. Affectionately known on the work-site as The Tool Boss, Dave is notorious for his ability to find you anything you need to complete a job. His enthusiasm and energy are unmatched. He is a true friend of One Small House and a role-model for many.
Sterling Plenert is a New York native and professional architect. His knowledge of construction is invaluable, and he recently designed and led the fabrication of the Casa de Salud community health center for Lazaro Cardenas. He is an incredible leader and an even more incredible teacher. During One Small House trips, Sterling is in charge of ensuring that every volunteer is given the chance to truly learn how to build a house. Fueled by Mountain Dew and Pop Tarts, he keeps One Small House projects truly in the hands of volunteers.
Sheila Callahan built her first One Small House in 2005 after volunteering for the New York City Habitat for Humanity affiliate, where she met One Small House founder, Robert Katz. She quickly appointed him to her small circle of personal heroes. She realized that if she stuck close to Katz, she would always be in the company of humble people doing real good in the world. Sheila is a writer, blogger (www.sheilacallahan.net) and teacher living in Warsaw, Poland. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College.
Mickey Heller has been honored to serve with One Small House for approximately seven years. Since his first build in Mexico, his life has been forever changed and inspired by the love, compassion and generosity of those involved. Whether you are part of a build or supporting financially, those involved know that they are a part of something so very special. So much love goes forth from all those contributing their time, talents and treasury. When not volunteering on the field or trying to help raise money for OSH, Mickey is a lawyer in Brooklyn, New York with a small, general practice including real estate.
Pankaj Mody has volunteered with One Small House since 2001 and currently serves as it’s Treasurer. In 2004, he led the construction of “Mi Casa” in the now infamous “Mi Casa / Su Casa” twin-house build. In a tightly-contested race to the finish line, his team lost to the formidable construction prowess of another team leader, Christi Anderson, who led the winning team by not taking any breaks, a leadership lesson that Pankaj will never forget. Coincidently, he fell in love with Christi and in 2007 they married. When Pankaj is not building houses, he manages a technology group that builds trading systems for an Emerging Markets desk. Pankaj lives with his wife and daughter, Seren, in Brooklyn, NY.
Ali Mooney is from Queens, New York and loves bagels and pizzas. Fascinated with the ways cities work, she is educated with a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning. She loves architecture, public transportation, power tools and shopping of all kinds. It is her belief that access to decent, safe and affordable housing is a right, and that has fueled her involvement with One small House. She currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband Tim and their cat, Mabel.
After finishing college in Washington D.C., Steven Spektor moved to New York, signed up with Americorps and started a two years stint with Habitat for Humanity, NYC. While working with Habitat, he met Robert Katz and joined him on a trip to Mexico in the winter of 2003. Since then, Steven as been involved with One Small House and looks forward to returning to Mexico soon! In addition to helping One Small House, Steven continues to build locally in New York.
Doug Dorsett has long had a heart for mission work. As a young man, he spent his summers travelling and doing construction projects for those less fortunate. He eventually became involved with Habitat for Humanity in the mid 1990′s, where he met Rob and several other members of the One Small House team. Since then, he has been an avid supporter and contributor to its cause. While the organization is designed to help the needy, Doug also recognizes the value that giving can provide.