Habitat Young Professionals

Lauren works for the Government Relations and Advocacy (GRA) team at Habitat for Humanity International. Lauren has traveled to 9 states to build, served three terms with AmeriCorps, participated in a Global Village trip to El Salvador, and led Global Village trips to China, Chile, and Argentina. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a Master of Public Administration, and a Master of Nonprofit Management – as a National Champion UCF KNIGHT.

Alex began his involvement with Habitat in 2010 as an AmeriCorps member in the Chicago area, and subsequently joined the staff of a Maryland affiliate to work on their neighborhood revitalization programs. He has been involved with HYPDC since moving back to DC in 2014, starting as a co-chair of the Advocacy and Community Engagement Committee. In his day to day life, Alex is a Grants Officer with the Corporation for National and Community Service, where he manages AmeriCorps and Social Innovation Fund grants.

Amanda is the lead for the Fundraising and Events Committee for the Habitat for Humanity Young Professionals (HYPDC). She served as President of Hobart and William Smith College’s chapter, helping to raise money, managing the day-to-day operations, and built a house for a local family. When not volunteering, Amanda works for Deloitte Consulting in their Human Capital space. 

Marcus Jelks formerly served as the HYPDC President and Treasurer. He procures cloud infrastructure for nonprofits in his day job and has been Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. volunteer since 2008.

David has been involved with HYPDC since 2012. He first volunteered with Habitat in high school, and he really enjoyed the experience, even though he didn’t know how to hammer a nail. He has done several builds in DC, and has finally learned to hammer a nail.

Auja Little is Treasurer for the Habitat for Humanity Young Professionals (HYPDC) board and an avid supporter of affordable housing within the District. She brings several years of commercial real estate experience and a passion for fundraising with her, focusing her efforts on building HYPDC’s presence within DC.

Andrew manages HYPDC’s social media presence and outreach. When not volunteering with HYPDC, Andrew works as a journalist at Voice of America, covering the latest breaking news, sports, and digital trends. He has a Bachelor’s in Political Communication from The George Washington University and a Master’s in Communication from Johns Hopkins University.

Don is Manager within the Data & Informatics Division of CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. He also serves as the Chair of Habitat for Humanity International’s Young Professional Advisory Council which is tasked with guiding the vision and implementation of Habitat’s Young Professional engagement. Don is a Habitat’s Global Village program team leader and has participated in builds on five continents. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech.

Meredith currently works for the American Association of Geographers as an Annual Meeting and Outreach Associate, helping to plan their annual conference. She joined HYP to get active in the DC community and make friends interested in social justice. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Geography focusing on urban racial justice. 

A former AmeriCorps VISTA member with Habitat Wisconsin, James works closely with the marketing and communications team here at HYPDC. He graduated from Catholic University of America and is excited to be back in DC working with Habitat for Humanity again. 

Dejia currently works at Capital One as a Business Analyst for their Retail Bank line of business. Outside of work, he’s a big basketball fan and my favorite teams are Duke University and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He lived in Minnesota for 12 years before moving to D.C. this year.