Tyler Macmillan, Executive Director
Tyler Macmillan became the Executive Director of the Eviction Defense Collaborative on November 1, 2011. He joined the EDC in 2007 as a Staff Attorney. His most recent former position was as a Supervising Attorney which included preparing legal papers, providing tenant counseling and representing clients at settlement conferences as well as supervising the other staff attorneys. A 2006 graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law, Tyler became a member of the California Bar in December 2006. Tyler, also, worked as a Staff Attorney at the Eviction Defense Center in Oakland; he has volunteered as a fair housing tester and as a mediator in landlord-tenant disputes.
Carol Bettencourt, Managing Attorney
As the EDC's first paid employee, Carol has supervised the EDC's legal services since our creation in 1996. Carol oversees Staff Attorneys, Eviction Defense Advocates, the Volunteer Coordinator, Volunteers, Interns and all the legal paperwork we help prepare. She received her bachelor's degree from Simon's Rock Early College and is a graduate of Stanford Law School. Carol is a member of the California Bar and an inactive member of the Bar of the District of Columbia. She has been practicing housing law for 20 years, at the EDC and previously at D.C. Law Students in Court.
Amy Price, Rental Assistance Manager
Amy Price joined the EDC in 2007. She is fluent in Spanish and has a background working with low-income clients. Amy worked with Head Start, Fox Vocational Services, the Agency for Independent Mobility and Children's Specialized Services.
Patrick Bareiss, Rental Assistance Case Manager
Patrick has been a legal volunteer at the EDC since Spring of 2009 where he conducted client intakes, prepared legal papers, and advised clients on a variety of eviction issues.Currently, Patrick is a Rental Assistance Case Manager. Patrick is a member of the California Bar and graduated from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 2006. He is fluent in German and Misch.
John (Jack) Casey, Jesuit Volunteer
Jack is the Jesuit Volunteer for the 2012-2013 year. Jack graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory here in San Francisco in 2008. In May, 2012 he graduated from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Minors in Hispanic Studies and International Studies. Jack has been very involved in his community and others. He is committed to social justice issues and has volunteered in numerous programs in the United States and in other countries. Through his studies and travels in Argentina and Mexico, Jack has become proficient in Spanish.
Shephali Ides, Rental Assistance Case Manager
Shephali has over 20 years of nonprofit experience, working with families and children in San Francisco at such places as Edgewood Center for Children and Families and Wu Yee Children's Services. She has a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Development and is a certified legal assistant. Shephali volunteered at the Homeless Advocacy Project, another agency that works to prevent renters from becoming homeless.
Michelle Lee, Staff Attorney
Michelle joined the EDC in January 2011. She is a staff attorney at the EDC.She received her J.D. from UC Berkeley's School of Law and became a member of the California Bar in 2010. She has worked for various organizations in the Bay Area that include Bay Area Legal Aid and the Animal Legal Defense Fund and has volunteered at numerous non profit organizations. She speaks Cantonese, French, and intermediate Spanish.
Thomas Lee, Staff Attorney
Thomas was a fellow here at the EDC before becoming a permanent staff attorney in August 2012. He has worked previously for various nonprofits in the Bay Area, including the W. Haywood Burns Institute and the Legal Community Against Violence. He is a Los Angeles native, and graduated with a BA from UC Berkeley in 2008 and with a JD from Harvard Law School in 2011. He is fluent in English, passable in Korean, and speaks some Mandarin and German.
Supriya Molina Wunsh, Staff Attorney
Supriya graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center. She worked as an attorney at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development where she was a lead counsel in litigation for disability rights in housing. Prior to law school, Supriya was a social worker at Niños Latinos Unidos. Supriya has a Master in Psychology and is fluent in Spanish.
Aaron Morrison, Staff Attorney
Aaron is a Staff Attorney at the EDC. He received his J.D. from UC Berkeley's School of Law and became a member of the California Bar in 2005. A long-time EDC volunteer, Aaron continues to fight for justice in private practice as well as with our team.
