PALOUSE HABITAT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2022 Board members at a retreat in August.
Row 1: Jason Smith, Nancy Tribble, Barb Sheffler, Cathy Blood, Steve Kadlec. Row 2: Lisa Uhlenkott, Connie Hall, Jennifer Trout, Dave Ostrom, Rebecca Nida
Palouse Habitat for Humanity has a community-based volunteer board of directors. The current Palouse Habitat Board of Directors includes community members from business, faith, and service organizations.
The board meets once a month. Standing committees are Construction, Development, Faith Relations, Homeowner Selection, Homeowner Support and Site Selection.
Palouse Habitat for Humanity is an independent organization overseen by a board of directors and governed by its own policies. If you have a complaint, please contact us to discuss the issue or concern.
If you believe your concern cannot be adequately addressed or resolved by the affiliate, or if your concern relates to Palouse Habitat for Humanity leadership (board president or executive director), notify Habitat for Humanity International by following the process outlined on Habitat.org.
2023 Board Members
Cathy Blood, Board President
Cathy Blood is a city girl who now lives on a farm on the rolling hills of the Palouse. She has been married to her amazing husband, Casey Blood, for over 20 years now. Cathy and Casey have two adult children, Darrick and Lyssa. Cathy has been working at WSU for 14 years at the School of Food Science.
Cathy's main focus in volunteering has been with the public education system while her children were attending school. Cathy has also been a parent volunteer for the Potlatch Troop #358 and Venture Crew #360. She was presented an opportunity to join the Palouse Habitat for Humanity and wholeheartedly accepted. She loves the philosophy and mission of Palouse Habitat for Humanity. Cathy is also a board member of the Latah County Community Foundation.
Jennifer Trout, Board Vice President
Jennifer Trout is a Palouse native, currently living in Troy, ID with her husband and their three children. In 2010, she graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism and thus started a career in healthcare. She has been the marketing and admissions coordinator at Aspen Park of Cascadia for over five years.
Jennifer first started with the Palouse Habitat for Humanity in 2018 when she signed her Aspen team for work at the Potlatch build site. Inspired by the values of Habitat for Humanity, she has continued to join the build sites and aims to be an instrumental part in spreading its mission to the Palouse community.
Jennifer has served on the Board of Directors since November 2019.
Matt Bayly, Treasurer
Matt grew up in Moscow and Pullman. After graduating with a master’s in accounting from the University of Idaho, Matt worked for public accounting firms in Moscow, Portland, and Corvallis. He moved back to the Palouse area in 2021 to work with Presnell Gage Accounting and Consulting.
While not locked away in his office, Matt enjoys travel, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and fly fishing. He is excited to bring his nonprofit accounting expertise, work ethic, and passion for volunteerism to the Palouse Habitat for Humanity Board and support its mission of building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.
Rebecca Nida, Secretary
Rebecca Nida is an Idaho-native who recently returned to Idaho after living in Portland, Oregon for several years. She lives in Moscow with her daughter and enjoys being part of our vibrant Palouse communities.
She has worked for Cambia Health Solutions since 2008, holding a variety of human resources and leadership roles. She now serves as Cambia’s Director of Ethics where she directs and manages the development, implementation, and administration of a corporate business ethics program. She is excited to bring her blend of leadership, human resources and business ethics expertise to the Palouse Habitat Board and support its mission of building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.
Rebecca enjoys exploring the beautiful areas our region has to offer and can frequently be found skiing, hiking, paddleboarding and spending time with family and friends.
Alan Espenschade, the Director of Operations & HR at Moscow and Pullman Building Supply brings an impressive tenure of 18 years with the company. An Idaho native, Alan has been residing in Moscow since 2000 and holds dual degrees in Music Business and Music Performance from the University of Idaho. Recently, he took on the significant task of constructing his new home in Moscow, showcasing his hands-on expertise by completing a substantial portion of the work himself. This practical experience in home-building will be invaluable for involvement in future Habitat projects, something that Alan is greatly looking forward to. Having joined the Board in 2023, Alan is keen on channeling his in-depth knowledge from the Lumber & Building Materials industry to aid in the indispensable community efforts of Habitat. His years of professional experience, combined with a personal passion for seeing others succeed and grow within our community, promises a meaningful impact on our community’s future development.
Barb Sheffler
Barb is a mother of 15 children and Grammy to 15 grandchildren. She joined the Board in October 2021. She lives in Latah County and has worked for 32 years in Whitman County in Child Welfare. She has firsthand seen the blessing of a Habitat home in a family’s life and the number of children they were able to serve due to having the home. She is excited to be a part of the board and learn all the aspects of Habitat for Humanity. Her dream one day would be to go to an International site and assist with a home. Her interest is in working with families that Habitat serves and supporting the board and all committees in any way possible.
Brad Flodin
Brad Flodin works at Washington Trust bank as a Commercial Team Leader and has been a commercial banker for 25+ years in this region. Brad is an active Alumni for the University of Idaho College of Business. As a local resident, living in the area for most of his life, Brad has been involved in several civic and non-profits, including, The Moscow Chamber of Commerce as a member and past President, a member of the Genesee School Board and past Chairman of the Board. Brad Joined the Habitat for Humanity Board in 2023.
Brad has a strong passion for preserving the high quality of life the Palouse provides. Brad enjoys spending time with his wife on their small farm near Genesee. Brad and his wife enjoy spending time with their families, their two children’s families and their grandkids.
Craig Watt
Craig has lived in GA, MN, NC, NY, TX, VA, and Idaho, moving due to family relocations, employment opportunities, and university education. He has swung many a hammer, remodeling three homes, the oldest built in 1904.
