Chris LaTondresse President and CEO
Pronouns: he/him/his
Chris LaTondresse is President and CEO of Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, a national leader in supportive housing—providing homes plus services for Minnesotans overcoming homelessness and fueling a statewide movement to advance proven solutions. He leads Beacon amid a national affordability crisis and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine America’s response to homelessness. A former Hennepin County Commissioner, Chris played a central role in shaping Minnesota’s housing stability ecosystem. As Chair of the County’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, he helped secure unprecedented investments in affordable housing and convened leaders across sectors to turn shared values into public action. His leadership reflects a consistent focus on values-driven public systems, coalition-building, and the common good. Chris’s career spans local, national, and international service. He served in President Obama’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, was a senior leader at a national civil rights organization, and previously served on the Hopkins School Board. He is a frequent speaker and advisor on housing, democracy, and the role of civic institutions in fostering stability, opportunity, and belonging—and he contributes to national conversations on the future of affordable housing. Chris lives in Hopkins with his spouse, Ashley, their two boys, and a spirited French bulldog.
Babette Jamison-Varner Vice President of Supportive Housing
View the Supportive Housing Team
Contact Babette about:
- Beacon’s supportive housing and service partnerships
- Strategic development of supportive housing
(651) 377-8162
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Babette Jamison-Varner brings more than 20 years of health, human services and affordable housing experience to her role as Vice President of Supportive Housing. Prior to Beacon, Babette held positions of CEO/Executive Director in both public housing and temporary shelter settings. She leads the team at Beacon that designs service partnerships and sustains quality operations for the benefit of residents and communities in which Beacon properties are located.
Ben Helvick Anderson Vice President of Policy and Organizing
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Contact Ben About:
- Beacon’s Policy Agenda and Campaigns
- Strategic Policy Partnerships
(651) 377-8141
Pronouns: he/him/his
Ben leads Beacon’s Policy and Organizing division to change public policy and create homes by engaging congregations and coalition partners in action. Ben is passionate about the power that everyday people have to transform our public policy so that all people may have a home.
Ben brings years of local, regional, and federal policy and community organizing experience to Beacon through his work on issues around family farmers, immigration, land conservation, and affordable housing. Ben holds a master’s degree in Social Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago. As a Minnesota native, Ben loves getting outside in all of Minnesota’s seasons with his wife and two step-daughters, doing many activities including biking, sailing, gardening, and cross country skiing.
Heidi Goldman-Gray Vice President of Advancement and Communications
View the Advancement & Communications Teams
Contact Heidi About:
- Transformational philanthropic investment in Beacon
- Strategic communications opportunities
(651) 377-8182
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Heidi provides strategic leadership in the areas of advancement (fundraising) and communications for Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative. She leads the teams that work diligently to raise the awareness and support necessary to achieve Beacon’s vision that “all people have a home.” Heidi is inspired by those who act according to their most deeply held values to support the creation of deeply affordable and equitable housing.
Heidi brings more than 20 years of leadership experience to Beacon through her past work in community-serving nonprofits, faith communities, and higher education. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She enjoys exploring the Twin Cities and the world, and lives with her family in St. Paul.
Kevin Walker Vice President of Housing
View the Housing Development Team
Contact Kevin About:
- Interest in investing or offering financing for Beacon projects
- Architectural / design services
- Property-related due diligence services
- Site opportunities
(651) 377-8161
Pronouns: he/him/his
In his role as Vice President of Housing, Kevin oversees all aspects of Beacon’s housing development-related activity and cultivates and nurtures new service partnerships for Beacon supportive housing developments. Kevin appreciates the ways in which Beacon’s congregations’ involvement in our shelter work, housing development work, and policy work build a broader constituency for the day that ‘all people have a home’.
Kevin has a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and nearly twenty years’ experience in nonprofit and cooperative community development models, primarily in Minnesota. He and his wife, Rachel, enjoy long-distance running, hiking, and travel with their two teenagers.
Susan Dayton Director of Administration & Human Resources
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Contact Susan About:
- Employment opportunities
- Human Resources questions
(651) 377-8174
Pronouns: she/her/hers
In her role as Director of Administration and Human Resources, Susan develops and implements Beacon’s HR policies and practices, and oversees HR operations. Keeping Beacon’s values at center, she is dedicated to Beacon’s talent strategy and maintaining optimal employee and union relations. She is committed to ensuring that Beacon fosters a welcoming, collaborative, and inclusive workplace, and finds great reward in providing the consistent HR framework that in turn helps Beacon staff execute the broader vision in our community that all people have a home.
Susan has an MA in HR Management, a BA in philosophy and over two decades of experience in non-profit work including HR, administration, and direct service. She values lifelong learning and holds particular interest in the intrinsic motivations that draw individuals into meaningful and impactful work. Susan enjoys spending time with her family, reading poetry, and values time in nature with friends. Contact Susan about employment opportunities or anything HR-related at Beacon.
