John Eckstrom
Chief Executive Officer
John Eckstrom has more than three decades of executive, financial and nonprofit leadership experience. John is a former CEO of Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Inc., (a world-renowned San Francisco-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide primary care, substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling to homeless and low-income individuals). He led the organization to a new level of success, developing and expanding two out-patient service centers and creating a new strategic vision for integrated health services. Using his San Francisco experience, John has defined a strategy for SHELTER, Inc. that addresses the growing crisis of homelessness in the Bay Area.
John was born in San Francisco and raised in central Contra Costa County. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Psychology and has extensive coursework in Music, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Early in his career, Mr. Eckstrom was a leading and innovative technology executive and a charter member of the AAAI (American Association for Artificial Intelligence).
Janel Fletcher
Director of Impact and Data Analytics
Janel Fletcher is a skilled public health professional with 10 years of experience working with systems supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness and 19 years of collective experience working with health and social services agencies. As Director of Impact and Data Analytics with SHELTER, Inc., she stays abreast of policy change, evidence-based best practices, and formative research to assist Northern California communities with their goals to end homelessness.
Janel believes housing is a human right, and that the rent is too damn high. Her passion, perseverance, and tenacity are personal characteristics that drive her commitment to assist communities to end homelessness. Janel’s experience in project management, data analysis, and program evaluation have led her to believe that data integrity is key for goal setting, accountability, and measurable outcomes. Her experience as a case manager and social services supervisor will always call upon her to demand housing first.
Janel grew up in Delaware, lived in Philadelphia for 15 years, and now calls Berkeley home. In her free time, she enjoys reading and exploring the beautiful California nature scene. She has a Master in Public Health from La Salle University.
Andrea Foti
Senior Program Director
Andrea Foti oversees the Eviction Prevention and HUD Programs, and has over 18 years of experience in the public sector. Her areas of focus include community outreach, program development, and management to ensure that the agency meets financial, programmatic, and impact goals. She brings bicultural and bilingual skills and experience working in multicultural environments.
Andrea has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Universidad de la Sabana, Colombia. She also earned a Master of Organization Development from Alliant International University.
Christi Rossi
Director of Development
Christi Rossi has 20 years of experience in philanthropy and helping Bay Area non-profits raise critical mission funding and communicate their impact. At SHELTER, her role is to create and execute the organization’s fundraising and communication strategies.
Prior to joining the SHELTER team, Christi worked at Diabetes Youth Families, Carondelet High School, Girl Scouts of Northern California, and Larkin Street Youth Services. She holds a BA in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations from San Diego State University.
Sarah Spector
Chief Financial Officer
Sarah Spector, CPA is an accomplished senior executive with more than 25 years of success across the healthcare, internet, e-commerce, staffing, distribution, publishing, and entertainment industries. Leveraging extensive experience as a corporate controller restructuring accounting departments, implementing ERP and other financial systems, and leading M&A transactions and integrations, she is a valuable resource for any organization in need of accounting and finance assistance or encountering growth or change management. Her broad areas of expertise include financial accounting, financial management, implementing internal controls, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, tax and business compliance, technology management, business intelligence, system implementations and data conversion, operations, organizational leadership, mentoring, budgeting, financial modeling, and due diligence. Ms. Spector believes in providing personalized service that is often lost in larger
firms, a core principle she learned early in her career.
Ms. Spector has held leadership positions with ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN), Leaf Group (NYSE: LEAF), LEARN Behavioral, Premier Healthcare Services, Autism Learning Partners, Alfred Music, and Ticketmaster. Ms. Spector earned a BSBA in Accounting from The University of Arizona and is a licensed CPA in the State of California. Ms. Spector is a member of the AICPA and the California Society of CPAs. In 2021 Ms. Spector was featured in the Top 100 People in Finance magazine.
Carla Welsh
Senior Director of Property and Housing
Carla Welsh has been in the housing industry for over 15 years. She started her career creating supportive diversion programs for incarcerated adults and youth. She has created programs and housing for transitional age youth, Veterans, and seniors. In the last 8 years, she focused her attention on creating supportive family housing. She strongly believes that housing is a right and works to ensure it is available to everyone that wants it. Her current role at SHELTER is to manage the overall strategic mission and vision of the property management, compliance, and housing navigation team as the agency grows its property and housing division.
Brandon Wirth
Senior Program Director
Brandon Wirth has a background as an executive leader and consultant in organizational health, non-profit services, operations management, and educational administration. He has helped groups create and execute strategic plans for immediate and future results.
Brandon exercises executive oversight of all SHELTER, Inc.’s emergency shelter programs in Contra Costa, Solano, and Sacramento counties. He is also responsible for achieving program outcomes, staffing and operational structure, and budget development.
