Donna Deutchman
Chief Executive Officer
Donna E. Deutchman
Donna E. Deutchman has been a leader in the development of direct services, university research, and policy focusing on the needs of families, seniors and children for more than two decades. She has spent her career dedicated to providing non-profit organizations with the resources and expertise they need to grow and become self-sustaining leaders in their industries. This has included a strong focus on the creation of effective housing and planning models that address community needs in a fiscally responsible manner. Currently, she is C.E.O. of the Habitat for Humanity affiliate serving Northern Los Angeles County. This Habitat is among the top 5% of Habitat’s nationwide, having built over 100 homes.
Unique to this Habitat is its model of building quality self-help affordable housing that goes beyond subsidy to home-stability by including a supportive environment that provides training, resources, and a neighborhood culture that encourages self-sufficiency and upward mobility—coined the Habitat Enriched Neighborhood. Deutchman brings a strong history of developing innovative and effective services, including having been director of national development for the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, President/CEO of ONEgeneration, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing intergenerational programs, and leading positions at both UCLA and USC. She has written two pieces of legislation for the State of California and has placed her models front and center in the media, including national television shows such as Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and much more.
Donna is published in the 2005 White House Conference on Aging: Future Needs of the Aging Baby Boomers; co-author of such books as Guiding Autobiography Groups for Older Adults and editor of The Concept and Measurement of Quality of Life among many other books and articles. Donna is active throughout the community on Boards and Committees.
Joyce Grair
Community Outreach Director
Joyce Grair
Joyce is our Community Outreach Director and has been with us since 2006. Originally from Michigan, she has her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Child Development and has worked with low-income families for over 25 years. Before Habitat, she worked for the non-profit organization ONEGeneration helping disabled students, pregnant teens, foster children, and seniors to live better. Her areas of expertise are child development and care for seniors and people with developmental disabilities. She came to our affiliate because she wanted a more challenging job where her career and skills could really blossom.
Joyce is our Family Selection Director and oversees our committee. She has the privilege of screening families and working with them to get a home. She then coordinates our Enriched Neighborhood program and it’s many workshops to ensure families are getting more than just a home. She is also our Volunteer Director and spends many of her Saturdays at our project sites making sure everyone is having a great time. Joyce truly loves her job and enjoys helping people everyday.
Joyce would like to see more low-income housing in Los Angeles along with improved social services and the health care. She speaks fluent Arabic, has been married since 1971, has three sons and a new grand-baby named Matthew.
Judi MacLean
Director of Finance
Judi MacLean
Judi is orginally from New Jersey and was hired at Habitat affiliate in 2009 as our Director of Finance. She has an amazing ability to multi-task, blending her skills and areas of expertise together. This comes from her diverse experience in the construction industry as she has worked for over 20 years in both the private and public sectors, as well as, for commercial and non-profit organizations, in both construction and land development.
Judi was attracted to Habitat because the position was a great fit with her background, which includes not only accounting and finance but also working as a purchasing agent, site superintendent and project manager. She loves the mission of Habitat and takes pride in her job knowing that her hard work is benefiting struggling families.
Judi enjoys working at our project sites when she gets a chance to and meeting the families and volunteers. She is married with two children, likes horses and travel.
Bridgett Mills
Assistant to the CEO
Bridgett Mills
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, it has been Bridgett’s dream to develop her home town into a community of individuals that work together and help motivate them to take action about the concerns they have in our city. She graduated from El Camino Real High School in 2006 as a Captain on the Cross Country Team and on the weekends would volunteer for the local youth track team called the West Valley Eagles. Bridgett then went on to California State University of Northridge and graduated in Spring of 2010 with a major in Urban Studies & Planning and a minor in Philosophy. As a Freshman she got an internship at Calabasas City Hall in the planning department, gained experience in the city processes, politics and permits. As a Senior she wanted to be more involved in the community and got an internship with this Habitat for Humanity affiliate. As an intern Bridgett helped with the 2010 Womens Build and began research on how to make our Habitat homes more green with Jesseca Woywod then was asked to stay as the Assistant to the CEO and remains part of our Habitat family to this day.
Sarah Steffen
Marketing Coordinator
Sarah Steffen came on as the Marketing Coordinator in February 2011. She attended San Diego State University from 2006-2010. While at school she worked with the Associated Students for two and a half years; working with school organizations and student government. As a junior she worked a summer internship as a project intern at Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., a non-profit organization that promotes health and social issues in the Entertainment Industry and to audiences at large. In her senior year, she interned for the San Diego State Marketing and Communications Department, working on news and profile stories for SDSU NewsCenter and SDSUniverse, the faculty and staff newsletter. She graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis in Media Studies and a minor in English. She enjoys doing what she loves while giving back and advocating for the community.