Ashley Bauer-Yuen Annual Giving & Stewardship Officer
Contact Ashley About:
- Making a gift or donation questions
- The impact of your gift
- Becoming a monthly donor
- Community Centric Fundraising
(651) 377-8189
Pronouns: she/her
As the Annual Giving and Stewardship Officer, Ashley is inspiring, engaging, and inviting supporters with opportunities to give towards Beacon’s vision that all people have a home. She is motivated by restorative change that dignifies all people and creates belonging.
Ashley has experience in community engagement, program management, content development, conference directing, and public speaking in non-profits and faith-based organizations. She enjoys exploring museums, gaming, and starting craft projects but never finishing them.
Ben Clarke Director of Asset Management
Contact Ben About:
- Beacon’s housing properties
- Property management
- Partner relationships
(651) 377-8140
Pronouns: he/his
In his role as Director of Asset Management, Ben oversees the physical, financial, and operational performance of Beacon’s affordable housing portfolio and ensures strong relationships with its operating, funding, and external partners. He is focused on making continuous quality improvements that strengthen Beacon as a model affordable housing provider.
A graduate of St. John’s University, Ben has a data analytics and entrepreneurial background that led to several years of operational and asset management experience in market-rate multifamily housing. He came to Beacon to collaborate with others working towards equitable housing for all in our community. He loves tackling big issues that make a difference.
As a mid-life convert to long distance bikepacking and a seasoned boundary waters canoeist, Ben believes in the innate value of wilderness and overall goodness of people. He and his wife Nicole have three older kids, often bike to work, and enjoy their gardens and apple trees.
Benny Olk Data Operations Associate
Contact Benny About:
- Making a donation
- Questions about Acknowledgement
(651) 377-8147
Pronouns: he/him/his
In his role as Data Operations Associate, Benny is responsible for assisting in the administration of data entry and reporting, and supporting the Advancement, Congregational Organizing, Communications, and Policy departments of Beacon. Benny shares the belief that all people have a right to a quality, affordable home and that stable homes transform lives and communities. Benny has 5 years of experience supporting work of arts nonprofits in fundraising, events, and advancement support. Outside of his administrative work, Benny is a performing artist and dancer, and avid Pilates enthusiast.
Brandon Long Advocacy Manager
Contact Brandon About:
- Advocacy Campaigns
- Digital Action Tools
- Policy & Organizing Events
(651) 377-8142
Pronouns: he/him/his
As Advocacy Manager at Beacon, Brandon leads grassroots advocacy efforts that mobilize congregations, community members, and public allies to advance housing justice. He designs digital campaigns, coordinates policy events, and builds systems that empower people to take action in support of Beacon’s legislative goals.
Brandon is deeply motivated by a commitment to dignity, equity, and storytelling that moves people – not just emotionally, but toward lasting change. He sees this moment as an urgent opportunity to organize collective power for deeply affordable housing and systemic transformation.
With more than a decade of experience in community organizing, nonprofit strategy, and digital tools for engagement, Brandon brings a trauma-informed lens and a reputation for coalition-based advocacy. He’s worked with housing coalitions, faith communities, and lived experience leaders to turn values into policy impact.
Outside of work, Brandon is a musician, visual artist, and dad to a hilarious three-year-old who keeps him humble and on his toes.
Destiny Barron Supportive Housing Partnerships Manager
Contact Destiny About:
(651) 377-8146
Pronouns: she/her/hers
In her role as a Supportive Housing Partnerships Manager, Destiny works collaboratively with both Service and Property Management Partners to solve problems, increase occupancy, and ensure that overall revenue goals of her portfolio are being met. She also may recommend new or improved policies and procedures to address any problems that may arise. Destiny feels very connected to Affordable Housing for everyone and believes in Beacon’s mission of everyone having a home that they can afford within a community that welcomes all people.
Destiny has previous management experience in Public Housing and Tax Credit Housing programs and holds a degree in Computer Information Systems and Management. Destiny has been recognized in many of the housing organizations she’s worked for as a leader in creating and implementing new processes. She enjoys cooking and spending time with her 3 children and 1 dog and traveling around the U.S.
Elizabeth Tannen Donor Engagement Officer
Contact Elizabeth About:
- The impact of your gift
- Community Centric Fundraising
- Legacy giving through your will and estate
(651) 377-8151
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Elizabeth works with leaders and clergy in St. Paul to act on their social justice values and engage their congregations with Beacon. Guided by the faith that more community and more interdependence are what will create a more just world, she believes in Beacon’s model of building power through interfaith collaboration. Elizabeth is a one-time public radio journalist who earned a Masters in Creative Writing and taught writing in prisons, colleges and elsewhere before pivoting toward racial and economic justice work. Elizabeth has organized with Jewish Community Action, the Poor People’s Campaign and Reclaim the Block. She is also a facilitator with ASDIC (Anti-Racism Study Dialogue Circles) and founded the 555 (Five Writers, Five Minutes, Five Watt) reading series.
