The SFHAC Staff

Tim Colen has been SFHAC's Executive Director since August 2005. Prior to this, he spent many years as a part-time and full-time neighborhood activist, primarily on urban environmental and land use issues on the City’s west side. Mr. Colen was President for three years of the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association, a 400-member group. He was also a founding member, and later Chair, of the Lake Merced Task Force, a 40-member umbrella coalition dedicated to restoration and maintenance of Lake Merced. In addition, Mr. Colen has worked extensively for many years in San Francisco political campaigns.

Mr. Colen is a geologist by training and spent 25 years working in project management with mining and environmental consulting firms. Much of this experience was international. He graduated with a BS in Earth Science from UC Santa Cruz, MS in Mining Engineering from Columbia University, and a Certificate in Hazardous Materials Management from UC Berkeley. He lives with his family in the West Portal district.

SFHAC Executive Committee

Chair: Steven Aiello -  Steven is currently serving a second year as Chair of the Executive Committee and joined the Board in 2007 as Chair of the Regulatory Committee.  Steven began his advocacy at SFHAC in 2005 and remains a volunteer for and member of Greenbelt Alliance, the Bay Area's leading voice for open spaces and vibrant places.  Steven received his B.A. in architecture from UC Berkeley in 1991 and has been continuously creating in the fields of design and construction ever since

Vice Chair: Joe Olla -  Joe has been a member of the Board since 2009, and serves as Vice Chair and previously was the secretary.  He is Director, Business Development & Marketing for Nibbi Brothers General Contractors in San Francisco and has 20 years of experience in the architectural /engineering /construction community.  His knowledge of mixed-use and multi-family urban infill projects in the greater San Francisco Bay Area informs his insight into our work.

Treasurer: Steve Atkinson - Steve has been a member of the board since 2010, serving as Treasurer.  He is Senior Counsel at McKenna Long and Aldridge, and has practiced land use and CEQA law in San Francisco for over 27 years.  During that time he has been responsible for entitling numerous residential and commercial projects in the City. His knowledge of San Francisco's entitlements and planning process provides valuable insights for advancing HAC's goals.

Eric Tao - Eric was elected to the Executive Committee in 2013.  He is a principal of Avant Housing, a joint venture formed to build multi-family infill housing.  As the President of AGI Capital Group, Eric oversees the real estate development section, where he has been involved with various types of development.  Eric also serves on the Resource Development Board of the Chinatown Community Development Corp.

Michael Theriault - Michael was elected to the Executive Committee in 2013. He is a native San Franciscan and Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council.  Mike has been a full-time organizer of Local 377 since 1999, where he has since doubled the membership.  He has been a member of the Ironworkers Union since 1985. Mike has been an active participant in Business Agents meetings and supporter of union rights.

Secretary: Meredyth Skemp - Meredyth Skemp has been a Project Manager with Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco since July 2012. Prior to joining Habitat, Meredyth worked at BRIDGE Housing Corporation, where she worked on several affordable developments including The Coronet, an affordable senior rental development in San Francisco built in partnership with the Institute on Aging and Armstrong Place, a multigenerational affordable housing community for seniors and first-time homebuyers in the Bayview District of San Francisco. Prior to working at BRIDGE, Meredyth worked as Program Manager at the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, and in the Fund Development office at San Francisco Day School. Meredyth holds a BA in Architecture from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and is a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, a nine-month, full-time, graduate-level leadership training program.

Committee Chairs

Endorsements Chair: Bruce Bonacker - Bruce is a practicing CA registered architect with his own firm and has been representing the Glen Park Association (GPA) at SFHAC since 2003.  The GPA, where he has been a member for 30 years and past president, delegated him to the SFHAC.  The GPA’s direction is to 1) advocate for increasing the supply of affordable housing, 2) work to improve the symbiosis of historic buildings and new development and 3) improve the contextual design of new projects in San Francisco.

Outreach Chair: Jodie Medeiros. Jodie joined the HAC Board in January 2012, and serves as chair of the Outreach Committee. She is the Development Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, a 12,000 member non-profit organization promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. Over the last 7 years, Jodie has increased their annual budget to over $1mil through membership, events and individual contributions. We look forward to her providing insight and guidance for HAC financial growth.

Regulatory Chair: Dan Murphy. Dan has been a member of the Board since 2009.  He is currently the owner of UrbanGreen Development LLC and has spent the past 25 years developing a plethora of infill and transit oriented urban housing and commercial developments in the Bay Area.  Prior to his work in real estate development, Dan earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University and an MS in Construction Engineering and Management from Stanford University.  Dan's expertise in housing development contributes to the HAC's mission of enhancing housing supply in San Francisco.

At Large Members

Michael Yarne - Michael Yarne is a Partner at Build, Inc., and Executive Director of UP Urban. His career has spanned multiple roles in the urban planning and real estate development: first as a non-profit policy advocate at Urban Ecology, then as an attorney advising developers on complex land use, real estate and project-finance issues at Farella, Braun & Martel, followed by three years at Martin Building Company, a local infill development company, followed by four years in the Mayor’s Office as a public policy innovator and lead negotiator for large-scale public-private development partnerships.  Yarne recently returned to the private sector to pursue a dual role as for-profit developer and non-profit partnership innovator.  Throughout his career, Yarne has maintained a deep commitment to ecological urbanism and social diversity.  A life-long cyclist, he has been car-free all of his adult life. Yarne has served on several non-profit boards, including City Carshare, Urban Ecology, and Friends of City Planning. He a member of Lambda Alpha and was recently elected to the board of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.  Prior to his career in urban planning and development, Yarne served for over two years in the US Peace Corps, focusing on grassroots rural development in West Africa.  He is a graduate of Williams College, and holds a Masters in City Planning and a J.D. from UC Berkeley.

Anne Torney - Anne is an architect who has made and transit-oriented urban infill and affordable multi-family housing the focus of her work for over 20 years. Prior to joining Mithun Solomon as a Partner, Anne was a Principal at Daniel Solomon Design Partners, where she led award winning projects in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Seattle.   Anne earned a BA in Architecture from Princeton University and studied for her Masters degree in Architecture and City Planning at UC Berkeley.

Paul Olsen - Paul joined the board in 2006, including terms as Secretary and Chair. He is currently the Director of Experience Corps Bay Area and is an established community leader through his work with the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, Under One Roof and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Prior to his non-profit work, Paul was involved in corporate management, with responsibilities across multiple cities and states and hundreds of employees. His knowledge of neighborhood and community groups among others areas is invaluable to our organization.

Steve Vettel - Steve is a founding member of the board, and serves as an integral part of SFHAC.  He is a partner at Farella, Braun & Martel and his practice focuses on land use, zoning, legislative advocacy, and environmental review.  He is recognized in Chambers USA 2011 as a leading California real estate lawyer, listed in Best Lawyers in America (Land Use and Zoning Law) and in International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (Environmental Law).  His extraordinary work with land use law and development entities informs his insight into our efforts.