The People Behind the Mission.

Board Chair
Retired Superintendent / President, Monterey Peninsula College

Dr. Doug Garrison

Dr. Garrison enjoyed a 39-year career in the California Community Colleges, culminating in service as the Superintendent/President of Monterey Peninsula College for seven years. Previously, he was Vice President/Executive Dean at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he worked for twelve years to develop the college’s second campus in Petaluma. After retirement, he taught higher education budgeting and financial management at Middlebury College’s graduate program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Since returning to Sonoma County in 2016, he has served on the Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County Board of Directors and Homeowner Selection Committee, as well as the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation Board of Directors.

Doug and his wife have four sons in California, Texas, and Maine and three grandchildren. They enjoy the arts in Northern California and traveling throughout the world.

Board Vice-Chair
Principal, Leap Solutions Group, Inc.

Chuck McPherson

Chuck is a Principal at Leap Solutions and has been involved with Habitat for many years, volunteering to help build affordable homes with Habitat affiliates across the region. When a board position became available, he jumped at the opportunity to join the Habitat leadership team and make a difference here in Sonoma County.

For more than two decades, Chuck has helped transform organizations and teams through strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, change management, leadership development, and professional growth initiatives. He is known for his collaborative leadership style, innovative planning approaches, and ability to strengthen relationships while driving meaningful organizational results.

Prior to co-founding Leap Solutions Group, Inc., Chuck held senior human resources leadership roles with Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, where he led major strategic and HR initiatives across multiple geographic regions and cross-functional teams. In 2004, Chuck and Scott Ormerod formalized a long-standing consulting partnership by founding Leap Solutions Group, Inc. In 2024, Leap Solutions was acquired by George Petersen Insurance and now operates as a division of George Petersen.

Outside of work, Chuck enjoys traveling with his girlfriend, biking, and waterskiing. He is the proud father of two grown children and “grandparent” to five beloved grand dogs.

Board Treasurer
Senior Vice President and Controller, Poppy Bank

Adam Belter

Adam is Senior Vice President and Controller at Poppy Bank, where he has worked since 2015 after relocating from the Sacramento area. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California State University, Fresno and is also a graduate of the University of Washington Pacific Coast Banking School, a rigorous three-year executive program focused on leadership and the financial services industry.

Adam began his career as an auditor, spending eight years working with schools, nonprofit organizations, and financial institutions, experience that gave him a strong foundation in financial stewardship and community-focused work.

He joined the Board of Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County in October 2020, marking his first board service. His connection to Habitat began years earlier as a teenager, when he volunteered on a build site in the East Bay, an experience that left a lasting impression. Today, Adam is motivated by the tangible impact of Habitat’s work, especially seeing projects like the Sebastopol build come to life and provide stability and opportunity for local families.

Outside of work, Adam enjoys golfing, watching sports (especially the San Francisco 49ers), and participating in community service efforts, including financial literacy programs for youth.

Board Secretary
Retired VP of Operations, Consolidated Sterilizer Systems

Steve Kent

Steve brings more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, operations, and continuous improvement to his role as Board Secretary and member of the Executive Committee for Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County.

Steve holds a degree in engineering from Cornell University and a business degree from Vanderbilt University. He began his career with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), where he spent eight years advising manufacturing companies across a range of industries on operational improvement. He later served as Vice President of Operations for a company specializing in the design and manufacturing of high-end custom homes, overseeing the production of prefabricated structural and architectural components distributed nationwide.

A certified Lean practitioner, Steve has applied principles from the Toyota Production System throughout his career to drive performance, efficiency, and continuous improvement. He also previously served as a board member of the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership.

Steve’s passion for housing and community development led him to Habitat for Humanity following the Tubbs Fire, where he began volunteering to support rebuilding efforts in Sonoma County. He joined the Board of Directors in 2019 and currently serves as Board Secretary, a member of the Executive Committee, and Chair of the Construction Committee.

Now retired, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife, their two daughters, and their grandson. He is also active in environmental stewardship, volunteering in trail building and maintenance, wildfire fuel reduction, and local food gleaning. He and his wife have fully electrified their home, including installing solar panels that meet their annual energy needs.

Member at Large
Vice President, Omega Mortgage Group

Maia Lomax

Maia serves as Vice President at Omega Mortgage Group in Santa Rosa, bringing more than three decades of experience in the mortgage and lending industry. She began her career shortly after high school as a receptionist for a local mortgage broker.  She was hired at Luther Burbank Savings as a loan processor two years later, where her dedication and drive led her to rise through the ranks to become Vice President overseeing the loan origination department. She later continued her leadership in the field at Exchange Bank before joining Omega Mortgage Group, where she has spent the past 12 years.

