About Smart Share Housing Solutions

Joanna is a grant writer at Elevate, focused on assistance for non-profit affordable housing providers. She has many years of working to create and support affordable housing from the non-profit and government sectors. "I am passionate about the need for affordable housing as well as the need to maximize our use of all the resources available. Smart Share Housing Solutions is the perfect marriage of those two."

As Executive Director of the Casita Coalition, Celeste brings a wealth of knowledge about small, efficient, affordable forms of housing and also statewide advocacy and legislative activities to the Smart Share board. In addition to being a statewide policy expert, Celeste has counted several ADUs as home, so she understands benefits first hand.

An internist in San Luis Obispo, Grace now focuses care for senior clients and sees isolation as a contributor to poor health outcomes. She believes homeshare can be a solution and that safe, secure, affordable housing is a key component for health. She brings her breadth of knowledge and passion for holistic health to Smart Share.

Monique graduated from Cal Poly with a BA in architecture and has designed many homes and prototypes in SLO County. She spent a year of study focused on Nader Khalili, the middle eastern engineer who developed the Geltaftan Earth and Fire system for creating a durable ceramic shell to adobe structures and also studied various adobe building modalities as well as Straw Bale. Monique’s other nonprofit experience includes Greener Pastures and Hope’s Village. She enjoys playing guitar, writing songs, karate, capoeira, escrima, and running.

After earning her master's degree in sports medicine from the University of Oregon, Vicki and her husband eventually had four children. Her career took a side trip into the non-profit sector while she stayed home to care for her children. Leading teams of volunteers over the last 12 years, Vicki started three non-profits and helped to raise about $500,000 for public school programs--primarily in the performing arts. Vicki passionately believes that every person on this earth is born to be creative. "It is imperative for our survival as well as our personal happiness, that we discover our creative outlets and learn to use them to make the world a better place." She is excited to bring her experience and creativity to Smart Share Housing Solutions, with the hope that her kids might be able to move into their own homes someday!

Katherine is from San Diego and is currently in her final year as a City and Regional Planning student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. When not in classes, she enjoys playing tennis, doing yoga, and participating in the Cal Poly Garden Club, in which she is an officer. Her interests lie in urban design, urban agriculture, and community outreach and empowerment. She is excited to join the Smart Share team as an affordable housing development specialist and help San Luis Obispo residents find great places to live!

Mike is a retired teacher whose interest in community led him to be a housing developer. He and his wife, Nancy, initiated Paso Robles' co-housing community, Oak Creek Commons, in the early 2000s. Mike worked to bring together the residents who would live there and the project builders and has remained an active member of the resident community since construction, involved in ongoing community building and maintenance. Mike's experience in development, outreach, and fund development, as well as community building and collaborative processes, will be helpful as we approach Waterman Construction and establish rules and protocols for the village's operation. He is keenly aware of the housing affordability challenges facing SLO residents and looks forward to helping create more affordable and sustainable housing in SLO.

Ms. Kennedy has over 30 years of experience directing and working with community non-profit groups. Recognizing the need for affordable housing for vulnerable populations, she believes homesharing and small housing can be a part of the solution. As a senior senior, Ms Kennedy is experiencing the challenges San Luis Obispo seniors face, and plans her days to minimize driving and trips up and down the stairs, among other things.

Elaine has loved riding bicycles most of her life. In her younger years, she ran a hostel and relied on her bike to get almost everywhere she needed to go. She even rode to Costco, trailer attached, to haul supplies for her guests. Today, Elaine still rides regularly, cruising around town and heading out to Avila Beach and even Los Osos on her e-bike. For her, biking isn’t about age. It’s about freedom, independence, and joy. Elaine enjoys meeting new people and is excited to support Smart Share's mission.

