Board of Directors

Smitha is Senior Vice President, Development at BRIDGE Housing Corporation in San Francisco where she leads the company’s real estate development activities in Northern California.  As part of the senior leadership team, Smitha is also responsible for construction and design quality control standards, policies and procedures across the organization’s development footprint from San Diego to Seattle.  She has over 14 years of experience in real estate development and has built over 600 affordable rental homes for low-income households in the Bay Area.  Prior to joining BRIDGE, Smitha served as Vice President of Real Estate at Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco where she was part of the executive management team and responsible for building the organization’s infrastructure, leading the real estate development and construction teams, and working with the Board on planning for strategic growth. Her previous experience in affordable housing development includes working with the Santa Clara Housing Authority as Development Director. Smitha received her MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and has a Master’s degree in Architecture from Kansas State University. She is a south Berkeley resident.

Rauly has been a banker since 1982 where he has held positions at Crocker Bank, Wells Fargo Bank and Mechanics Bank. Currently Rauly is the head of Retail Banking for Mechanics Bank with 30 offices and 220 employees under his direction. He is active with numerous non-profit organizations, municipal commissions, as well as Berkeley social organizations. In addition to being a banker, Rauly is a real estate investor in the City of Berkeley.

A public policy advocate, Mike has over a decade of experience working for and with state and federal legislators, local government officials and regulators throughout California. An attorney currently working as the president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, his advocacy experience has included running his own government relations consulting firm which, among others, counted the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and the Port of Oakland as clients. Mike also has served on the Alameda County Planning Commission since 2003, and served as chair from 2004-2005 and 2009-2010. An Oakland resident, Mike has a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley and earned his JD from UC Hastings in San Francisco.

Scott is the Vice President of CSG Advisors Incorporated, an independent financial advisor to state and local governments, special districts, schools, non-profit corporations, and other municipal borrowers. Mr. Smith has extensive experience at the intersection of real estate and public finance, including land district and tax increment financing among other financing approaches. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from UC Berkeley.

Tony is a Partner at the San Francisco office of the international law firm Nixon Peabody LLP. He leads the firm’s 300 plus member litigation department and serves on the management committee. For approximately thirty years, Tony’s practice has focused on construction and real estate issues, in addition to various areas of commercial litigation. Tony graduated from Williams College and received his law degree from UCLA School of Law.

David owns and manages Greensfelder Commercial Real Estate which develops retail and mixed-use projects, provides fee-based project management services, and consults on market strategy, economics, and land use for institutional, civic, and private clients across the U.S. As a developer, consultant, and an experienced corporate real estate executive, David has driven more than 325 projects spanning 6.3 million square feet with an aggregate acquisition and construction cost exceeding $700 million. David has managed real estate development programs including strategy and market entry for Fortune 25 companies. David also consults to financial institutions about retail and real estate trends. Most recently, David built a $100 million new store pipeline for a retailer, helped a client acquire a publicly-traded competitor, and developed plans to reposition over 1 million square feet of retail and mixed-use projects valued at over $115 million. David graduated from Pitzer College (Claremont Colleges) with a degree in Business Economics. He lectures at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design and at the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics-Haas School of Business, and at USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate Development. David is a founding member of the Oakland Retail Advisory Group, a ULI Urban Plan volunteer, and serves on ICSC’s national Alliance Program advisory board where he has held various officer roles for over a decade.

Jacee Santos is the Housing Manager at Bay Area Community Services, and a proud SAHA resident. Jacee has extensive professional experience with supportive and transitional housing solutions. She previously served for eight years at the Housing Consortium of the East Bay where she started as a Housing Specialist and rose to be the Program and External Relations Manager. She has also worked with the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and has experience with security and events production  She is active in affordable housing advocacy.

Joy Moore is a community food activist, SAHA tenant, and retired City of Berkeley health worker. She has now also retired from the Berkeley Unified school District as Garden a Nutrition based Garden Instructor and currently volunteers at the UC Gill Tract Community Farm, in Albany, as a Senior Greeter and Community Farmer. She serves on the Boards of the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice as Advisor, Spiral Gardens, and Pie Ranch, an educational farming and gardening non-profit, as well as Planting Justice, in addition to the SAHA Board. Joy also volunteers at KPFA 94.1 FM Free Speech Community Radio as a host and producer of “Full Circle”, a weekly cultural affairs program. Joy has served on the SAHA Board since 2002.

Karen Folger Jacobs is a licensed marriage, family and child counselor who received her Ph.D in Education from the University of California at Berkeley. She is currently a resident of SAHA’s Sacramento Senior Homes. In 1977 and 1978, she was a consultant to the Presidential Commission on Mental Health. Karen has been and continues to be a writer of prolific output. Her work spans a wide range which includes young adult fiction, books on sports and health, and articles published in the New York Times, Essence, Mademoiselle, Image, and the Hollywood Reporter. Karen has also been an active athlete for most of her life. From 1980 to 1988 she was a member of the national underwater hockey team. Currently, Karen leads an active life in the multicultural, socially engaged city of Berkeley.

