Meet the 2025 Fellows

Andrea (she/her/they) is Mountain View Community Land Trust’s first Co Director. To Andrea, home is about creating a loving reciprocity with a place and the people who live in it. They’ve worked to promote local environmental justice and education projects with Green Foothills and Bay Area Wilderness Training and now aspire to grow as an effective and compassionate leader as part of Mountain View CLT. As someone who comes from a family of educators and environmental advocates, Andrea is excited to learn more about how other community ownership projects are being built and embraced at all levels in the South Bay’s affordable housing landscape.

Ashley attended De Anza College, then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Gender & Women’s Studies. Having experienced housing instability due to the 2008 recession, Ashley learned at a young age the importance of safe and secure housing. To her, home is a place where you are physically, emotionally, and mentally safe, something she believes everyone deserves. With this fellowship, she is excited to learn from the expertise of the
leaders within the housing system. She aspires to be a leader who deeply cares about her community and uplifts those around her. She hopes to see solutions designed by the communities they are meant to serve and safe and affordable housing for all.

Born and raised in San Jose, Dina has watched her city grow from walnut groves to a vibrant hub at the heart of Silicon Valley. She celebrates its cultural diversity and feels a deep pride and commitment to the place she has always called home. Witnessing the pressures of high living costs, homelessness, and housing instability drew her to housing justice. Guided by her values of everyday justice and compassion, Dina advocates for clients affected by chronic homelessness, believing that a safe, secure home is a basic human right—one that allows people to grow, heal, and protect their families. She is committed to ending homelessness and envisions a housing system that is low-barrier, accessible to all, and supported by agencies that champion these principles despite ongoing challenges.

Gianella (she/her/hers) was born in the South Bay, raised in Sunnyvale, and earned her B.S. in Political Science and Communication at Santa Clara University. A homegrown advocate for socioeconomic equality and affordable housing, she previously worked as Marketing and Research Assistant at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits’ Policy Team, supporting the REAL Coalition’s racial justice and equity efforts. Gianella enjoys leading advocacy trainings, organizing policy convenings, and amplifying community voices. Through the Brick by Brick Fellowship, she is excited to deepen her understanding of housing policy, strengthen her advocacy skills, and connect with her cohort, with the goal of leading through action to create a future where housing is affordable and development is community-driven and inclusive.

Elizabeth’s experiences with homelessness, incarceration, addiction, and domestic violence have shaped her commitment to advocacy and leadership. Living through the barriers and systemic challenges that keep so many people trapped in cycles of instability has empowered Elizabeth to turn those experiences into a driving force for change. She believes home is more than a physical space — It represents safety, dignity, and the opportunity to heal and grow. Elizabeth is eager to parttake in the Brick by Brick Fellowship as a way to use her story to influence policy, strengthen community partnerships, and shift how people view homelessness and recovery. She aspires to be a leader who is compassionate and takes action, bringing lived experience to every conversation and amplifying the voices of those who are often unheard. Elizabeth’s vision is to help transform the housing system into one that is rooted in equity, accessibility, and care — ensuring that every person has the chance to feel seen, supported, and at home.

Joe currently serves as Co-Outreach Chair for the Lived Experience Advisory Board of Silicon Valley. His lived experience of homelessness not only makes him an expert but also allows him a unique perspective that is evident through the impact on his community. As Co-Outreach Chair, he helps plan outreach events on a bi-weekly basis to serve those in the South and North Bay. Joe is always seeking innovative ways to improve and adapt. When he’s not officially working on LEABsv duties, his advocacy does not stop. Deep compassion and a genuine concern for others are core values that permeate each aspect of his life.

Keanna is from West Point, Mississippi, and earned her bachelor’s in Marketing from Jackson State University and a master’s in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from New York University. She brings extensive experience in advocacy, communications, event production, and project management to her role at Roots Community Health. Her work with the Quorum Initiative, World Artists United, and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office prepared her to lead with strategy and compassion in her new home in Silicon Valley. Having experienced homelessness, she understands the hardships and inequities of the housing system, which deepened her commitment to affordable housing, equity, and justice. Keanna believes home provides stability, dignity, and belonging, and she is excited to collaborate with SV@Home and community leaders through the Brick by Brick Fellowship to challenge systemic barriers, center lived experiences, and expand access to safe and affordable housing. She aspires to be an empathetic, collaborative, and action-oriented leader who builds bridges across sectors to create a future where everyone can thrive.

Marc was born and raised in Orange, CA, and has lived and worked across the country and abroad, calling many places home. Each home has been a source of connection, growth, and community. As a husband and father of two, home holds added significance as a place of love and stability. He is deeply aware of how housing instability, driven by rising rents and corporate indifference, frays these ties. Marc envisions a world where housing is a shared resource, not an investment, and where people do not need multiple jobs to afford rent. He is excited to join the fellowship to learn strategies, build relationships, and become a confident, collaborative leader equipped to inspire and drive meaningful change in housing and community equity.

Yurina is a community organizer with Latinos United for a New America (LUNA), dedicated to housing justice, immigrant rights, and youth violence prevention. As a Mexicana, mother of three, lifelong partner, and cat owner, she values play, rest, music, books, and exercise as sources of energy and balance. For her, home is more than a place to sleep—it is where safety, joy, and community come together. Believing housing is a right, Yurina seeks the tools to advance this vision through the Brick by Brick Fellowship, connecting with the housing ecosystem and building coalitions. She aspires to be a leader who listens, shares power, and avoids burnout while supporting policies that protect renters, expand affordability, and put people over profit, seeing home as the first frontline of justice.