Staff and Board

Staff

Andy Freeze, Executive Director
Andy is the staff person charged with moving NASNA forward while building capacity and providing resources and support to its membership.  Andy worked for two years at Streetvibes in Cincinnati, Ohio where he managed all aspects of the vendor program including working with 40 vendors a month.  Andy also assisted with the production of the newspaper by writing articles and designing the layout.  His experience with Streetvibes will prove invaluable as he works with street newspapers throughout North America to compile best practices and offer advice to new and growing street newspapers. (Email Andy)

Board of Directors

Pictured: (Back L-R) Ben Siew, Israel Bayer, Rick Barnes, Sean Condon, (Front L-R) Tasha French, Serge Lareault, Elizabeth Ochs (not pictured: Bryan Pollard)

Israel Bayer, Board President. Israel is the Executive Director of Street Roots in Portland, Oregon. He also sits on the board of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, blogs at Change.org and moonlights in photography and painting mediums.

Sean Condon, Board Vice President: Sean Condon is the executive director of Megaphone, a magazine sold on the streets of Vancouver by homeless and low-income vendors. A former senior editor of Adbusters, Sean has written for a number of magazines and newspapers in Canada, the United States and Europe and has focused his work on social justice, with the goal of ending poverty and prejudice.

Bryan Pollard,  Board Treasurer: Bryan Pollard is the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In 1998, Bryan co-founded and became the managing editor of Street Roots, a monthly tabloid in Portland. Bryan was at the helm of Street Roots for five years where he practiced all aspects of journalism including writing, photography, graphic design, copy editing and newsroom management.

Bryan is a lifetime member of the Native American Journalists Association and a board member for the North American Street Newspaper Association. He is also a professional member of the Society for Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association.

Rick Barnes, Board Secretary: Rick has 23 years experience in the mortgage banking industry with 16 years in the servicing brokerage industry. Barnes co-founded both Phoenix Capital and Phoenix Analytic Services and remains active guiding both firms. In addition, Rick was instrumental in resurrecting The Denver VOICE, the City of Denver’s street newspaper Barnes is the president of the board for the Denver VOICE. Barnes also serves on the board of NASNA,  Sox Place and Zach’s Project.  Rick holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Wyoming.

Elizabeth Ochs, Board member: Elizabeth Ochs lives in Providence, Rhode Island. She is the editor of Street Sights newspaper, a monthly 16-page street newspaper about homelessness in Rhode Island. Elizabeth is the Constituent Organizer at the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, where she runs a bi-monthly “Speak Out” opportunity for individuals in the homeless community. She is currently forming an advisory committee of formerly homeless individuals to oversee the work of the RI Coalition for the Homeless and is also developing a “Speaker’s Bureau” where homeless and formerly homeless individuals speak about their lives at venues throughout the state.

Serge Lareault, Board member: Serge is Director of L’Itinéraire street paper in Montreal, Canada and Chair of the International Network of Street Papers. He studied at the University of Montréal and achieved a first degree in French literature and a second degree in Communication & Journalism at UQÀM. Serge has acted as Editor-in-Chief of several publications and has experience in politics by acting as assistant to the Mayor of Montreal. He developed L’Itinéraire from a staff of six with 150 vendors and a monthly circulation of 3,000 in 2002 to a staff of 16 with 350 vendors and a monthly circulation of 15,000 in 2006. The project is now financially healthy and has strong links with individuals, funders and the Montreal and Canadian governments.

Ben Siew, Board member: Ben is a Managing Director and the founder of Bennett Partners. He works with investors and entrepreneurs to implement customized solutions that resolve immediate issues and drive bottom-line, organizational performance. His areas of expertise include Board facilitation, individual assessment, organizational benchmarking and development, due diligence, performance management, succession planning as well as executive coaching.

Ben serves as a Board member for privately held companies, as well as non-profit organizations such as the Student Emergency Relief Association, Inc. (SERA)—a non-profit offering financial aid and educational support to students affected by natural disasters. He was a National Merit Finalist and earned a degree in biology and religion from Duke University. Ben holds a Master’s and a Doctorate in Psychology from graduate studies at Wake Forest University and the University of Denver. Ben is a proud father of three amazing children—including twins.

Tasha French, Board member: Tasha French is the founder, director and president of The Contributor street paper in Nashville, Tennessee. She brings to the NASNA board a degree in photojournalism and more than 15 years experience working with at least ten publications in various capacities. She has experience as a homeless outreach worker and has spent years photographing and interviewing individuals living on the street. She is the recipient of the 2009 Titans Community Quarterback award, given to the top volunteer in the state of Tennessee, for her efforts with The Contributor.