Our Team
Kim Curtis, LCSW
Executive Director
Kim Curtis is the Executive Director and Program Founder of Goodness Village. She leads the Village’s mission to provide the Tri-Valley’s formerly unhoused neighbors a safe and supportive community to live independently, heal, and thrive! Goodness Village is an innovative, low barrier, community centric program that incorporates the use of tiny homes, 24/7 wrap-around mental health services, onsite case management, and a three-tier vocational program to assist individuals successfully transition out of chronic homelessness. Thanks to the support of Senator Glazer's office, Goodness Village has secured funding for a phase 2 expansion, which includes the addition of a spacious community center and extra homes. Construction for this expansion is scheduled to commence in early 2024.
With 18+ years of experience, Kim Curtis launched her career with an Associate's degree in Criminal Justice. Since 2012, she has held the distinguished title of Licensed Clinical Social Worker, demonstrating her commitment to professional growth and expertise in the field. Her unwavering dedication has been directed towards forming partnerships with the chronically unhoused population. She has developed a specialization in addressing the co-occurrence of mental health challenges and substance use within this community.
Jade Rubio
Manager of Support Services
Jade joined the Goodness Village staff in early 2021, where she was one of the first members of our Support Staff. She quickly found herself in a place of leadership, taking on the role of Village Lead before becoming the Manager of Support Services. She is responsible for leading our Support Staff in providing 24/7 support and case management for our 28 participants.
Jade achieved her Associates of Arts Degree from Las Positas Community College and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from California State University, Stanislaus. Jade has always had a passion for people, where she recognized from an early age that she had a heart for those disenfranchised in society, particularly people who struggle with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. She finds it incredibly rewarding to ensure that everyone she serves is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. She is motivated to end homelessness in the Tri-Valley and to build a program that can inspire other organizations throughout California. She believes that Goodness Village’s permanent supportive housing model will be the answer to chronic homelessness.
In her free time, Jade enjoys traveling, trying new foods, exercising, being outdoors, going to concerts, laying on the beach, and spending time with her family and friends. She is a fan of Bay Area sports and tries to attend Giants and 49ers games whenever she can. #BEATLA
Shaunette Buchanan
Housing Services Manager
With 15+ years of affordable housing and property management experience, Shaunette has been an integral part of the Goodness Village community by overseeing all of the housing needs for our neighbors. As a Bay Area native who grew up helping her grandmother work and volunteer in shelters, group homes, and convalescent homes, Shaunette understands the unique challenges and needs of the unhoused and marginalized communities. “Helping others is literally embedded into my DNA,” she says, as she melds her past work experiences with her education in Early Childhood Development and Psychology to better serve the neighbors at Goodness Village.
When Shaunette and her husband are not running behind their teenage student athletes, she spends her time coordinating, catering, and hosting large events and banquets. She is also quite the intrepid traveler, adventuring all over the US and internationally with the hopes to circumnavigate the globe!
Terri Kendro
Vocational Manager
Terri has been part of Goodness Village since July 2021, starting her journey here as a member of the support staff. Her affinity to build rapport with our neighbors was obvious from day one, making it an easy transition for her to head our vocational program. She leads and manages all the vocational opportunities here on site, as well as builds relationships with small businesses throughout the Tri-Valley to offer external vocational opportunities for our neighbors who are ready to rejoin the workforce.
Before joining Goodness Village, Terri worked in the corporate world with over 33+ years in Customer Relations and Sales. She then had her own lived experience with homelessness and struggled with substance abuse. After graduating from an 18 month rehabilitation program, she went back to school and became a Registered Drug and Alcohol Technician. She continues her education through CCAPP in Psychology and Human Behavior.
In her free time Terri enjoys meditation, journaling, homeless outreach, spending time with her daughter, riding her bike, volunteering her time, life coaching, and watching the Masked Singer and HGTV.
Jackie Ayo
Community Engagement Manager
Jackie has been an integral part of Goodness Village since day one, joining the support staff in April 2021 and becoming our Volunteer Coordinator in 2023. From an early age, she recognized she has an appreciation for the human mind; she is passionate about learning how people think and how different life experiences can affect people’s social skills and development (often without them even knowing.) She graduated from CSU Stanislaus with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, and she is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Human Behavior Psychology.
Being both a case manager and our volunteer mastermind, Jackie has the unique experience of understanding how important volunteers are to grow our program and she possesses the skills to help bring in and integrate volunteers into the Goodness Village culture. She strives to work with as many diverse populations and support those who are in need, with the dream of working with released convicts and facilitating a smoother transition into society.
When she’s not at Goodness Village, Jackie runs her own small business selling boutique skincare products, enjoys spending time outside, and doing yoga with her 1 year old cat Izzy (named after UFC fighter Israel Adesanya). She believes that health is wealth, and taking care of one’s mind and body is the greatest form of self care.
Hunter Van Dam
Operations Director, Human Resources
Hunter has been part of the Goodness Village team since its early days, being Kim Curtis’ first hire. He loves being behind the scenes as he collaborates with his fellow program directors and managers, the Board of Directors, and the Support Staff with all things communications, design, marketing, IT, and anything else that comes up.
Before joining the Village, Hunter was part of the CrossWinds Church staff serving as Music Director, Communications Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant. He grew up and went to school in the Los Angeles area, where he earned his undergraduate degree from Azusa Pacific University. In his free time, Hunter enjoys playing and listening to live music, watching the Warriors (#StephGonnaSteph), and pretending to know anything about whiskey.
One of Hunter’s favorite memories of Goodness Village happened during his interview. Kim Curtis’ final question was, “My email doesn’t work and I think I broke the website… Can you fix that?” Hunter’s response – “Probably.”