| Staff Profiles
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Yahna Gibson – Executive Director
With 17 years of non-profit management experience, Yahna Gibson took on the role of Executive Director with Habitat for Humanity, Kansas City, in February of 2005 and continues in that role today. Through the work of Habitat for Humanity, thousands of low-income families have found new hope in the form of affordable housing. Today, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 200,000 homes, sheltering more than 1,000,000 people in more than 3,000 communities worldwide. Habitat Kansas City has built more than 200 new homes in the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri, and rehabbed many more.
Prior to her role as Executive Director with Habitat, Yahna served as the Family Support and Volunteer Coordinator, Associate Director and then Interim Director of Habitat. Serving in those roles gave Yahna the opportunity to learn the organization thoroughly, while building relationships with partner families and hundreds of volunteers in the greater Kansas City area.
Prior to Habitat for Humanity, Yahna served 1 ½ years as the Director of Development for Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Corporation, a community development corporation in Kansas City, Kansas and 7 years as the Development Director of Niles Home for Children, a non-profit residential treatment program serving children and families in the urban core.
Yahna is a single mother of five. Her personal mission is to encourage and empower women to become all that they aspire to be. Yahna is a member of Sheffield Family Life Center. She is a recent inductee in the Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge, a development program for women leaders throughout the state of Missouri.
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Graham Houston – Director of Development
Before joining the staff at Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, Graham worked in higher education administration for over 20 years, serving as Director of Student Affairs at Research College of Nursing for 18 years and Director of Resident Life at Rockhurst University for two years. He holds an Ed.S. in Higher Education Administration, M.A. in Counseling and American Humanics certification in non-profit management.
His civic, church and volunteer activities are extensive: Graham currently serves on the boards of Kansas City Consensus, the Fine Arts Chorale, and the William Jewell College Alumni Association. He serves on the board of the Phi Gamma Delta Graduate Association, including four years as president during which the board undertook a $2 million capital campaign to build a new fraternity house. He is an elder for Parkville Presbyterian Church and serves as moderator of the Local Missions Ministry Group.
His volunteer support of Habitat for Humanity dates to 1996 when he participated in the first of eight annual 500 mile bike rides to raise money and awareness for Habitat. To date Graham has raised about $30,000 for Habitat affiliates in the Kansas City area. In 2004 he was project coordinator for Research Medical Center’s sponsorship and construction of a Habitat house.
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Jeff Tucker - Construction Manager
Jeff Tucker started building residential and multi-family homes about thirty years ago. Originally from Storm Lake, Iowa, Jeff moved to Missouri with his family in 1977. He now has two beautiful children, Wes and Kristy. They enjoy four-wheeling, hunting, frying big messes of fish, and watching movies together. He started building homes shortly after landing in Missouri right out of high school. Focused and effective, Jeff offers those around him a wise and humorous perspective. He brings a profound integrity to the building process, raising the bar on Habitat for Humanity KC’s quality.
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Dana Byron-Director of Volunteer Services
With 9 years of previous non-profit management experience, Dana Byron took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator with Habitat for Humanity, Kansas City in March of 2004. Since then she has brought in thousands of volunteers and the volunteer department has expanded with Dana becoming the Director.
Prior to employment with Habitat, Dana served as the Director of Member Relations and NPO Technologies with The Surplus Exchange for 9 years. Serving in this role gave her the opportunity to build relationships with hundreds of not-for-profit organizations around the greater Kansas City area. Dana also worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse for several years.
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Craig Colbert - Development Specialist
Craig started with Habitat KC as an AmeriCorps member on the construction staff in October of 2004. In 2006, he was hired full time as the Construction Ops Manager and then moved to his current position in March of 2008.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Craig attended Southwest High School and received his Bachelor of Liberal Arts from University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also has a
Certificate in Public Relations from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing a Fundraising Certificate and Masters of Public Administration at UMKC.
Most of Craig's professional life prior to Habitat was in customer service and related positions for various companies in the Kansas City area, Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada and Washington state. He had never worked in construction prior to joining Habitat.
Craig has always had a sense of giving back, and has volunteered in the past with organizations such as the Red Cross in KC, interfaith organizations in Kansas City and Seattle, a Seattle food bank, The Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and helped form a social entrepreneurial group in Seattle. He enjoys participating in and watching sports - especially the Arkansas Razorbacks. He also likes to travel and has visited Canada, China, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.
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Rebecca Dye - Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator
With a love of paleontology, classical antiquities, Michael Crichton novels and physics, it seems odd that Rebecca would end up at Habitat and not in a dusty office in the basement of a museum somewhere. But yet, being part of the Habitat mission has been the most fulfilling and enriching experience she has ever had.
Rebecca came to Habitat with a background in Marketing, Fund Development and Administration and degrees in ancient history and art & design. She started out as the Volunteer and Public Relations Coordinator for the ReStore. After two years in that capacity she was given the opportunity to start in a newly created position as Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator for both Habitat KC and ReStore.
Rebecca an insanely proud mother of one and has been happily married to her best friend for more than seven years.
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