Our Team
Gem State Housing Alliance is guided by a group of dedicated leaders and housing experts who are working to expand housing options and strengthen communities across Idaho.
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors brings together housing experts, community advocates, and local leaders who share a commitment to making housing more attainable in Idaho. Their guidance helps shape our vision, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that Gem State stays grounded in community and market-driven solutions.
Caleb Roope
CEO, The Pacific Companies
Katie Vila
COO, Roundhouse
John Hale
Partner, Atticus Holdings
Brett Myron
CEO, Petra Construction
Rick Miller
Director of Community Development, Altura
Maggie Lyons
Executive Director, Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance
Shellan Rodriguez
Developer, SMR Development
Erin Sorensen
Engineer, POWER Engineers
Kelli Badensheim
Retired, fmr. CEO of Valley Regional Transit
Joe Jaszewski
Visual Communications Leader, Local Pro-housing advocate
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Patrick Spoutz
Pharmacist, Local Pro-housing advocate
Michelle Dillman
Director, Sorren CPAs
Policy Advisory Board
Our Policy Advisory Board brings together housing experts, who can review and suggest policies, ordinances and legislation to make building housing of all types and sizes in Idaho easier.
Byron Folwell
Architect
Bob Seale
Planner, City of Post Falls
Matthew Adams
Partner, The Land Group
Nicki Olivier Hellenkamp
Director of Housing & Homelessness Policy
Chris Danley
Partner, Virtuvian Planning
James Casper
Executive Director, North Idaho Habitat for Humanity
Caleb Spangenberger
Architect, Williams | Partners Architects
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Jon Hall
Architect, GGLO
Lindsey Love
Founder, Regenerative Building Solutions
Erin Anderson
CEO, The Housing Company
Carissa Connelly
Housing Director, Ketchum
Rod Rada
Architect
GSHA Staff
Ali Rabe
Founding Executive Director
Ali Rabe is the Founding Executive Director of the Gem State Housing Alliance, the state’s first pro-housing coalition working to expand housing options across communities. Previously, Ali led Jesse Tree for several years, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing eviction and homelessness, where she led the organization through significant growth in programs and impact.
Ali has also worked as an attorney with local governments and service providers in their efforts to address homelessness, and earlier in her legal career supported refugees and displaced populations around the world. These experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to ensuring everyone has a place to call home.
Ali is a proud graduate of The College of Idaho and holds a J.D. from William & Mary Law School. She and her husband, both Treasure Valley natives, are raising their two young boys in their hometown.
Kate Simonds
Interim Coalition Director
Kate Simonds is the Interim Coalition Director for the Gem State Housing Alliance. Previously, Kate spent three years building and leading Lift Local Idaho — a bipartisan, not-for-profit statewide initiative and business-led coalition aiming to give the state’s municipalities greater control over how they grow, how they fund infrastructure and essential services, and how they invest in themselves.
Forecasting significant overlap in Lift Local Idaho and GSHA's work, Kate saw tremendous mutual benefit in merging their coalitions and is proud to be leading their fusion.
Kate’s work is informed by her previous roles in strategic communications and consulting, as well as her ambition to protect the quality of life we all enjoy as Idahoans. She is a born, raised, and boomeranged Boisean and enthusiastic alumna of the University of California, Berkeley.
We're Hiring!
We are hiring for a full-time Policy and Coalitions Manager to support our team and lead the work in East and North Idaho in developing policy change in cities while building local coalitions. Please find the job description below and send your resume and a cover letter to info@gemstatehousing.org by December 31, 2025.
Gem State Housing Alliance is hiring a part-time Contractor to support community engagement and city level housing advocacy across Idaho. This role helps coordinate outreach, assist coalition partners, prepare residents to participate in local housing decisions, and support events and trainings. Please find the job description below and send your resume and a cover letter to info@gemstatehousing.org by December 31, 2025.