STAFF
Andi joined the team in 2022 to help tell Homeword’s story. As our communications manager, she develops and implements marketing and communications strategies and outreach activities that support Homeword and our programs. Her responsibilities include social media and email marketing, social media management, brand management, web development, graphic design, writing and editing, layout and design of our annual report, event planning and assisting with our advocacy efforts.
A lifelong Montanan, Andi is passionate about strengthening communities throughout the state. She loves hearing stories of the positive impact Homeword has on real people through our educational programs and homes—and being the one who gets to organize and amplify those stories through a variety of channels to drive our mission forward.
Around the office, Andi is our go-to editor, red pen and keyboard always at the ready. Riding her bike or walking to work in all weather, she captains our office-wide efforts to commute sustainably. Andi is also our biggest plant enthusiast and tends a collection of greenery throughout the Homeword office.
Andi has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and holds HubSpot certifications in social media marketing, email marketing and SEO. Since 2023, she has served on the Missoula Nonprofit Center’s Advisory Committee.
We welcomed Jacqueline, aka “Jacq,” to Homeword in 2023. As the fundraising manager, she is responsible for fundraising activities, including major gifts, grant writing and corporate sponsorships. She also plans and executes fundraising events in partnership with our communications manager.
When we need a dance break, Jacq is always game.
Jacq has bachelor’s degrees in feminist studies and psychology and a master’s in social sciences. She has a decade of event planning experience and over five years of diversified fundraising and fiscal management. As a long-time activist, she is excited to continue working toward social, racial and environmental justice at Homeword.
Matt joined Homeword in 2012 and provides overall direction for all financial management, accounting, budgeting functions and audits. He regularly reports on current operations of both nonprofit and housing tax credit partnership. He also develops financial procedures and directs their implementation and supervises our finance manager.
A long-time staff member at Homeword, his open-door policy leads to some fantastic one-on-one conversations and plenty of mentorship opportunities. He is always happy to geek out about Excel or teach our staff about the organization’s finances, and he enjoys making sure we get the most out of our benefits.
During the holiday season, Matt really gets into crafting ugly sweaters for our staff holiday party. He is also safety stickler in our office, so don’t let him catch you standing on a chair!
Matt is a licensed CPA with a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Montana. He is also certified by the National Development Council as a Housing Development Finance Professional. Matt was an inaugural graduate of the Montana State Fund Worksafe Champions mentor program and assists leadership with Homeword safety, HR and benefits programs.
After graduating with a Master of Architecture degree and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Montana State University, Heather moved to Missoula in 1998 where she worked with several different architectural firms and deepened her understanding of the need for more sustainable building practices in construction and development. Since joining the Homeword team early 2003, Heather has received extensive training and experience in affordable housing and gained additional expertise in sustainable design.
Erin’s passion for helping support local families brought her to Homeword in 2015. She worked as our administrative specialist until becoming our asset coordinator in 2022, then quickly advanced to the role of asset manager. In her current role at Homeword, most of her time is spent overseeing property management, resident services, compliance and performance analysis. The rest of her time is split up among multiple activities such as crisis management, partner and funder reporting, interfacing with development and capital and green planning.
Since the beginning, Erin wanted a career in which she could help people and families. While she enjoys the detective work, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking involved in her role, what really drives her is ensuring the people in her community have safe places to call home.
Erin graduated from the University of Montana-Missoula College with A.A.S degrees in business management and administrative management. In addition, Erin holds certificates of applied science in customer relations and sales and marketing. In 2022, she completed her CHAM Asset Management Specialist Certification.
Laurel joined Homeword in 2022 as our office manager. Now as finance manager, she creates financial reports and records, consults with the finance director about day-to-day financial activity and assists in developing plans for Homeword’s long-term financial goals. She also performs account reconciliations, monitors and enforces compliance with tax and financial reporting standards and assists with cash flow forecasting. Laurel graduated from the University of Montana-Missoula College with A.A.S degrees in accounting and hospitality management and certificates of applied sciences in customer relations and accounting technology.
As our administrative specialist, Jeanie supports all departments, serving as our first point of contact with the public and assisting with office operations.
Jeanie first discovered Homeword when a good friend referred her to the first-time homebuyer class, and she took the class to learn more about the process of purchasing a home. A loan officer at the time, she also hoped to connect credit union members to this program.
Using her background in counseling and other helping roles over the years, Jeanie helps Montanans connect with the resources that empower them to realize their home-related and financial goals.
The newest member of the team, Tori took on the role of our administrative specialist in 2024 and quickly advanced to asset project manager. She works with all facets of our portfolio of owned residential communities. This position is responsible for an array of grant writing and reporting, construction, rehabilitation, and capital improvement projects.
