Faces of Habitat: Meet Valerie

We’re excited to kick off a new feature called Faces of Habitat. This series is all about shining a light on the amazing people who make Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity what it is. Each month, you’ll get to know a different member of our team and see what inspires them both on and off the job!

This month, we chatted with Valerie, Habitat's Family Success Manager. She has been working for Habitat for Humanity since January of 2023 and she adds so much warmth and at times, silliness to the office. She is always the one suggesting we participate in TikTok trends and she's pulled off more pranks than the rest of the staff members combined. 

What is your favorite part about working with Habitat? In other words, what is your why?

My favorite part is the team I work with and the families we meet along the way. I always knew I wanted to help people but I didn't know how I would do that. It has been so rewarding to see families achieve their dreams of buying a home.

What is one moment that stands out from your time at Habitat?

Letting families know they have been accepted into the homeownership program! One time, we invited a group of future homeowners into the office for a surprise acceptance. To get them info the office, we told them our selection committee had some follow-up questions. The entire committee and our staff were all in on it and everyone was acting really serious. We took them back to the conference room and our CEO, Jessica, started off the "review meeting" using a fake presentation that I created. You could tell everyone was nervous, but on the second slide of the presentation, it said something like, "Just kidding, you have been accepted, congratulations!" It was so fun to see their reaction.

More recently, one of my coworkers and I dressed up as our Construction & Facility Director, Matt, which was a great prank. He took it well and we made a funny video together for our social media channels.

What is something you love to do when you're not at work?

I love to go to the gym, make crafts, break in my espresso machine, participate in local theater, play tennis, spend time with loved ones, travel, and watch tv.

Just for fun: if you could instantly become an expert at anything, what would it be?

A lot of things! I would love to know several languages (I'm currently learning Italian on Duolingo) and I would love to be able to hit high "whistle notes" like Ariana Grande with no practice. I would love to be able to do a pull up (currently only at about 90 degrees) and do fun yoga poses (my handstand needs some work). Finally, I would love to know about car mechanics. In theory, I know how to change my oil and oil filter, but in practice, I'm not so sure. 😆