Miguel Wooding, Executive Director
Soon after moving to San Francisco, Miguel joined the fight for tenants' rights by volunteering for the San Francisco Tenants Union. In January 1996, Miguel brought together a dozen local nonprofits and lawyers' groups to create and fund what is now the EDC. Since that time, he has been a constant source of inspiration for housing rights activists, an aid to tenants who are at risk of losing their homes. Miguel is an alumnus of Stanford University, and he speaks both Mandarin-Chinese and Spanish.
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.
Ming Chung, Staff Attorney
Ming Chung joined the EDC in 2008 as an Eviction Defender and was admitted to the California Bar in 2009. His duties include conducting client intakes, and preparing legal papers. During law school, Ming volunteered at the Homeless Legal Assistance Project and with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, and he graduated with the Highest Pro Bono Distinction from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Ming is fluent in Mandarin.
Erin Dougherty, Staff Attorney
Erin graduated from the Columbia University School of Law. During law school, she volunteered at a tenant advocacy program in New York City, and interned at the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project and the Sanctuary for Families Center for Battered Women's Legal Services. Erin then clerked for the Honorable Sidney R. Thomas of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and worked as a Litigation Associate for Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. Erin is fluent in Spanish.
Liam Frost, Rental Assistance Case Manager
Liam Frost helps English- and Spanish-speaking clients stabilize their housing through counseling and assistance paying back rent. He joined the EDC as a legal team volunteer in 2008 and was hired for RADCo under ARRA funding in 2009. Liam's background includes volunteering at the Housing Rights Committee and researching public policy issues in support of pro-tenant legislation.
Kathy Harr, Development Associate and Administrator
Kathy's background was in event production and music promotion; she also had over four years of experience volunteering with the San Francisco Tenants' Union as a counselor and fundraiser. Currently, she is a Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner for the City of Berkeley.
Patricia Howard , Rental Assistance Case Manager
Pat initially joined the EDC as a volunteer for legal intakes. In 2007, Pat became a staff member. Pat interviews applicants, evaluates eligibility for grants and loans, and negotiates agreements with landlords with the goal of keeping our clients housed. Pat is a graduate of the New College School of Law.
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.
Tyler Macmillan, Supervising Attorney
Tyler Macmillan joined the EDC in 2007 as a Staff Attorney. His duties as a Staff Attorney include preparing legal papers, providing tenant counseling and representing clients at settlement conferences. A 2006 graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law, Tyler became a member of the California Bar in December 2006. Most recently Tyler worked as a Staff Attorney at the Eviction Defense Center in Oakland; he has also volunteered as a fair housing tester and as a mediator in landlord-tenant disputes.
Aaron Morrison, Staff Attorney
Aaron Morrison is a part-time 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, Staff Attorney
Nathanael graduated from Northeastern University School of Law. In addition to interning at the EDC during law school, Nathanael interned at the National Consumer Law Center and the Law Office of Alexsis Beach, where he worked on affirmative tenant’s rights cases. He has also studied housing as a human right and worked at the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions in Geneva, Switzerland. Nathanael is able to provide services in both English and Spanish.
Amy Price, Rental Assistance Case 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.
Jeremy Reyes, Staff Attorney
Jeremy joined the EDC after serving tenants in the Central Valley with California Rural Legal Assistance. In Stockton, he served over 2,300 low-income persons with filing answers, motions and self-representation. A graduate of Duke University School of Law, Jeremy became a member of the California Bar in May 2005. Jeremy served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan, a republic of the former Soviet Union. Jeremy is able to provide services in Spanish, Russian and French.
Ruby Steele, Volunteer Coordinator
Ruby has a long history in housing rights work, having worked in Sydney, Australia as an eviction defender and as a Legal Aid staff attorney defending homeowners in foreclosure proceedings brought by predatory lenders. After volunteering at the Eviction Defense Collaborative for over a year, she joined the staff as the part-time volunteer coordinator. She also works part-time as the volunteer coordinator at the Tenants Union. Ruby has a Bachelor of Arts and of Law from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and became a member of the Californian Bar in June 2009.
Anna Stephens, Administrative Assistant
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, accounting, supplies, equipment and facilities, data entry, and office management. Anna is a native San Franciscan and is fluent in Spanish.
Eihway Su, Administrator
Eihway is a half-time administrator at the EDC. Eihway's job duties include payroll, human resources, bills, supplies, equipment and facilities. At other times, she is a counselor and updates the handbook at the San Francisco Tenants Union where she has been counseling since 2003. Eihway was born in Taiwan and moved to Los Angeles in 1963. In 1978, Eihway moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend U.C. Berkeley. Since 1990, she has lived in San Francisco in rent-controlled apartments.