Board of Directors

THIA CEO & Chairman

Brad Wiseman

THIA Standards Committee

Serving as the THIA’s Chairman of the Board of Directors and as its CEO, Brad Wiseman manages the internal workings of the THIA, drawing upon the talents he has developed during his 40 years of design experience as an electrical engineer and as an accomplished leader of ANSI standards development efforts in the telecommunications industry. Prior to being asked to assist in the re-launch of the THIA in early 2018, Brad took a keen interest in being involved in standards development for the tiny home industry. He addressed the crowd gathered at the THIA’s 2016 Action & Impact Conference in Colorado Springs, CO in early November of 2016, suggesting that the THIA should make it one of their prime objectives to become an ANSI Standards Developer for the tiny home industry.   Although Brad has no financial interests in the tiny home industry, he comes by his personal interest in tiny homes naturally. It was his grandparents who first sparked his interest in tiny homes, having built a playhouse for his mother and her older sister in their backyard. At approximately 120 square feet, it was quite literally a tiny home, with a finished interior, electricity, natural gas, lights, a kitchen with sink, dishes, and refrigerator, a living room, a bedroom, a front porch, locking front door, seven double-hung windows, 2 x 4 stud wall construction, wool batting insulation and composition shingles on the roof. It had everything but a bathroom. For scale, that’s Brad’s 5’ 2” grandmother sitting on the porch of that tiny gem.

President

Dan Fitzpatrick

Leading Tiny Home Advocate

THIA Vice President

Zack Giffin

Tiny House Nation Co-Host

Operation Tiny Home Spokesperson

Zack Giffin is a well-known advocate of the tiny house movement and host of the popular television show, Tiny House Nation (on A&E and Netflix). A home builder and carpenter by trade, Zack has worked his life around creating time for outdoor adventure, eventually turning his passion for backcountry skiing into a dream occupation. A longtime practitioner of simple living, Zack was naturally drawn to the Tiny House movement and in 2011 built his own tiny ski chalet on wheels. Now Zack has helped create over 120 original Tiny Homes and designing intelligent space-saving solutions has become a calling card of his work and reputation. Zack is also a board member of Operation Tiny Home, a national non-profit that helps create Tiny Home Villages for homeless Veterans around the country.

http://zackgiffin.com

https://www.operationtinyhome.org

Rebuilding Green Executive Director

Genny Crane

Leading Advocate behind San Diego MTH Zoning

Genny Crane is the Executive Director of ReBuilding Green, 501(C)(3), was founded in 1978 and recently enhanced its mission by advocating to reimagine affordable housing solutions through tiny homes, tiny home zones, and tiny home communities.

“ReBuilding Green seeks to partner with like-minded individuals and entities to answer the cry of a discouraged society that lacks affordable housing options while bringing back the quality of life utilizing the solutions that fabulous tiny homes offer.”

One of the biggest achievements Genny Crane accomplished with the support of THIA President Dan Fitzpatrick was to lead a team of advocates to encourage the City of San Diego to approve Movable Tiny Homes in backyards of single-family homes. And they did! San Diego is home to 1.4 million residents and with this win, the city just got more options to offering affordable and accessible housing.

https://movabletinyhomes.com

Simblissity Tiny Homes Co-Founder

Byron Fears

THIA Treasurer

Tiny House Builder

Byron Fears is the co-founder, head creative, and designer of custom-built SimBLISSity Tiny Homes, located in Lyons, Colorado.  His love of tiny homes led him and his wife, Dot, to a path of building for, and ushering people towards, more sustainable, and size-appropriate lifestyles. Byron is an enthusiastic, multifaceted individual who has participated in many creative careers and is now totally captivated by “Changing the world one Tiny Home at a time!”