Formerly a felony prosecutor for Asotin County and litigation attorney at IMSB Law in Pullman, Craig is employed by Northwest Justice Project as the eviction prevention attorney for Asotin, Garfield, and Whitman Counties. He is also a member of the Pullman Police Advisory Committee and a volunteer mediator for Latah District Court. He has lived in Moscow since 2006, where he met and got hitched to his best friend Jill, who works at the University of Idaho. Their favorite family activity is rafting in the Whitewater State, rowing the rapids, and camping with friends along the beaches of Idaho’s tremendous wilderness rivers.
Dave Ostrom
Dave Ostrom worked for Washington State University for 37 years in Information Technology and retired in October, 2008, as the Director of Communication and Network Services.
Dave first volunteered for Palouse Habitat for Humanity in January 2011, and became its Safety Officer in February 2012. He joined the Board of Directors in September 2012 and in June 2017 he assumed the role of Project Manager for Palouse Habitat for Humanity home builds. As of March 2020, he has been with 9 of the 19 Palouse Habitat for Humanity home builds from start to finish.
Dave is the official photographer for Palouse Habitat for Humanity home builds and you will see some on his work on Instagram and in the Palouse Habitat for Humanity newsletters. Dave’s hobby is also photography and he has traveled to 39 different countries in pursuit of opportunities for wildlife and/or travel photography.
James Onstad
James Onstad has been an attorney with the Pullman law firm, Irwin, Myklebust, Savage & Brown, P.S., since 2012. In addition to his Juris Doctorate, he holds a Masters in Tax Law from Georgetown Law Center. James has significant professional experience in the taxation and governance of nonprofits, trusts, estates, gifts, and business entities.
As a fourth generation Pullman resident, James has a strong appreciation for the region’s rich values, and he understands the importance of community involvement. James is an active member and past president of the Pullman Lions Club, as well as a current Director of the Pullman Education Foundation and past Director of the Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation.
James and his wife Blair enjoy volunteering, visiting with family, and traveling.
Kris Finch
Kris Finch is excited to join the Palouse Habitat for Humanity Board to help improve housing options for her community. Finch is a long-time resident of the Palouse who has taken a strong interest in improving the community for those in need of housing and assistance. For almost two decades, she has built a successful career as a full-time Realtor with RE/MAX Home and Land, serving both Washington & Idaho. She is a long-time resident of the Palouse and a WSU Murrow School of Communication graduate. Currently, she serves as president of the Whitman County Association of Realtors and sits on a housing committee with the City of Pullman. Recently she served two consecutive terms with the United Way of Whitman County. She is enthusiastic about joining the Board and helping buyers who are “priced out of the market” find options that are presently not available. Married for 30 years to Rick Finch, they have four third generation Coug kids and three grandchildren. The entire family helps with the family beef cattle business. Kris & Rick raise an occasional litter of Brittany Spaniels and open their home as an American Brittany rescue site. She is an avid fly fisherman, photographer, gardener and loves to travel.
Lisa Uhlenkott
Lisa Uhlenkott joined the Palouse Habitat for Humanity Board in October 2017. She is passionate about the community and the incredible work Habitat for Humanity does for individuals and families.
Lisa is a native of Idaho and has lived in Pullman since 2003 and has always had an active role in the community. She has a special devotion for non-profit organizations in the Palouse. She was the president of the Pullman United Way Board and has worked as a committee member and chair of the Pullman Cabaret event and was actively involved in the Pullman Lentil Festival.
In 1998 she graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics. After graduation she proceeded to work as an agriculture loan officer for the Northwest Farm Credit Services in their offices located in Missoula, MT, Spokane WA and Colfax WA. In 2006 Lisa began working for Zions Bank in Moscow as a commercial/agricultural loan officer and in 2013 she began working for Washington Trust Bank in Moscow, Idaho where she currently works as an agricultural/commercial relationship manager. Lisa enjoys working with her customers located in the quad cities area.
Lisa has been married to her husband Ted Uhlenkott since 2001 and they are raising 2 children Mikayla and Kolby in Pullman, WA.
Nancy Tribble
Nancy was raised in a small logging mill town on the Southern Oregon Coast. Her dad owned a logging company and her mom was very involved in their community.
Over the years Nancy has owned and operated several businesses while keeping involved in the different communities she has lived in. Some of the civic & volunteer organizations she has been associated with: Rotary International, Lions Club, Junior Achievement, Special Olympics, City of Moscow Parks and Recreation Commission, HOPE Center, and several others over the years. She is married to Owen Tribble who retired from the USCG. They moved to Moscow in 2008 and she has been selling real estate for RE/MAX Connections since 2009.
Nancy has worked on several Habitat builds and has served on the Board of Directors since May of 2019.
Steve Kadlec
Steve and his wife, Debbie, moved to Moscow in 2013 after Steve retired from 31 years at The Boeing Company. Steve lived in Seattle for 45 years and held leadership positions in the companies where he worked, including Boeing. He joined our Board in October 2021. They have sons in Pullman, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
Shortly after graduating from high school in the Chicago area, Steve travelled for almost 3 years throughout Europe and the Middle East where he went “last class” and learned about cultures and languages at street level.
Steve earned his B.S. in Aeronautics from St. Louis University and later earned a FAA certification as an Airframe & Powerplant mechanic and from the FCC, a 1st Class Radio Telephone with Radar endorsement certificate.
In 2015, Steve and his sister joined a Habitat Global Village team to build homes for people in Cape Town, South Africa who were displaced by Apartheid. He was moved by the experience of a country giving back what was wrongly taken away.
Steve has been a member of Rotary International since 2006. He served as club president of the Rotary Club of Moscow during 2014-2015 and since 2017 has been club treasurer.
His interests are hiking, photography and helping others with computer hardware and software issues.
