Generation Housing Staff

After working as a lawyer specializing in real estate law for nearly 15 years, Jen shuttered her law practice to become the founding executive director of Generation Housing. As a lawyer, Jen is most proud of her work facilitating the conversion of the Palms Inn into permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans and vulnerable civilians.

Jen served two terms on the Santa Rosa School Board including three years as its board president. Her service included spearheading new enrollment policies that increased the diversity in the district’s charter schools; the move from zero-tolerance discipline to restorative practices; a shift in graduation policy that eliminated tracking in high schools and ensured equitable access to college-preparatory curriculum for all students; and joining the City of Santa Rosa in revising impact fees to spur development in Downtown Santa Rosa.

Jen is active in local community leadership, having served on the CASA, YMCA, and Sonoma County Public Library Foundation boards, as co-chair for SoCo Rises, and on the Measure N steering committee. She is currently serving on the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber advocacy committee. Jen also founded and serves as the co-chair of the College Tee Project, a nonprofit that aims to create a college-going culture for low-income and first-generation students.

Jen has witnessed the impact of housing – both positive and negative – on clients, friends, family, and her constituents as an elected official. Jen knows that there is no stronger lever to pull to improve the local economy and environment, and educational and health outcome of our residents, than ensuring safe, and stable housing for all. She is excited to lead Gen H as it works to move the needle on housing development across the North Bay to the benefit of all of its residents and their quality of life.

In her free time, Jen enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two dogs, CocoBean and LuluBelle, and cycling. She always wears crazy socks on Saturday.

Stephanie Picard Bowen brings over a decade of nonprofit experience to her role as Deputy Director of Generation Housing.  Previously, she served as a Project Manager at a general contracting firm in Sonoma County, overseeing home reconstruction projects for wildfire survivors.

Stephanie is deeply committed to housing advocacy because she understands the profound impact stable and affordable housing has on individuals and families. Accessible housing not only provides shelter but also contributes to improved health outcomes, educational opportunities, and overall community well-being. In her role as Deputy Director, she is dedicated to advancing policies and initiatives that promote equitable access to safe and affordable housing for all.

Based in Santa Rosa, Stephanie resides just minutes from her childhood home with her husband, a visual effects artist, and their blended family of two children. They cherish family time by cooking, baking treats for loved ones, and diving into good books together.

Omar Lopez is a second year business administration student at the Santa Rosa Junior College. He has been living in Santa Rosa since 2013 after moving from Mendocino County. He first joined Generation Housing as part of a partnership with Latino Service Providers.

Omar is an energetic member of the community. He previously served on the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education as the Student Board Member for the scholastic year 2020-21. He has spent years building relationships with the community and its leaders across the board.

He has seen firsthand the effects that our housing crisis has had on family members and friends in the community. He understands the reality many families in our community are going through and sees the ongoing effects that the housing crisis is having on younger generations.

Omar enjoys spending time with friends and family. He has a small Lego collection which he continues growing. He is an earnest fan of Taylor Swift, owning all of her albums alongside multiple signed copies and other merchandise. He loves cooking and baking, taking special pride in his Pasta Primavera – his favorite dish to cook and eat.

Joshua comes to Generation Housing with community-based, academic, and policy experience working to understand how each generation defines what equity looks like for them. After helping to identify solutions to the growing racial wealth gap and home financialization trends shaping communities like West Oakland prior to 2010, Joshua completed his PhD in Political Science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2018. There he focused on American politics, race, and equity policy, contributing to survey and quantitative research on American attitudes shaping policies on wealth, taxation, and education. Applying those insights to politics and policy, Joshua taught political science courses in the Midwest while working to reform state funding for affordable housing with Wisconsin State Assemblywoman Francesca Hong.

Now having returned to the Bay Area, he has most recently served as the Director of Data & Grants at the Committee on the Shelterless where he helped support evidence-based, housing-first solutions to homelessness in Sonoma County including through Project Homekey and CalAIM.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Born and raised in Sonoma County, Sonia is the newest addition to the Generation Housing team, bringing her experience, connections, and passion for positive change.

During her 27-year career in wine industry management, Sonia honed her skills in relationship building, leadership, and collaboration. Motivated by a deep-rooted desire to make a meaningful impact, she transitioned into the nonprofit sector, using her talents to support disadvantaged communities. Prior to joining Generation Housing, Sonia supported at-risk youth through corporate partnerships and fundraising events at Social Advocates for Youth.

Sonia enjoys being active in her local community and has served on many boards, including the Russian River Wine Road, Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce, Russian River Winegrowers, and the Sonoma County Hospitality Association. Sonia currently serves on the Sonoma County Tourism Community Engagement Committee and the Roseland Library Steering Committee.

Armed with natural enthusiasm and dedication to making a difference, Sonia is ready to use her passion to support expanding housing opportunities throughout Sonoma County.