Ron has 23 years of experience in providing affordable housing and services for low-income populations and 36 years of experience in serving Bay Area seniors. Mr. Ridley was the Executive Director of Paradise Valley Estates, a continuum of care retirement community in Fairfield, for several years. During his career serving seniors, he was on the Budget and Audit Committee of Aging Services of California, on the Board of Directors of the Association of Housing Management Agents, the membership committee of the Institute of Real Estate Management, and a participant on Contra Costa County Habitat for Humanity.

Sage B. Foster brings 30 years of experience with permanent housing location and retention for diverse populations experiencing major barriers to housing. Sage is currently serving as an independent consultant focusing on supportive and rapid re-housing implementation, collaboration building and strategic planning for those working with homeless youth, individuals and families, demonstrating a commitment to provide innovative and effective solutions to ending homelessness.

Previously, Sage served as the Housing Partnership’s Manager at Abode Services as well as the Program Manager of Alameda County’s Rapid Re-housing Program (HUD-HPRP) providing financial assistance and stabilization services to over 600 households throughout Alameda County including re-entering parolees, street homeless, veterans, encampment dwellers and disabled shelter residents.  Sage implemented the Mental Health Service’s Act (Prop 63) with Bonita House’s Homeless Outreach and Stabilization Team in Oakland, CA and housed 95 chronically homeless individuals living with serious mental health challenges in scattered site apartments from Berkeley to Hayward, CA.

Sage served as a member of the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Service’s Housing Review Committee from 2007-2013. Sage received a Master’s Degree in Counseling Education from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from San Francisco State University.

Al was a giant in the field of property management for over 40 years. He was beloved by SAHA as a board member, a mentor to our staff, appreciated and admired for his strong but gentle presence, kindness, wisdom and humor.

Al was born in 1937 in Detroit, the first of nine children. He served for 14 years with the US Navy and graduated from University of Maryland. Afterwards, he began his career in property management, with a special interest in housing cooperatives and affordable housing, which spanned many decades. After twenty-five years of housing industry experience, he rose up the ranks and eventually founded his own company, Alton Management Corporation in 1993. As Principal of his company, he was involved in all aspects of corporate operations. In addition to his role as a business owner and industry leader, Al was an active member and former president of the Bay Area Chapter of 100 Black Men of America, former president and executive committee member of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives (NAHC), former president of the Midwest Association of Housing Cooperatives, and especially enjoyed fundraising for scholarships.

Al’s steadfast support as a founder of Affordable Housing Associates in 1993, then to SAHA as we formed in 2013 and grew from there, will never be forgotten.

SAHA honors the life and legacy of treasured SAHA board member Francine Williams, who passed away in March after a long illness. Francine was a truly magnificent person, friend, church leader, resident advocate, and ally. She served for over 10 years on our board, bringing compassion, curiosity, style, humor and care everywhere she went. She was beloved by fellow board members, fellow residents at Valdez Plaza, fellow advocates and each and every person she encountered. Rest in peace and power, dear Francine.

Ralph was born in Colchester, England and earned a BSc. in Estate Management from the University of London. Since 1969, Ralph worked with Grosvenor Estate of London, first opening a Hawaii office and later opening an office in San Francisco. At the time of his retirement in 2002, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Grosvenor Americas and Grosvenor Group Holdings/UK with responsibilities for development and investment projects throughout the world including, Australia, Asia, Canada, Europe, South America and the United States.

Upon retirement, Ralph turned his career skills towards the non-profit sector and served on SAHA’s board of directors for over 18 years, with much of that time as President. Under his leadership, the company grew from a small, local nonprofit housing developer with a dozen staff to one of the largest in the Bay Area with over 75 properties and 200 staff. He was loved, respected and admired by fellow board members and staff for his real estate expertise, his passion to help others, his diplomacy and his inimitable humor.

Ralph was also involved with RVEHA, a non-profit providing housing for low income seniors in Marin. He helped the small non-profit through its expansion and the building of a second facility. He served as the Treasurer with four Board Presidents, providing stability and financial security.  He was a friend to the residents and board members alike, always with a smile and a positive word.

Ralph was an avid fan and aficionado of jazz of all genres, a die-hard skier, sailor, squash, tennis, and golf player, an inveterate traveler and an enthusiastic language student.  He held true to his mantra of ‘work hard/play hard’, was an eternal optimist and Monty Python fan, personified by his frequent singing of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”  He is survived by Gillian his wife of 50 years, sons Richard and Miles and Granddaughter Bremze Bowie Hayward.

Donations in his name can be made to:

• The Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, PO Box 302, El Granada, CA 94018:  bachddsoc.org
• Squash Drive, PO Box 99165, Emeryville, CA 94662: squashdrive.org
• RVEHA, PO Box 2969 San Anselmo, CA 94979: TamHouse.org