Meet the FHANC Team

Administration

Caroline Peattie

Executive Director

Caroline has been at Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC) since 1996. Previously she was the Executive Director of Sentinel Fair Housing in Oakland. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in philosophy and earned a Masters degree in the Management of Human Services at the Florence Heller School of Social  Welfare at Brandeis University. She is a board member of the National Fair Housing Alliance and has been working in the fair housing field since 1987.

​Audrey Perrott

​​Development Director

Audrey oversees development, fundraising, and a community reinvestment project in the City of Richmond. She possesses an extensive background in fair housing, financial inclusion, and Section 8 program implementation and management. She earned a B.A. in History from UC Berkeley and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Advancing Social and Economic Value Creation from Georgetown University. Audrey is a licensed REALTOR® and licensed insurance producer in California.  Audrey serves on the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Communities of Color Advisory Board. She is a former board member of Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California and Haven Neighborhood Services. She enjoys volunteering in the community, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Irmina Benson

Office Administrator &
​Executive Assistant

Irmina has a B.A. in African American Studies and English Literature from Wesleyan University. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Science in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership at the University of Maryland. She is experienced in legal administration, DEI advocacy, and Human Resources. In her spare time, Irmina enjoys playing video games, hiking, or creating art.

Jeff Bissel

Accountant & Bookkeeper

Jeff received a B.S. in Accounting from Santa Clara University, and in 2001 earned a CPA license from the State of California. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, indulging in local cuisine, and listening to music.

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Noelle Ticman

Data Administrator

Noelle has a B.S. in Health Science from Cal State Fullerton. Noelle has experience in non-profit leadership, serving individuals experiencing homelessness and supporting young women with personal growth. During her free time, Noelle enjoys cooking, watching movies, traveling, and fostering animals. 

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Housing Counseling

Julia Howard-Gibbon

Supervising Attorney

Julia supervises the housing counseling team and represents FHANC in fair housing litigation and administrative complaints. She received her B.A. from UCLA in 2005 and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2012. Prior to joining FHANC in 2018, she was a staff attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services (2016-17) and the New York Legal Assistance Group (2013-16). She has represented hundreds of people in accessing or retaining housing and/or public benefits and has fought to protect and strengthen laws affecting poor people and members of protected classes.

Maria Callahan

Staff Attorney &
​Director of Investigations

Maria received her B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and her J.D. from William & Mary Law School. She is admitted to practice law in California. Maria loves to read, spend time with her cats, and explore Sonoma County with her husband.
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Savannah Wheeler

Housing & Policy Attorney

Savannah received her B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley. She obtained her J.D from Berkeley Law, where she interned with the Consumer Justice Clinic at the East Bay Community Law Center. She is admitted to practice law in California.
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Sriraksha Venkatesh

Housing Counselor &
​Investigations Coordinator

Sriraksha received her LLM (master of laws) from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2024, and specializes in civil rights advocacy, legal research, and impact litigation, with particular expertise in anti-discrimination law and social justice.  Outside of work, she enjoys music, spending quality time with friends and family, reading, and watching movies.

Marco Rodriguez-Gil

Bilingual Housing Counselor ​​

​Marco is a Bilingual Housing Counselor. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from San Francisco State University. Before joining FHANC, Marco managed small businesses and spent several years volunteering at various nonprofits. Marco enjoys dancing and cooking, often at the same time.

Kat Raymond

Housing Counselor &
​Investigations Coordinator​​

Kat is a Housing Counselor and Investigations Coordinator. She started at FHANC as a Tenant Advocate in Sonoma County. Kat received her B.A. from Gonzaga University and her M.A. in Education. Kat loves to spend time with friends and family, travel, ski, and attend concerts.​

Bertha Cuevas

Bilingual Intake & Housing Counselor ​​​

Bertha is a Bilingual Housing Counselor and Intake Coordinator. She holds an A.A in Sociology from Diablo Valley College and is currently pursuing a degree in Communication Disorders from Cal State University San Marcos. Her professional history includes experience as a case manager helping individuals with special needs to secure housing and essential resources. In her spare time, she loves to spend time outdoors with her family, pets, and plants.

Valerie Cuellar

HUD Certified Bilingual Foreclosure Prevention & Pre-Purchase Counselor​

Valerie is a Bilingual Foreclosure Prevention and Pre-Purchase Counselor and is HUD-certified. She earned a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She holds a Masters in Legal Studies from University of Arizona. Valerie started at FHANC as an Intake Counselor. Valerie enjoys spending time with family, cooking new recipes, and listening to The Weeknd. 

Karen Crump

HUD Certified Bilingual Foreclosure Prevention Counselor​

Karen is a Bilingual HUD-certified Foreclosure Prevention Counselor. Karen graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She joined FHANC in November 2012 as an Intake Counselor. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling around the world, and riding her bicycle.

Education & Outreach

Adriana Ames

Education Director​​​

Adriana oversees grants related to fair housing education and outreach. She has been at FHANC since 1994. In 2015 she expanded her role to include  operation of the pre-purchase education and counseling programs and in 2019 she became HUD-certified housing counselor. Adriana has a Master’s Degree from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University, both with a focus on languages and education, and has multiple certifications in the healing arts and self-help fields.  Adriana is the Board Chair of the Latino Council and has previously served as a member of the Marin County Human Rights Commission. Her contributions to the community have been recognized with the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, and the North Bay Leadership Journal Latino Leaders Award.

Elina Linna

Bilingual Education Coordinator​​​​

Elina assists the Education Director with outreach and education. 
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