Byron’s experience living Tiny in vans, sailboats, and RV’s, and his decades of extensive building and remodeling experience combine to create beautiful, space-efficient yet comfortable Tiny Homes on Wheels.  Byron understands that choosing to live in a Tiny Home is not a tiny thing, but is a serious commitment; he can offer helpful advice, even counseling.  He loves to be a “voice of reason” to make your dreams of Tiny living a happy and successful reality.  He has a refreshing and exciting approach to living and reminds everyone, “You don’t need to be a Monk to live Tiny.”

He always strives to prove that “Not all Tinys are created equal!” and takes great pride in building sustainable Tiny Homes to help support sustainable lifestyles in hopes of a sustainable future for the Plant Earth.

Byron has been a tiny home advocate for many years.  He has built over 30 Tinys to date and pledges to support his Clients beyond the building of their Tiny Homes.  He has spoken with many Planning Departments and has helped to resolve disputes with County officials and Tiny Home dwellers.  He recently was implemental in helping the Town of Lyons create and pass an Ordinance the legalizes living in Tiny Homes On Wheels in Lyons, Colorado.

Byron has years of experience building Tinys and has a substantial understanding of how to build a high-quality Tiny Home that will safely serve the occupants well being and safety.  He is part of a team that is attempting to set safe building standards in the world of Tiny Houses. He is not easily intimidated by State, County, or local building and enforcement officials.  He understands most sides of the issues surrounding living in “un-permitted” dwellings and enjoys being a “Voice Of Reason” when working with “officials”

Additionally, Byron has been consulting with many Tiny builders and is sought after for his extensive knowledge of Tiny construction. He has a good understanding of how to help steer DIY’ers towards building a safe Tiny.

https://www.simblissitytinyhomes.com

Tiny Homes of Maine Principal & CEO

Corinne Watson

Leading Advocate behind Maine Tiny Home Laws

Corinne Watson is the Principal & CEO of Tiny Homes of Maine and has been drawing floor plans and sketching home designs on scraps of paper for as long as she can remember. Born and raised in Smyrna, Maine, she hails from small-town roots. As the daughter of a Verizon linewoman, Corinne learned at an early age that grit and determination can get you just about anywhere. That drive spurred her to be the first in her family to go to college.

Corinne attended the University of Southern Maine and completed a degree in electrical engineering with a concentration in microelectronics. She landed her first job out of college at Fairchild Semiconductor and then Smith & Wesson, where she learned the fundamentals of lean manufacturing, a process that eliminates waste.

 She returned to Southern Maine in 2012 to work as a process engineer at IDEXX. Corinne put her lean manufacturing expertise to work and began improving the manufacturing process and efficiencies of the company’s small animal and livestock analyzer units. Despite success at IDEXX, Corinne never felt fulfilled climbing the corporate ladder. She wanted to merge a passion for design and architecture with her manufacturing background into a purposeful business.

 “We have a major homelessness problem in Maine. My dream is to buy a field and fill it with tiny homes for people who have no home,” says Corinne. “I also wanted to build this business to address environmental concerns. A tiny home forces you to live a more conscious lifestyle. Everything has a purpose and everything has a place. You naturally waste less and live more simply.”

California Tiny House CEO & tinyEDU Founder

Nick Mosley

Movable Roots Co-Founder

Mike Cheatam

National Builder’s Committee Co-Chair

Tiny House Builder

Mike Cheatham is the co-owner and co-founder of Movable Roots. He has worked in the residential home building industry for 20 plus years. His introduction to swinging a hammer came at an early age by tagging along with his father’s family-owned remodel business.  After the market collapse in 2008, Mike stepped away from the construction industry to pursue a new challenge building functional fitness work out equipment and helping design functional fitness gym locations. In 2016 Mike and his wife Nikki stumbled across the tiny home industry while looking to go tiny themselves.  In 2017 Mike and his brother John partnered to create Movable Roots.  Their goal has been to bring a high-quality customer experience along with producing high-quality homes with second to none customer service.

