Build It Green Welcomes Five New Staff Members

We are delighted to announce that the Build It Green (BIG) team has more than doubled since the beginning of August! Our new staff members are thoughtful, motivated, and highly qualified, and we are confident that their perspectives and contributions will greatly enhance our work going forward. Learn more about them and what drew them to BIG through their bios below:

CHRISTAL BERMUDEZ | Administrative Assistant

Christal, who earned a bachelor’s in Sustainable Environmental Design and a minor in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, has always had a passion for the environment and environmental justice. She gained experience in this field through her degrees and work with GRID Alternatives, and is particularly excited about BIG’s commitment to combating the housing and climate crises—especially in a way that utilizes smart, sustainable building approaches and prioritizes underserved communities. She is a lifelong Bay Area resident, and loves California for its diversity, landscapes, and liveliness.

KAYLEE BEAM | Communications & Research Associate

Kaylee is a passionate storyteller, and she hopes to channel that enthusiasm into sharing BIG’s work and the stories of the people and organizations working to improve California’s housing ecosystem. She has two degrees from Stanford University—a bachelor’s in Atmosphere/Energy and a master’s in Environmental Communication—and has gained experience with nonprofit communications, journalism, and research through her past internships. While she loves all of California for its cultural richness and commitment to staying at the forefront of environmental issues, she is strongly biased toward Southern California, where she has lived her whole life.

KIRSTEN HO | Program Associate

Bay Area native Kirsten brings experience in green certification program management, energy efficiency consulting, and environmental justice to the BIG team. She has a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Public Policy from UC Berkeley, and throughout graduate school, she focused on studying the impacts of financing programs on low- and moderate-income homeowners. This work has fueled her passion for building healthier housing ecosystems, and she is thrilled to work with BIG to push for this change and ensure that programs do not place an undue burden on under-resourced communities.

LARA ISAACSON | Program Associate

Lara, who recently wrapped up her Design for Sustainability MFA thesis on teaching regenerative design concepts, is excited to bring her creative mentoring background and knowledge of regenerative ideals to BIG’s work. She has experience with community garden building, waste reduction initiatives, and mobility advocacy, and in light of the growing severity of natural disasters and the housing crisis, she looks forward to working with the rest of the team on initiatives that can empower people to build their own futures. Lara has lived in the Bay Area her entire life, and appreciates California for the community she has become a part of and the sense of belonging the state brings her.

MUHAMMAD ALAMELDIN | Program Associate

Muhammad joins the BIG team with a passion for building more affordable, sustainable, and livable housing and cities in the Bay Area. He has years of experience with policy research, ethical lobbying, and housing justice, and is especially excited to partner with community-based organizations on climate and housing crisis solutions that benefit formerly redlined communities. He grew up in the Central Valley and loves living in Northern California, feeling most at home on the state’s beaches, in its forests, or immersed in a cosmopolitan city environment.