Michelle is a CSU Fire Marshall at CalPoly. Previously, she was CalPoly's associate director of capital projects. She has extensive experience managing the construction of large institutional projects. She has also managed smaller housing projects, including the construction of ADUs in a couple of her backyards, including her Arroyo Grande yard. (We featured this ADU at an open house in 2024 and in one of our most highly viewed videos.) Michelle's skills, creativity, and interests will be vital to our team as we negotiate a lease with the City to operate Waterman Village (WV) and, in the near future, negotiate and manage construction contracts.  As we look beyond Waterman construction, Michelle brings ideas and energy around potential housing in collaboration with CalPoly/CSU that promise to capitalize on the C in Creative housing solutions. Michelle and her partner, Jami, shuttle their two kids between 4-H horseback riding and other activities.

Adam Clark is an international human rights and social justice advocate whose work spans community building, communications, and cultural stewardship. He has worked in Uganda on efforts to decriminalize same-sex relations, develop equity-driven marketing systems for maternal health, and launch public sensitization campaigns addressing homelessness. Adam previously served as Kern County’s Public Information Officer, where he oversaw public communications and safeguarded the integrity of the 2024 elections. He is currently a teacher at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and the host of Ecstatic Dance SLO, supporting conscious movement and embodied community on the Central Coast.

Adam also works with Circles of Empowerment Native American Tribal Council, where he studies and honors Native American ceremonial traditions. Based near Arroyo Grande, he remains deeply connected to the sacred lands of San Luis Obispo County. Drawing on his diverse background in digital marketing, communications, and grassroots advocacy, Adam brings a strategic, values-driven approach to advancing initiatives that center equity, integrity, and collective empowerment.

Carter is currently a third-year City and Regional Planning student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a minor in Real Property Development. Some of her interests include affordable housing, planning third-spaces, faith-based housing, and the design. When she is not in classes, she enjoys cooking and baking, crocheting, and spending time with friends. She is excited to be a part of the Smart Share team to work towards making a difference in people's lives, as well as gaining more experience in the planning and development sector.

Lisa is a professional accountant and an IRS enrolled agent. She keeps a sense of humor, whether the numbers come up black or red, as she handles the books for several local non-profits and serves on multiple oversight boards, including the SLO County YMCA and St. Ben's. Lisa is committed to helping non-profits utilize best practices and enjoys the opportunity to serve, and she would like to remind potential donors out there that "You can't take it with you."

Erik, a San Luis Obispo Realtor, is also a planner and has worked as a project manager for a Civil Engineering company where he focused on designing subdivisions and helping property owners acquire planning permits from local jurisdictions. Erik helped permit the Emerald Village tiny home project in Eugene, Oregon and brings his experience with planning, permitting and project management to Smart Share's Waterman Village development team.

Ashley is a SLO County local--born and raised. She graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's in environmental policy analysis and planning with a focus in environmental justice. Her passions are building sustainable systems and meeting community needs locally. She is interested in advocating for smart and sustainable development in SLO County to balance human needs and environmental processes. She joined Smart Share Housing Solutions as a board member in 2025 and is very excited to advocate for housing that better serves the community.

Anne is a planning consultant, specializing in affordable housing. She brings experience in non-profit housing, for profit housing and government policy.  She has been a frequent contributor to the national magazine Planning and Vice Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Commission on Aging. She is a County Planning Commissioner and serves on several volunteer boards working to provide affordable housing and sustainable mobility options, including the CasitaCoalition.org, National Shared Housing Resource Center & Friends of the Bob Jones Trail. Her book, Downward Mobility: Revisiting Shelter, an exploration of less traveled housing options, is on Amazon. She has a master's in City & Regional Planning from CalPoly.

Mavis came to San Luis Obispo from the Silicon Valley, where she ran an industrial technology manufacturing firm. She landed with Smart Share indirectly, but she sees directly how homesharing works, as both Mavis' mother and her grandmother homeshare, providing income, security and ability to age in place. Mavis connects with her SLO community by delivering meals and supporting seniors with Meals that Connect and helping to plant community/school gardens to build community food systems, among other activities.