Mike has also been instrumental in lobbying to change the local zoning ordinances within Brevard County FL to help tiny homes become a legal option and is working on expanding these changes whenever possible throughout the State of Florida.

https://www.movableroots.com

Executive at Wind River Built

Paul Beckmann

Tiny House Builder and Industry Advocate

Paul Beckmann is the CFO and Sales Executive at Wind River Built. After a decade of experience working in finance and public accounting, Paul decided to devote his skills to the tiny home industry. At Wind River Built, a Tennessee based offsite construction company, Paul is responsible for financial reporting objectives, sales team optimization, customer accounts, risk management, and capital structure. Paul also enjoys the challenge of implementing new business processes and procedures. His experience also includes entrepreneurship and not-for-profit governance best practices. Paul is active in other organization, sitting on the board of green|spaces of greater Chattanooga and he is a member of the Tennessee Society of CPAs as well as the American Institute of CPAs. When he is not talking moveable tiny homes, Paul enjoys fly fishing Tennessee creeks, camping with his family, and tackling house renovations.

ICC Off-Site Modular Construction Committee Chair

David R. Tompos

Tiny House Expedition Co-Founder

Alexis Stephens

Communications Committee

Tiny Home Dweller, Filmmaker & Educator

Alexis Stephens is a well-respected tiny house movement ambassador and advocate. She is the co-founder of Tiny House Expedition, a traveling tiny house documentary and community education project. In 2014, she and her partner, Christian Parsons, built their own movable tiny house. Since then, they have been on a mission to inspire others to redefine home and rethink housing through educational events, resource sharing, and thought-provoking storytelling.

American Tiny House Association President

Kevin Polk

Tiny Estates CEO and Endeavor President

Abby Shank

Community Developer

Working for several years as a forensic investigator for KPMG and specializing in languages, Abby used her fluency in Spanish and Chinese to work in the advisory and audit fields. After working for several major clients Abby pursued her entrepreneurial side and moved back to Lancaster where she obtained her real estate license in an effort to better understand zoning regulations and pursue the tiny home field. After nearly a decade in community development, Abby manages 4 tiny home communities and overseas new project developments. Abby’s entity Endeavor also holds a dealership license for the exclusive sale of Atomic Tiny Homes built with a patented technique for scaleability and increased quality. Her focus is zoning and code change along with land acquisition for community development and expansion as well as high quality tiny home placement across the country.

Pacific West Tiny Homes Vice President

Alex Ontiveros

Movable Tiny House Certification Expert

Pacific West Tiny Homes, Inc. is a subsidiary of Pacific West Associates, Inc. which is an accredited third-party agency that has been recognized in the industry for over 30 years. PWA is composed of licensed electrical, mechanical, structural, and forensic engineers. The evaluation and certification staff meet the requirements of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) E699-16, which​ is for agencies involved in testing, quality assurance, and evaluating of manufactured building components. ASTM E541-10 is the previous standard that has now been withdrawn.

Services include DIY Built, Manufactured Built, and Consultations.

https://www.pacificwesttinyhomes.com

 

Founder and Executive Director of the MicroLife Institute

Will Johnston

Social Innovator

William Johnston, a visionary leader in micro living, is the Founder and Executive Director of the MicroLife Institute. Over the past decade, his leadership has driven policy reforms and widespread acceptance of micro structures in the Southeastern region. The MicroLife Institute gained global recognition for its pioneering project, The Cottages on Vaughan, winning the Innovative Development Award from the Atlanta Regional Commission in 2021 and the Jack Kemp Excellence Award in 2022. Under Johnston’s guidance, MicroLife secured $3.5 million in grants for innovative housing initiatives in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Institute also creates online courses, promoting understanding of housing dynamics and advocating for progressive zoning laws to enhance urban connectivity and walkability. As a testament to his unwavering commitment to the field, he has recently culminated his rigorous pursuit of knowledge with a Master’s degree in Community Development from the University of Georgia in Spring of 2023.