A firm believer in the idea that you “give back where you can,” Maia has been actively involved in her community throughout her career. She first connected with Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County in March 2015, volunteering on the Homeowner Selection Committee. Her commitment to the organization deepened over time, leading her to join the Board of Directors, where she continues to play a key role in advancing Habitat’s mission.

Known for being thoughtful, empathetic, and straightforward, Maia is deeply passionate about the power of homeownership to create lasting, generational change. She believes that stable housing is a foundation for opportunity, not just for individuals, but for entire families and communities, and that belief fuels her ongoing dedication to Habitat’s work across Sonoma County.

Maia serves as Vice President at Omega Mortgage Group in Santa Rosa, bringing more than three decades of experience in the mortgage and lending industry. She began her career shortly after high school as a receptionist for a local mortgage broker.  She was hired at Luther Burbank Savings as a loan processor two years later, where her dedication and drive led her to rise through the ranks to become Vice President overseeing the loan origination department. She later continued her leadership in the field at Exchange Bank before joining Omega Mortgage Group, where she has spent the past 12 years.

A firm believer in the idea that you “give back where you can,” Maia has been actively involved in her community throughout her career. She first connected with Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County in March 2015, volunteering on the Homeowner Selection Committee. Her commitment to the organization deepened over time, leading her to join the Board of Directors, where she continues to play a key role in advancing Habitat’s mission.

Known for being thoughtful, empathetic, and straightforward, Maia is deeply passionate about the power of homeownership to create lasting, generational change. She believes that stable housing is a foundation for opportunity, not just for individuals, but for entire families and communities, and that belief fuels her ongoing dedication to Habitat’s work across Sonoma County.

Outside of her professional and volunteer roles, Maia enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren, often working on arts projects together or visiting Howarth Park. Looking ahead, Maia is planning a cross-country road trip with her partner, with the goal of visiting as many national parks as possible.

Member at Large
Senior Director of Housing Finance & Business Development, Burbank Housing

Rich Wallach

Rich joined Burbank Housing in early 2019 as Senior Director of Housing Finance & Business Development, and brings with him over 45 years of community development experience in for-profit, nonprofit, and public sector areas of real estate and urban redevelopment. Rich has been leading Burbank’s efforts in development finance, advocating for regulatory fairness, and developing our pipeline. He is a LEED accredited professional and holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University with concentrations in marketing, finance, and strategy. Prior to joining Burbank, he worked in Chicago for many years building and financing affordable housing and community development.

Rich and his wife Karee recently moved to the town of Sonoma in 2024.  His son Ezra is a Reporter at the San Francisco Standard, while daughter Gracee is an Activist in Brooklyn.  Professionally, Rich is transitioning to a part-time role at Burbank while continuing his long-standing commitment to community development and nonprofit leadership, including joining the newly formed Sonoma Valley Commons Board of Directors. Outside of work and service, Rich has been expanding his travel pursuits, enjoying both outdoor adventures through hiking and the discovery of vibrant urban destinations.

Member at Large
Partner, Gubb & Barshay, LLP

Henry Loh II

Henry has been practicing law for more than 20 years. His primary practice areas have been affordable housing, real estate and financing. He also has substantial experience in entity structuring (including a variety of nonprofit entities, wine industry-related transactions and general business issues). Most of his work has been in the field of affordable housing; in particular, the development of tax credit, low-income multifamily housing. These complex and multi-faceted transactions require knowledge of and experience in a variety of practice areas such as real estate development (permitting, construction contracts, etc.), finance, government-agency specific issues (such as prevailing wage and other requirements specific to public financing sources) and an understanding of nonprofit public benefit corporations.

Member at Large
Partner, Borba Frizzell Kerns, P.C.

Kristen Kerns

Kristen has been practicing law since 2002. She grew up in Novato and attended SRJC then transferred to Arizona State University studying English and Political Science for upper division and then staying for law school, all the while knowing she would return to the Bay Area. She practices in the areas of Estate Planning, Real Estate and general Civil Litigation. While Kristen enjoys all aspects of litigation, she especially enjoys research and writing. She has taught research and writing for Empire College of Law. She is a partner in the law firm of Borba Frizzell Kerns. She has served as a member of the board of directors of the Sonoma County Legal Services Foundation, and the Sonoma County Bar Association. She was named to the Northern California Rising Stars list as one of the top up-and-coming attorneys in California for 2012. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state receive this honor.