Originally from New York, Elizabeth lives in a Catholic Worker community, where she finds time to walk her large pup, sometimes cook for others, and keep up a poetry practice.
Rev. Emily Goldthwaite Director of Congregational Organizing
Contact Emily About:
- Training volunteers and leaders
- Educating and engaging your congregation
- Connecting faith with action
- Advancing equity through policy and organizing
(651) 377-8153
Pronouns: she/her/hers
As Director of Congregational Organizing, Emily leads Beacon’s engagement of congregations in creating homes, supporting residents in Beacon’s housing through donations and volunteering, and speaking out for just policies on housing and homelessness. She believes people of faith have a critical voice in communities striving toward the vision that all people have a home.
A minister ordained in the United Church of Christ, Emily has served in both local churches and nonprofit service agencies in the Midwest, Palestine, and Israel. Originally from Eugene, Oregon, Emily now lives in Minneapolis where she and her daughter have learned to appreciate winter and watch for birds in every season.
Jake Fons Director of Individual Giving
Contact Jake About:
- Ways to make a gift
- Community Centric Fundraising
(651) 377-8152
Pronouns: he/him
In his role as Director of Individual Giving, Jake focuses on developing and implementing a comprehensive individual fundraising strategy that aligns with organizational goals. Additionally, he oversees a strong team of fundraisers, coordinates with other departments, and manages resources to sustainably grow contributed revenue and advance the organization’s long-term financial health.
Jake is drawn to Beacon for its strong mission, collaborative culture, and commitment to making a long lasting sustainable change in the community.
Jake graduated from the University of Minnesota, majoring in Political Science. He has more than a decade of experience with Political Campaign Fundraising and Non-Profit Development.
Jake enjoys spending time with his young family, experiencing the outdoors, and being on a bike whenever possible.
Jim Barnes Sr Housing Development Project Manager
Contact Jim About:
- Current housing developments in process/under construction
(651) 377-8183
Pronouns: he/him/his
In his role as Senior Project Manager, Jim manages all aspects in implementing Beacon’s multifamily development projects. Jim has over 20 years of experience working in affordable housing including development and construction of both single and multifamily homes, including project finance and budgeting, site acquisition, community engagement, construction management and property management. Jim spent the last 20 years as the Housing and Redevelopment Manager for a western suburb, and prior to that he worked at the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The desire to make a difference prompted Jim to seek a new opportunity with Beacon.
In his free time Jim enjoys cooking, dining out, spending time outdoors (particularly on the water) and is in the process of renovating a recently purchased home with his wife Deb.
Julie Huck Institutional Giving Officer
Contact Julie About:
- The impact of your gift
- Community Centric Fundraising
- Legacy giving through your will and estate
(651) 377-8159
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Julie connects the passions and interests of supporters with the opportunity to invest treasure, time and talent in Beacon’s vision that all people have a home. She is motivated to cultivate multigenerational giving in support of a more inclusive and vibrant community where basic needs are met and everyone thrives.
Julie has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and has 20+ years of program and volunteer management and resource development experience with housing and family support organizations (including Project for Pride in Living and Habitat for Humanity) in Minneapolis, Boston and Oakland. She finds Beacon’s culture of “joyful urgency” and interfaith collaboration ideal for building relationships with supporters.
Julie lives in South Minneapolis with her teenagers and corgi and loves to row, kayak, write poetry, and volunteer for her faith communities. She is always looking for fellow singers/musicians for music gatherings!
Kynda K. Stull Director of Supportive Housing Partnerships
Contact Kynda About:
- Service partnerships
- Supportive housing program models
- New initiatives for increasing the positive impact of service programs
(651) 377-8163
Pronouns: she/her/hers
As Director of Supportive Housing Partnerships, Kynda engages service providers, public systems, and community partners in the effort to maximize the positive impact of supportive housing in the current and growing portfolio of Beacon projects. She values Beacon’s commitment to service, organizational, and policy practices that are equitable, data-driven, and bold in the effort to achieve housing for all Minnesotans.
Kynda holds an MSW/LGSW and 20 years of experience directing and developing supportive housing programs for people who have experienced homelessness and disabilities in Minnesota and Alaska. She believes in the power of supportive housing to transform lives, neighborhoods, and our wider community.
