staff & board

Matt Tibbles, MA

Matt Tibbles, MA

Executive Director

Contact: director@ourcommunityplace.org

Matt Tibbles is an organizational development and conflict transformation leader with experience working in multi-ethnic for-profit businesses, higher education, government, religious, and non-profit organizations, co-creating and implementing development strategies with a specialization in community and organizational well-being. Matt’s personal motto is “why not.” Living into this motto has led Matt to live and work alongside communities and organizations across the United States and internationally.

Pesh Saleem

Pesh Saleem

Administrative Director

Contact: pesh@ourcommunityplace.org

Things I love: Family is the first and most important thing to me. I enjoy weight-lifting, hiking, playing Spanish/flamenco guitar, the beach, and anything outdoorsy. I also love traveling and enjoy learning languages and about others’ cultures and trying new ethnic foods.

My Story: I was born in the Kurdish region of Iraq and moved to the U.S. in 2012. I studied Sociology and minored in Computer Science for my undergrad. Later, I received my MSW at Boston College.

I have lived and travelled in different countries and states in the U.S. I have also worked with different local and international humanitarian organizations; the United Nations, International Relief & Development, ACTED, Church World Service, the Salvation Army, and multiple local agencies.

I have been working with OCP since June 2022. I enjoy and deeply connect with OCP and the clients’ needs. I am a big supporter of a collective/community-oriented culture; however, I also encourage our clients with ideas of self-care, self-growth and developing independent living skills instead of just depending on others and the system. I started as a Case Manager helping our community members with applying for housing applications as well as other benefits and needs. I am currently working with financial and accounting duties at OCP.

My goals are to perfect my Spanish and to travel throughout the South American countries. My longer term goals are to write my book that I have started writing some pieces of it, and also opening my own business sometime in the future.

Amanda Morris

Amanda Morris

Case Manager

Contact: amanda@ourcommunityplace.org

My story: I am married and have three children, a dog, four cats, two geckos, fish and a turtle. I am an advocate for individuals living with mental and or developmental disabilities, as well as for individuals living with brain injuries.

Having children with special needs was my motivation to obtain my  degree in the field of human services later in life. I have navigated through many obstacles that stand in the way of individuals accessing needed supports and services; including my own family’s experiences of being homeless. I most recently worked with Delegate Tony Wilt to change Virginia’s educational definition of Traumatic Brain Injury. We created a bill which passed through the house and senate with zero objections and was signed into law last July (2021). I’m hoping to bring my experiences to OCP and be a fierce advocate for members of Our Community Place!

Symone Bolden

Symone Bolden

Community Care & Engagement Specialist

 

My Passions: Playing group games, watching documentaries, taking off-trail hikes with friends, loving on those in my small community, journaling and writing poetry.

My story: I was born and raised in Caroline County, Virginia — hometown to Richard and Mildred Loving, the small couple who’s undying commitment to each other changed America’s laws on marriage forever. Coming to Harrisonburg, via emergency shelters, I had wandered through OCP’s open doors and was invited into community life. By the empowering, humanizing efforts of New Community Project, Our Community Place, and Blue Ridge Community College, I completed my associate degree with a health science focus. Accepted into Mary Baldwin University, I studied health science with a focus in public health. A service project led me back to OCP’s doors, where I began to learn the underlying causes of housing insecurity. During this time, I assisted an Amplifying Voices project which brought to surface the voices of affected persons. As the community care staff, I pray I will cultivate empathy and compassion in deeply meaningful ways. I am pleased to serve my Brothers and Sisters in this capacity.

Yolo Moonsh-Adow

Yolo Moonsh-Adow

Development and Special Projects Coordinator

Contact: yolo@ourcommunityplace.org

Yolo is a  Zen Story Master by day, a ninja by night and glitter maker by trade. She is continually in absolute awe of the wisdom of her two sons and hope to be like them one day. Unlike her grandfather, she isn’t a top-hat wearing magician instead she chooses to see the magic in connecting with everyone and making sure anyone in her path feels seen and loved. She speaks to plants and listens to children and is willing to eat all the chocolate. Today she covers shifts at OCP’s Community Center, provides loving support to our community members, and helps with special projects ranging from data entry, monitoring & evaluation data to special events fundraising and social media communication.

Brandon Patterson

Brandon Patterson

Co-Kitchen Manager

Contact: brandon@ourcommunityplace.org

Brandon is magical kitchen fairy with a spatula for his wand

And a spoon for his scepter. He has maintained various kitchen roles in a variety of places throughout the area. He is happily the first person in the community center in the mornings preparing breakfast for the masses, many times before dawn. His specialties are complex dishes using a multitude of ingredients from local to international. When not in the kitchen, Brandon enjoys relaxing outdoors with his girlfriend in the sun and traveling. 

Tim Cummings

Tim Cummings

Housing Specialist

 

Tim Cummings is a native of Richmond who moved to Harrisonburg in 1979 to attend JMU. Tim began his own import business in 1988, specializing in handcrafts from Latin America. He has been a self-employed sole proprietor ever since, but came to work at OCP in the spring of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced his business into dormancy. Tim began as a volunteer, but was hired to focus on assisting our homeless community members in finding permanent housing. His 20 years’ experience as a landlord has been useful in helping negotiate with landlords in the local housing market. Tim is married to Tricia, a registered nurse who now teaches nursing and medical topics at Harrisonburg High School. They have 3 adult daughters and 2 precious grandchildren. Tim enjoys skiing, biking, and carving amazing pumpkins for Halloween.

Kathy Hendley

Kathy Hendley

Sanitation Services

Miss Kathy with a K is our God loving, always smiling, motivating, radiant, full of positivity Chief of Maintenance. We can’t do it without her!!!

 Pedro Hernandez Portalé

Pedro Hernandez Portalé

Custodian & Building Maintenance

Things I Love: Everything. My job here at OCP—I’ve worked here for a long time. I like the people, too.

My story: Pedro was born in Cuba and has been in the U.S. for 40+ years. He worked chicken plants across Virginia for twenty years before coming to Our Community Place. Working in the organization since its beginnings, Pedro continues to remind our community that we are a family and that everything is bien.

BYRON PEACHEY

BYRON PEACHEY

Special Projects in Fundraising

Byron coordinates international travel programs at EMU and assists OCP part time with special events and corporate sponsorships for our fundraising events.

Board of Directors

Lisa Schick, Chair

Jacob Lester, Vice Chair

Keri Hutcheson, Treasurer

Tony Brown, Secretary

 Larry Jones, Emeritus Chair

Gene Bowlen

Randi B Hagi

Amy Knorr

Lawrence Miller

Simon Marius Reed

Savo Adams

Hannah Mack-Boll