Much of Tori’s enthusiasm for Homeword’s mission stems from her lived experience with housing insecurity as a child. Access to community resources helped keep her family on their feet through difficult times, so she has a strong desire to give back in meaningful ways through her work.
A self-professed “Jill of all trades,” Tori can’t wait to learn more about everything we do at Homeword. She holds bachelor’s degrees in business and psychology, is a license property manager and is LIHTC-certified.
Julie began working at Homeword in 2018. First serving as the homebuyer educator for our organization, she transitioned to the role of operations and programs director in the spring of 2024.
A graduate of the University of Montana, Julie focused on financial literacy education early in her career, becoming a certified financial counselor in 2013. Throughout her early career, Julie focused on helping community members understand their financial options and chart courses to achieve their financial goals. The thing she loves most about her work now as operations and program director is supporting our team and programs as they work to achieve our mission.
At Homeword, Julie is always there for our team, providing cheerful company and a sounding board to work through challenges. She carries this into the broader community, serving on several committees dedicated to bringing housing knowledge beyond the classroom.
Julie is a HUD Certified Housing Counselor, a National Center for Home Ownership Education and Counseling (NCHEC) Housing Counselor, and has been certified for Credit Counseling for Maximum Results.
Katie uses her professional experience in experiential education combined with her accounting expertise to make finances come alive for her students. Her aim is to make challenges easy and fun by teaching participants the simplicity of managing cash flow. She loves seeing their savings and hope for the future light up.
Katie has a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Oregon and is a HUD Certified Housing Counselor, a Chartered Financial Consultant through the American College, an Enrolled Agent in inactive retirement status, and regularly completing training with the Credit Builders Alliance Training Institute.
After growing up in Wyoming, college in Bozeman and working as an architect and building department plan review manager for 21 years in the Seattle area, Julie returned to Montana and joined Homeword as a project manager in 2008. As one of Homeword’s project managers, Julie is part of the development team responsible for developing new homes and preserving existing homes, including early feasibility analysis, writing grant and funding applications, managing architect and engineering consultants during the design and construction of the homes, procuring the services of consultants and contractors, and transitioning the homes to asset management after completion.
Julie is committed to Homeword’s mission and believes that safe, healthy homes that people can afford are the key to improving people’s lives and our communities. Hearing residents’ stories about how having a home they could afford that feels safe and stable has had lasting positive impacts provides Julie with the motivation to continue the increasingly complex and difficult efforts to develop homes where residents can find housing stability and feel safe.
While Julie is an introvert, the open office environment of the development and asset management area in the office and long road trips to the properties can entice Julie into some pretty interesting conversations about knitting, zombies and T-Rex. Julie tries to focus, however, on how to keep doing more with less as construction costs continue to spiral upwards and construction labor shortages seem to be continuously impacting development schedules and costs.
Julie has a master’s degree in architecture from Montana State University and is a Certified Tax Credit Compliance Professional, a Housing Credit Certified Professional and certified Housing Development Finance Professional.
LIZ STOTTS
Project Manager
In 2021, Liz joined us as a project manager. She works closely with the rest of our development team during design and construction on development projects, assisting with the coordination of the one-year warranty period after completion. This means she travels to project sites frequently. Her role also includes supporting our project development director during the project feasibility and schematic phases as well as our asset management team with performance issues once the property is operational.
You’ll rarely see Liz without her mug of black coffee at our staff meetings. Although she’s quiet and straight to the point, she usually has a sarcastic comment or two that has everyone in the room busting up laughing.
Liz is a graduate of the University of Montana and started her professional career at UM’s Office of Planning, Budget and Analysis.
As the executive director, Karissa oversees all facets of the organization, including organizational and project-based development, fundraising, policy and collaboration, marketing and personnel. She reports directly to the board of directors and works closely with the board to strategize for the organization.
Homeword is a high-performing and critical nonprofit, and Karissa is deeply passionate about advancing Homeword’s mission to strengthen Montana communities. She loves how our work touches on the continuum of needs people have around home stability, including financial empowerment and rent-restricted homes.
Karissa values collaboration, giving support, generating enthusiasm and taking action. She has a snack drawer that could feed our whole office for days, and she often brings her dogs Kit and Marla work with her. Karissa also loves walking meetings in the beautiful green space and on river trail right here next to our offices.
Karissa has earned the NeighborWorks certification in Homeownership Counseling for Program Managers and Executive Directors as well as the NCHEC Homeownership Counseling certificate. Additionally, Karissa has her Housing Development Finance Professional certificate from the National Development Council.