Lisa Zellmer Director of Institutional Giving
Contact Lisa About:
- Corporate, foundation, and congregation gifts investing in Beacon’s work to design and build new affordable, supportive homes for Minnesotans who face the greatest barriers to housing stability.
- Opportunities to sustain property operations at current Beacon homes and provide supportive services for the nearly 800 residents who call a Beacon building home.
- Capacity grants to support Beacon’s organizational infrastructure and staff professional and personal development.
- Sponsorship opportunities at Beacon groundbreakings, grand opening celebrations, and fundraising events.
- Capital and program-related investments.
(651) 377-8156
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Lisa leads the team that engages corporations, foundations, and congregations in supporting Beacon’s vision that all people have a home. Our goal is to build funding partnerships that support and sustain Beacon’s current work and its organizational capacity to create affordable homes, support residents, and advance equitable housing.
Lisa has experience in nonprofit management and building revenue and capacity-building initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants, going to movies, and traveling whenever possible. She never gets tired of walking around Twin Cities lakes or, better yet, the lakes and trails up north.
Matt Soucek Sr Housing Development Project Manager
Contact Matt About:
- Projects currently under development
(651) 377-8168
Pronouns: he/him/his
In his role as Senior Project Manager, Matt manages all aspects involved in implementing Beacon’s new multifamily development projects. Matt has over 20 years of experience with the development and construction of affordable housing, including project finance and budgeting, site planning and acquisition, architectural design, community representation, and construction management. Matt previously worked for Project for Pride in Living (PPL) in Minneapolis as a Senior Project Manager, and prior to that at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity as Land Development Project Manager. A strong desire to see an end to homelessness in our communities drives Matt’s commitment to his work.
Matt also serves on the Land Use Committee of the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council and is an avid mountain biker. In his free time Matt enjoys cycling, camping and playing guitar. Matt lives in South Minneapolis.
Melanie Wilbur Senior Advancement Operations Manager
Contact Melanie About:
- Making a donation
- Requesting an acknowledgement
(651) 377-8169
Pronouns: she/her/hers
In her role as the Advancement Operations Manager, Melanie supervises and oversees data entry and integrity across the organization, as well as the implementation and maintenance of donor relations systems.
The work that Beacon does and the compassion and generosity of others to build homes for those most in need moves Melanie each and every day.
For the past twenty years, Melanie has been working for local nonprofit organizations that serve the most vulnerable populations, focusing on their respective data and administrative needs.
Melanie also enjoys spending her time helping small business entrepreneurs create and develop their brand identities through her graphic design business since 2005.
Nicole Harvey Supportive Housing Partnership Manager
Contact Nicole About:
- General supportive housing & services model
- Supportive housing partnerships
(651) 377-8171
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Nicole aligns property management and service providers on shared goals, including occupancy, turnover, and program models. She clarifies roles, facilitates leadership discussions, resolves challenges, and ensures consistent adherence to Beacon policies. She assists during lease-up and collaborates with the Director of Supportive Housing Partnerships to refine policies and procedures.
Nicole serves as a resource for partner teams. She also conducts annual resident surveys and identifies performance issues to ensure the long-term health of programs.
Nicole is completing her master’s degree in individualized studies with a focus on the creation of a sustainable holistic approach to address the issues of the unstably housed. She has many years of experience working in government systems and providing services to diverse populations. When she is not at work, Nicole enjoys reading and traveling.
Rebekah Schneider Grants & Service Contracts Manager
Contact Rebekah About:
- Service Provider Contract Monitoring and Updates
- Service Program Outcomes
- Subgrantee Monitoring
(651) 377-8190
Pronouns: she/her/hers
As the Service Contract Manager, Rebekah collaborates with our service provider partners at each of our supportive housing sites to gather and analyze service program outcomes. She also monitors service budgets and contracts to make sure that they are up to date. Prior to this position, Rebekah worked with Beacon’s shelter program, Families Moving Forward, for 7+ years. Rebekah loves working on a team that is dedicated to ending homelessness and believes that housing is a human right. In her free time, Rebekah enjoys traveling (she’s always planning for the next trip), reading, trying new restaurants in the cities, and spending every moment of the summer outdoors.
Teddy Scheckel Associate Asset Manager
Contact Teddy About:
- Beacon’s housing properties
- Property Management
- Project partner relationships
(651) 377-8180
Pronouns: he/him
As Associate Asset Manager, Teddy strives to advance sound financial management and operational stability for Beacon’s affordable housing portfolio. Teddy values Beacon’s ability to provide stable deeply affordable homes and the positive contributions that Beacon’s developments deliver for communities.
Teddy holds a degree in Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and brings to Beacon several years of affordable housing Asset Management experience. He enjoys waving his supporter scarf during Loons corner kicks and frequenting the Bryant Avenue bikeway in Southwest Minneapolis.