Nathanael Player, Supervising Attorney
Nathanael previously worked at the EDC as a legal intern in 2008. He later joined us as a staff attorney. Prior to returning to the EDC as supervising attorney, Nathanael worked at the Homeless Advocacy Project where he represented tenants with mental disabilities in all aspects of eviction cases. He graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 2009. Nathanael has studied housing as a human right and worked at the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions in Geneva, Switzerland. Nathanael is able to provide legal services in both English and Spanish.
Josh Schieber, Staff Attorney
Josh has been a volunteer attorney for the AIDS Legal Referral Panel in San Francisco, where he argued motions in court, prepared for settlement conferences and advocated for clients' legal claims. He also trained with the San Francisco Bar Association in settlement and housing law trials. Josh graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and is conversational in Spanish.
Anna Stephens, Administrator
Anna initially joined the EDC as volunteer legal intern while attending college. In 2009, she returned to the EDC as a part-time Administrative Assistant. In 2010, she became a full-time administrative staff member. She has an Associates Degree in Paralegal/Law Studies from City College of San Francisco. Her duties include payroll, paying bills, bookkeeping, and other admin duties. Anna is a native San Franciscan and is fluent in Spanish.
Deepa Varma, Staff Attorney
Deepa Varma joined EDC in 2011. Deepa’s dedication to social justice in law started in 1999, as an intern for the ACLU of Georgia, and has continued through a range of issues, including women's issues, criminal justice, and civil rights. Deepa received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, and worked as a staff attorney for the West Side SRO Law Project, representing low-income tenants in New York City in housing court. She most recently worked as a fellow for the Warren Institute for Law and Social Policy, focusing primarily on issues of immigration enforcement policy. She is a member of the New York and California State Bars, and speaks Spanish.
Lee Birdwhistell, Lutheran Volunteer
Lee is working with the EDC as part of a one-year commitment to the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. She recently graduated with a degree in Philosophy from Georgetown College in Georgetown,Kentucky.She previously worked with low-income housing at Namibia Housing Action Group and after this year she is considering law school or post graduate work in International Development.
Lehua Asher, Contracts and Grants Manager
Lehua Asher returned to EDC in 2011. She previously interned in the legal clinic and worked as a Rental Assistance Coordinator. Lehua also volunteered as a counselor at the San Francisco Tenants Union and was a staff member at the Eviction Defense Network in Los Angeles. She has a BA in Urban Studies from San Francisco State and an MA in Urban Planning from UCLA.
Kim Irish, Volunteer Coordinator
Kim previously worked at EDC as a Rental Assistance Coordinator in 2007, and returned in 2012 as the Volunteer Coordinator. She has a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Spanish from UC Davis, and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. In addition to her commitment to preventing homelessness, Kim volunteers her time as a board member of Human Rights Advocates and as a mentor with First Exposures.
Diana Villanueva-Hoeckley, Rental Assistance Case Manager
Diana joined the EDC team in 2012. She received her B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Spanish from Westmont College. Diana has been working with non-profits since 2008 and was an intern for Congresswoman Lois Capps. Diana is a long-time advocate for justice and human rights and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at University of San Francisco. She is fluent is Spanish.
Jessica Yeh, Legal Fellow
Jessica Yeh is currently a Legal Fellow with EDC. Having a long term interest in public interest law, Jessica received her JD, with a specialty in Litigation, from the University of Lincoln-Nebraska and a BA in Legal Studies from UC Berkeley. She is a member of the California Bar. Her previous experiences as an Attorney involve working in various areas including Medi-Cal and Medicare, Disability, and Public Benefits, and as a Mediator in multiple areas including Housing, Family law, and Contractual disputes. She also speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently.
Kristin Messer, Legal Fellow
After starting as an attorney volunteer for the EDC in September 2011, Kristin was excited to officially join the team early in 2013. Her dedication to public interest work was fostered by a stint as a Head Start teacher in rural Kentucky before she attended Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. This commitment to social justice brought her to the Children’s Law Center in Covington, Kentucky, and later to the Federal Public Defender’s office in Columbus, Ohio. Kristin is a member of the California State Bar and is thrilled to be supporting the EDC and its dedication to those facing eviction in San Francisco.