Who We Are

redemptive influence. wholeness. radical welcome.

Our Team & Board of Directors

At Treetops Collective, our team and board of directors come from diverse backgrounds, professions, and personalities. Our members include educators, lawyers, students, creative thinkers, and faithful neighbors from Michigan, East Africa, and many places in between. No matter the role, we bring our whole selves to this work.

What unites us is our shared belief that the world can do a better job of welcoming refugees who have been forced to leave their homes. We've experienced hospitality in a foreign place and understand the importance of feeling welcomed. We also believe that everyone has unique gifts to share and that our community can become a place where all can flourish and no one feels alone.

Join us in our mission to create a more welcoming world for refugees. Whether you have 5 hours or 40 to contribute, we welcome you to bring your whole self to this work. Let's build a more inclusive community together.

Alaina Hoekwater

Building and Events Manager

she/her

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Amani Abaker

Concentric Leader
Sudanese Arabic Language Group

she/her

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Amina Mukhtar

Concentric Program Manager

she/her

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Emily Haan

Rooted Together Sales Manager

she/her

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Jenna Fiore

Program Operations Director

she/her

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Kala Pokhrel

Collective Care Specialist — Nepali

she/her

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Kara Kurczeski

Communications Manager

she/her

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Katya Manion

Product Development & Markets Manager

she/her

Luba Goncharenko

Collective Care Manager

she/her

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Marla Hoekwater

Special Projects Manager

she/her

MaryAnne Flier

Cross-Cultural Community Manager

she/her

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Nedith Farias

Teen Club Coordinator
Spanish Specialist

she/her

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Perris Waithaka

Teen Internship Coordinator

she/her

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Sadia Nurow

Collective Care Specialist — Swahili

she/her

Salma Hassani

Collective Care Specialist

she/her

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Tamara Gurley

Engagement Director

she/her

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Tarah Carnahan

Executive Director & Co-Founder

she/her

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Trish Okolo

Operations/Development Coordinator

she/her

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Zakia Yaqubi

Teen Club Leader
Dari Specialist

she/her

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Interns

Joy Arem

Concentric Program Intern

she/her

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Nabilah Salwa

Occupational Therapy Intern

she/her

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Board of Directors

Aldina Babic

Board Secretary

Community Relations Manager
Lake Michigan Credit Union

Brooke Aernouts

Board Member

Trauma and Resilience Coordinator
Family Futures

Chrisfa Pierrant

Board Member

LLPC
GVSU Counseling Center

Joanna Boer

Board Chair

Munira Mohamed

Board Member

Raul Herrera-Pina

Board Treasurer

Branch Manager
Huntington National Bank

Samir Bayan

Board Member

Case Manager
Bethany Christian Services

Xuesi Li Gurney

Board Member

Senior Manager - Consulting
GEP Worldwide

Board Committees

Fund Development Committee
Katie Brubaker

Human Resources Committee
Mandy Sharp Eizinger
Mary Degner
Michelle De Bie

Finance Committee
Raul Herrera-Pina
Nick Punt
Stephanie Vail

Volunteer Teams

We are looking for driven and committed individuals to join our team and help steer Treetops towards continued success.