Would Works Board of Directors

Roberto Sheinberg has practiced Architecture for over 25 years in Mexico and the US and is Lehrer Architect's Design Director.

Previous experience includes Senior Associate at Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects and TEN Arquitectos in Mexico City as well as his own practice. His work has received numerous design awards and has been exhibited and published extensively in the US, Mexico and Europe (Architectural Record, Dwell, Metropolitan Home, and Hauser and by Princeton Architectural Press, Monacelli Press and Rizzoli among others).

Roberto served as Board President of the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design - - a critical, vibrant and seminal Los Angeles independent nonprofit organization that instigates dialogues on design and the built environment.

His designs for projects that involve housing individuals experiencing homelessness and at-risk youth explore new methodologies and partnerships, they include a variety of project types - - from large Supportive Housing developments to small-site micro-unit projects that are fast, efficient and impactful. As an active member of Los Angeles’ housing development community he participates in conferences, panels, presentations and  research groups focusing on sustainable and innovative Housing for Homeless Angelenos.

Daniela Gerson, Co-Chair

Daniela Gerson is an assistant professor of Journalism at California State University, Northridge and Senior Fellow at the Center for Community and Ethnic Media (CCEM) at City University of New York (CUNY). She is also co-founder and editor of the weekly immigration newsletter, Migratory Notes. Previously she was a community engagement editor at the LA Times and has reported for outlets including WNYC: New York Public Radio, The World, Der Spiegel, Financial Times, CNN, and The New York Times.  

Tyler Fong, Treasurer

Tyler Fong has worked alongside vulnerable populations for over 16 years during his career in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County.  

Currently, Tyler is the Senior Director of Program Initiatives at Brilliant Corners, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to using housing as a healthcare intervention/solution for individuals experiencing homelessness.  While with Brilliant Corners, Tyler was one of the program design architects for the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool, a nationally recognized rental subsidy and housing administration program in Los Angeles, that has housed over 4,000 Angelenos since 2013.  

Tyler is a novice woodworker and loves industrial design (a career path he explored in another lifetime).  Being a member of the Would Works Board is a tremendous opportunity for him to combine two of his passions to continue to support those in need of support to make strides in their independence and life. 

Stephanie Ragle, Secretary

Stephanie is a licensed architect and co-owner of office42 and she has an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where she spent one year studying in Copenhagen, Denmark. After working

for a number of years, she earned her graduate degree in Architecture from the Southern California Institute

of Architecture. Throughout her career she has also traveled extensively and worked in Pune, India, and New York City. In New York she worked on commercial interiors with Studios Architecture on complex projects such as showrooms, trading floors, and office interiors. While in New York, she also worked for the design-build architecture and construction management firm, Peter Gluck & Associates (now Gluck +), where she learned the that an architect’s ownership of a project doesn’t stop at design but must continue through budgeting, scheduling, and construction.

Diane Gomez

Diane Gomez is a mother of four who has lived in Los Angeles all her life and has always had a passion for woodworking.  She was a Would Works Artisan in 2018, and a workshop leader in 2021. She is now a full time woodworker and Product Manager at Offerman Woodshop where she continues to hone her woodworking skills. Diane takes furniture making classes at Cerritos College and received a scholarship to attend the Krenov School of Fine Furniture in the summer of 2023. 

When she’s not behind the workbench, Diane enjoys jogging, food, meditation, and chilling with her kids and grandkids.

Harold Greene

Harold Greene continues to be the go-to designer/craftsman for clients looking for expert craftsmanship and contemporary design sensibilities in the execution of their challenging projects.  Whether it’s custom carved doors, bespoke furniture from urban timber or careful restorations of valuable objects, his expertise essential to individuals, institutions and public art agencies.

Mr. Greene’s work graces numerous homes in the Greater Los Angeles area and beyond, and has been featured in galleries and museums, notably, the Los Angeles Municipal Gallery where he was honored with the prestigious COLA Fellowship in 2015.
Greene is also a skilled luthier and a multi-instrumentalist who performs using his own hand made bases and guitars. He also co-produces the yearly Fortnight Concert Series bringing original music to the historic Fort McArthur bunkers, deep underground.

Connor Johnson, Founder

Connor founded Would Works with the help of his parents in 2012. Connor had been working as a Case Manager at a homeless shelter in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles when he saw a need for Would Works. 

Currently, Connor has over ten years of experience in social services and housing for people experiencing homelessness. Connor is currently a Senior Program Manager for CSH as a regional consultant for supportive housing and reducing homelessness. 

Prior to CSH, Connor  worked in Washington DC for Fortitude Housing DC Catholic Charities directing their Supportive Housing Program and managing a team of 24 Social Workers and Case Managers, serving more than 200 individuals and 90 families. 

Prior to working in Washington DC, he worked for seven years in Los Angeles. He worked with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Housing for Health as a Program Manager working with partners serving frequent users of the County Health System. While there he developed and implemented the C3 outreach program to provide comprehensive outreach in the Skid Row area of downtown. His work experience in Los Angeles also included working at a Supportive Housing developer, managing interim housing programs and working with the Coordinated Entry System.  

Connor holds a Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning from UCLA, a BA from DePaul University and a BA in Business Administration from Linkoping University in Sweden.

Donna Kirkner

Donna Kirkner was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1980 and currently has her own firm, the Law Office of Donna Kirkner, A Professional Law Corporation.

Her career has been devoted to the practice of construction law, representing general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, homeowners and sureties.  It was this love of construction law that inspired her love of woodworking and building things with her hands.

Donna is currently an officer of the Small Firms and Solo Practitioner Section and of the Senior Lawyers Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is a former Chair of the Construction Law Subsection of the Real Property Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She serves as a mentor to other, younger, construction attorneys who avail themselves of her vast knowledge of construction law.

She learned the value of service from her father, who was career military, and from her mother, who imbued her children with a sense of responsibility for those less fortunate. Donna considers serving on the Would Works Board of Directors to be a privilege and an honor, in furtherance of the lessons learned from her parents.

Holly Kretschmar 

Holly is a writer and strategy consultant. She spent many years at IDEO, a global design consultancy, where she led creative teams focused on designing products and services for positive social impact. She holds degrees from Harvard (MA, Anthropology) and Northwestern (MBA), has lectured at Stanford and California College of Art, and leads workshops on the creative process dubbed 'design thinking.’ Holly is currently writing a book of essays. She is also a novice farmer of tangerines, olives and two tween boys.  

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman is an actor, writer and woodworker, best known as the character of Ron Swanson on NBC’s hit comedy series “Parks & Recreation.” He has written four New York Times bestselling books including Paddle Your Own Canoe, Gumption, The Greatest Love Story Ever Told (written with his wife, Megan Mullally), and Good Clean Fun about his very own Offerman Woodshop and the charismatic group of woodworkers who make up the crew. 

In his spare time, he can be found at his woodshop in Los Angeles building hand-crafted items ranging from fine furniture to canoes to ukuleles. Coming from a long line of farmers, Nick has a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of hard work, and making things by hand. His support of Would Works is rooted in his firm belief that all people, regardless of their circumstances, should have the opportunity to build.

Jeri Wingo

Jeri Wingo brings a variety of experience to her board position, including low income housing development, poverty, community organization, event planning, marketing, team building, and more than a decade of doing pop-ups. You can follow her artwork here.