OUR TEAM
CURRENT TEAM
Rikki Epperson
Executive Director
Rikki is a huge fan of CR and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for nearly three years before becoming the Program Director, and now the Executive Director in Fall 2019.
Nancy Morlock
Program Manager
Nancy and her husband built their home with CR in 2012 and has been a superfan ever since. She has served on the Board of Directors representing homeowners for many years and finally came on as staff in 2022! She is happy to help new homeowners navigate the process of applying for and building their own home.
Doug Nichols
CR's "Cobbfather"
Doug has been a natural builder of over 20 years, and now serves as a Natural Building Expert and consultant for CR.
Kalen Jones.
Design Build Instructor
Kalen Jones has been designing natural and unnatural (but high performing) homes in the Four-Corners region since 2002. He served on the Grand County Planning Commission for six years, and the Moab City Council from 2015-2023, where he championed affordable housing, dark skies, and climate action. He has been a licensed architect since 2016. He was a development partner in Mulberry Grove, a Moab neighborhood that prioritizes green building, open space, and pedestrian safety. He moved to Moab in 1990, thinking he would continue his prior work in organic agriculture, but chose other livelihoods to have more free time to enjoy the region's landscape by foot, bike, boat, and skis.
Jessica Retka
Construction Site Supervisor
Jessica Retka is a creaky-boned builder person who has been working in construction since 2008 or something. She's kind of young, but groans like she's not. She has worked in agricultural, conventional and natural construction in both MN and UT, for others and for herself. She even worked for CR before. Now she's back!
Brittany Vallene
Construction Manager
Brittany first started with Community Rebuilds as an intern in the fall of 2018 and fell in love with th program. After doing work in natural building, historic preservation, and watershed restoration, she is thrilled to be back on staff to do construction management.
PAST STAFF
Maret is from Evanston, IL. They worked on farms, gardens, and trails before coming to CR. They were an intern in Spring 2020 and are now back for a yearlong apprenticeship.
Spring 2020 - Fall 2023
Maret Sonder
Assistant Construction Supervisor
Alex has been a natural builder in Moab for the past two decades. He came onto the team in the Fall of 2017 when it just so happened that CR was building next door to his home.
2017 - 2022
Alex Burbidge
Construction Supervisor & Qualifier
Jess is a builder with a background in affordable housing construction, art history, and design/build projects. She first worked with CR as an intern in 2016 and she's back now.
Spring 2021 - Summer 2023
Jess Hough
Assistant Construction Supervisor
Lena Jaffe
Program Coordinator
Lena worked as a build intern in the Fall of 2017, and an office intern Fall 2019. Lena is passionate about the intersection between environmental and community health, and calls Seattle and now Moab home.
January 2020 - June 2022.
Andy Coppola
Assistant Construction Supervisor
Andy's intro to straw bale and clay plasters construction came in college and he quickly dreamed up elaborate homes he could sculpt from ground up. He is now with CR as an assistant builder. Fall 2020 - Winter 2021.
Aidan grew up splitting her time between parts of Oregon and California, eventually graduating from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She left the advertising scene to embrace a more Earth conscious way of life, finding CR to fit those needs.
Aidan McClean
Project Manager
Olivia was an intern in Fall 2016, and spent the following four years working for Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. She is now back with CR as an assistant builder. She is originally from California's Central Valley.
Spring 2021 - Summer 2023
Olivia Mendonca
Assistant Construction Supervisor
Amanda Jane
Construction Manager and Qualifier
Amanda Jane has worked with CR since 2016. She started her building career with Habitat for Humanity and worked there as a lead builder for 15 years. She studied natural building with Yestermorrow in Vermont, and has worked on projects in North Carolina to Honduras.
Cole Statts
Lead Builder
Cole first joined us in the Spring of 2018, after being an intern, apprentice, and assistant builder, he stepped into the role of lead builder. Spring 2018 - Spring 2021.
Emily is the founder of Community Rebuilds. She is proud of the accomplishments of the organization and the CR team in the pursuit of shifting the construction paradigm to be inclusive and regenerative.
Emily Niehaus
Founder /
Executive Director
Jason has been an intern, board member, and CR fan since 2012. He recently built his own straw bale home prior to becoming an instructor in 2017. Spring 2012 - Spring 2020
Jason Pronovost
Construction Supervisor
Reid originally joined the CR team in 2018 as an AmeriCorps VISTA. After a year and a half of LBC coordination and planning in the office she became CR's Project Manager. September 2018 - April 2021.
Reid Saunders
Project Manager
Mitch hails from Montana and has been a builder since 1990. Fall 2016.
Mitchell Heuer
Construction Supervisor
Jess has been developing her career in natural building with CR since joining us as an intern in the Spring of 2014. She has built homes in Moab, Crested Butte, CO, and was the assistant supervisor for our Bunkhouse build. She joined the administrative side of CR as Program Director. 2014 - 2020.
Jessica Manderfield
Program Director
An Oregon native, Melissa previously worked as a trail crew leader and youth educator. After being both an intern and apprentice, she became a supervisor. Spring 2015- Spring 2019.
Melissa Graciosa
Construction Supervisor
Karen is a natural builder for Build Like A Bird, LLC in Asheville, NC. She first built with CR in the Fall 2016 and is back as our Construction Supervisor for our pilot build in Bluff, UT.
Karen George
Construction Supervisor
Chris is a natural builder based in Cleveland Ohio. He joined CR for four builds from the Fall of 2014 to the Spring of 2016.
Chris Strayer
Construction Supervisor
A Denver, CO native, Mitch is a natural builder living in Bluff, UT. He was a part of three CR builds from Spring 2015-2016.
Mitch McComb
Construction Supervisor
Maggie is a native of Fort Collins, CO. She first came to CR as an intern in the Spring of 2017. After restoring homes in Detroit for the last year, she joined us to be a part of the campus build.
Maggie Stitzel
Asst. Construction Supervisor
Dusty is the principal at Straw and Timber Craftsman, and has worked with CR as the straw bale subcontractor and natural building instructor in Gunnison County, CO in both 2013 & 2016.
Dusty Syzmanski
Construction Supervisor
Eric is currently the principal at Ecologic Design Build. He helped get CR off the ground as a straw bale subcontractor and instructor from 2011-2014.
Eric Plourde
Construction Supervisor
Gabe’s first CR experience was as board member in 2011, and then went on to become and intern and staff in the year of 2014. In 2017, he became a CR homeowner.
Gabe Woytek
Assistant Supervisor
Kelly worked as a co-instructor for three different CR homes from 2011-2012.
Kelly Matthews
Co-Construction Supervisor
Serah was an intern with one of the early semesters in Fall 2011. She went on to become an administrative team member as Associate Director until 2014. In 2017, she became a CR homeowner.
Serah Meade
Associate Director
Doni lead the first build in 2010, helping Community Rebuilds get off the ground.
Doni Kiffmeyer
Construction Supervisor
Jessica was born and raised in Salt Lake City prior to moving to Moab in 2021. She has been a fan of CR for a number of years, and is excited to bring her background in sustainable design to the team.
Feb 2022 - July 2023
Jessica Chamberlin
Planning and Development Manager
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Kenny Fallon Jr.
Design Build Instructor
Kenny is a designer who enjoys working on ecological constructions, making things by hand, and building the world we want to live in. He also is an editor at The Last Straw and a project manager at Epicenter.