Construction Staff & House Leaders

Adam DeSilva

Adam, now a Georgia resident, is a native of the Caribbean. Through AmeriCorps he learned of a construction/project management volunteer position at Atlanta Habitat.

Adam has now been a volunteer with us for three months, and his position gives him the opportunity to use his background in construction. “Seeing a house built from the dirt up and seeing the family smiling at the end is what makes the experience so rewarding,” said Adam.

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Alex Cook

Alex enjoyed his first day of volunteering in 1999 so much that he returned each week until the house was completed. After that build he began to volunteer regularly, becoming a skilled supervisor, and then joined Atlanta Habitat in 2007 as a house leader.

“Interaction with the homeowners and changing their mindset from having a place to stay to having home and a community is the most gratifying part of my job,” said Alex.

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Brian Findley

Brian’s a native Atlantan (he’s an Oglethorpe grad) and has been with Atlanta Habitat three and a half years. He began as a house leader and recently became construction manager.

Brian enjoys seeing our mission come alive with our homeowners and is proud of the initiative Atlanta Habitat takes to build to green standards without sacrificing quality. “The quality of our houses is great,” he says. Brian enjoys gardening (he has a vegetable garden) and will become a first-time father in November 2011. Congrats, Brian!

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Caleb Starr

Caleb is originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but was also raised in East Liverpool, Ohio. He came to Atlanta during a Christian Urban Outreach program, and after a year of volunteering he realized he wanted to do something with mission and purpose that was more hands-on.

Caleb has been with Atlanta Habitat for five years. “I enjoy seeing volunteers having a great experience, especially the people who have never done anything like this and come out with a good attitude and accomplish a lot in one day,” said Caleb.

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Denise Childs

Denise grew up in many places, but she spent her junior high through college years in Chicago, Illinois. Denise started out as volunteer at Atlanta Habitat and then became a skilled supervisor. She enjoyed the job so much that she left her job in sales to become a house leader.

She has now been with Atlanta Habitat for nine years. “The most rewarding part of my job is turning the keys over to the homebuyer,” said Denise.

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Free Walker

Free has done volunteer work for many years. But it was after he purchased his own home and started renovation that he realized he had a knack for construction and volunteered five days a week with Atlanta Habitat.

After working as a skilled supervisor, he was hired as a full-time house leader. Free says the most rewarding part of his job is “the families that still invite me back after they’ve moved in. After everything I’m supposed to do is done, they still invite me back.”

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Irene Kagika

Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Irene moved to Atlanta six years ago. She has been with Atlanta Habitat for three years; two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer.

“Atlanta Habitat gives me the opportunity to be of service to others, to make homeownership a reality for the families, and to use my God-given skills in construction. It also gives me a chance to meet great volunteers and families,” said Irene.

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Jason Owens

Jason was born and raised here in Atlanta, Georgia, around the downtown area. He worked for a contractor who had done business with Atlanta Habitat, and when the contractor slowed down, he suggested Jason join our construction team. That was 14 years ago.

“Being able to build homes for the families and meet new volunteers is what makes my job rewarding,” said Jason. As for his most memorable build, he says, “all the Youth Builds.”

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Jim Blackstone

A native Georgian, Jim is approaching his 10-year anniversary with Atlanta Habitat. As construction director, he oversees all building or renovation for each of our homes.

“I’m extremely proud of the work we do here,” said Jim. “My favorite part of working with Atlanta Habitat is the people drawn to the mission – sponsors, volunteers, my fellow employees, and everyone involved,” he said. Jim oversees our green building program, safety training, and management training with construction staff. 

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Laurel Briglevich

Laurel joined AmeriCorps to gain perspective on what she wants to do when she returns to school, and ultimately what she wants to do with her life.

She became a volunteer assistant house leader at Atlanta Habitat because she wanted to spend her year of service in a community and doing manual labor. “I love working with families. The time when the whole family comes to the home and everyone is crying is the moment I know this is exactly where I want to be,” said Laurel.

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Reid Lockwood

Reid grew up in our country’s capital, Washington, D.C., where he lived for 19 years. He became involved with Atlanta Habitat because he believes in our mission to partner with working families, sponsors, and communities to build affordable, green, quality homes and provide support services that promote successful home purchase and ownership.

“There are challenges working with the timelines, but the reward is getting to interact with the families,” said Reid, who has been with us for almost six years.

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Harley Armstrong

Jacob Rufenacht

Jacob’s wife, a Ga. Tech grad, brought this Ohio native to Atlanta. He was with Sherwin-Williams for three+ years before joining us as warehouse and inventory coordinator. “I really like that Habitat’s model works in Atlanta and across the world,” said Jacob. “It’s great to see the hard work that all the volunteers put in and to work alongside them to make things go smoothly.

Jacob enjoys being part of the development going on in the city. He plays guitar and basketball and enjoys spending time with his daughter.

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