Ryan Kilpatrick
Founder & CEO
Ryan has a background in economic development, affordable housing, neighborhood design, and public finance. As the Executive Director of Housing Next, he helped to define access to housing as a core economic development issue for West Michigan through data-oriented dialogue and partnership with employers, local municipalities, chambers of commerce, and developers. Ryan has 15+ years of experience supporting local units of government, community foundations, and developers with technical assistance and best practice implementation through planning, zoning, process improvement, and the use of financial tools to create economically vibrant communities. He has a Masters in Design from Kendall College of Art & Design and a B.A. in Community Development from GVSU.
Sam Kallen
Researcher & Consultant
Sam is passionate about learning how systems work, and helping them achieve larger goals. He applies his background in organizational behavior management, process improvement, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and research analysis to engage with complex systems that span and support an entire community. His goal is to help groups take strategic small steps that move the organization closer to achieving their objectives.
For the past nine months, Sam has been shoulder-deep in Kent County housing data, learning how housing needs are calculated, where and what kind of housing might support future growth, and the complex systems that create delay and price increases to housing developments. He has a Masters degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Western Michigan University. Sam lives in the Garfield Park Neighborhood on the Southeast side of Grand Rapids with his husband and three cats.
Arielle Leipham Ellis
Director of Operations
Arielle Leipham Ellis has a background in community organizing, project management, and technology. She has experience in business district leadership, neighborhood planning, placemaking, community engagement, and streetscape best practices. She currently chairs Uptown Grand Rapids Inc., Cultivate, and the East Fulton Business Association. Arielle is a graduate of GVSU’s political science program.
She spends her free time hosting neighborhood block parties, reading, walking around Grand Rapids, and riding bicycles with her family, friends, and community. She enjoys a good joke and has recently committed to watering her plants more regularly.
Adam Weiler
Design + Community Engagement
Adam Weiler is a designer and facilitator based in Grand Rapids, MI. He is a senior executive education coach at Stanford’s dschool and passionate about supporting communities pursuing more equitable, vibrant, and sustainable futures. He is the founder of multiple social impact initiatives and was most recently the Global Manager of Social Innovation for Steelcase.