unCommon Construction's staff and board of directors are composed of unique individuals that reflect a range of experiences, social positions, and professional expertise across our key impact areas of education, youth & workforce development, housing & real estate and more - all bringing unique value to the apprentice program experience and outcomes.
We asked our staff...
Q1. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Q2. What is your favorite unCommon memory?
Q3. If you could give one piece of advice to your high school self, what would it be?
Q4. What's the most recent or coolest thing you've ever built?
Aaron frumin, founder & Chief Executive Officer
Q 1. I'd be a Jedi Knight.
Q 2. One build day, we were circled up in the front yard of the house for an end-of-day shoutout & reflection activity when a few of the younger kids who live in the neighborhood - cousins of one of our apprentices - rode by on their bikes like they'd been doing throughout the rest of the day and semester. But, this time, they were chanting, “Teamwork! teamwork! Teamwork!”
Q 3. Work smart AND hard.
Q4. I built the first house I owned and lived in!
Tiffany Brooks - Chief of Staff
Q1: I’d love to be able to move through spaces undetected.
q2: My favorite unCommon memory was at our Birthday Bash. Charlotte, an unCommon alumna, was passionate about why unCommon was important to her and how she applied what she learned at unCommon to pursue her Masters Degree in Architecture.
Q3: Ask more questions and be an active listener.
q4: The coolest thing I’ve ever built was a deck with my grandpa when we first moved to Sacramento. I was 6 and my brother was 10. My grandfather wasn’t shy about putting us to work and rewarding us for a days work with OtterPops!
Sydney Doyle, Program director - NOLA+
Q 1. to be able to turn into any animal!
Q 2. my most recent favorite memory is from this past summer semester. the summer semester is super hard with the heat and humidity and we only had two apprentices for the entire semester. it was one of the hottest days and we were painting the interior of the house in full ppe. everyone was exhausted at the end of the day and we were doing our end of day wrap up when one of the apprentices said that there was a few times throughout the day when he wanted to quit but he didn’t and he was really glad he didn’t and proud of himself for pushing through. i couldn’t have been prouder either!
Q 3. to enjoy the little things and make time for laughter and self care.
Q4. In North Carolina, I built An awesome L-Shaped bar with my godfather for my garage!
Briana Sneed, Pathways Manager - NOLA
Q1: Invisibility!
Q2: At our new Campus, we hosted a variety of partners and apprentices to envision how our campus could look and feel. Our apprentices eagerly embraced the opportunity to share their interests and vision and asked partners questions about the building and framing process. Witnessing our apprentices’ confidence and enthusiasm grow as they felt a sense of pride in our new space was top tier!
q3: take risks and always accept failure or setbacks as an opportunity to grow!
q4: coolest thing i’ve ever built was an elevated dog bed!
John Lindsay, Construction Manager - NOLA
Q1. Infinite patience
Q2 There was this day in fall 22' where the house we were building was nearly finished with framing and we had a mix of apprentices indoors and outdoors. It started to pour and everyone had to move to do indoor work, except the house wasn't fully dried in yet which meant that water could still get indoors through all the cracks in the roof. We had such a motivated and fun group of apprentices that they kept working through these conditions in stride. We were all soaked to the bone but everyone was laughing and kept working hard and there was some real character building that day
Q3 Any problem you're experiencing now may seem like the end of the world but it will all pass and seem like a minor issue in hindsight. Don't worry so much and just focus on living in the moment as best you can
Q4 I made some floating book shelves in my bedroom from salvaged heart pine stair treads
Mary Bliss Mccrossen, director of development
q1: I would have the ability to heal (mind, body, and spirit). There is so much suffering in the world and pain begets more pain, so I would like the ability to help people (and animals!) get to a place of strength and resilience so that they can lead happier lives.
q2: I THINK MY FIRST BUILD DAY WITH UNCOMMON WAS MY FAVORITE. I REALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE LEADING A TEAM OF ADULTS AT A CONSTRUCTION SIGHT! I REMEMBER STANDING IN THE CIRCLE BEFORE WE STARTED THE DAY AND WAS IN AWE OF HOW WELL OUR APPRENTICES WERE LEADING THE GROUP. THEIR CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE SURPASSED THEIR YEARS AND THEIR CLEAR LOVE OF AND RESPECT FOR THE WORK WAS INSPIRING. I KNEW RIGHT THEN THAT THIS ORGANIZATION WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL AND I WANTED TO CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF IT.
q3: LISTEN MORE. I HAVE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS THAT LISTENING HELPS MAKE ME MORE MINDFUL OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND ME, SUPPORTS AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS, AND GIVES ME PERSPECTIVE TO KEEP ME CENTERED IN WHAT MATTERS.
q4: WITH A BACKGROUND IN THE PERFORMING ARTS, I USED TO BUILD THEATRE SETS AS A PART OF MY JOB. WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, I HELPED BUILD A SET THAT HAD A HUGE PROSCENIUM BOX FRAME ABOUT 20 FEET TALL AND 30 FEET LONG. AS THE SMALLEST PERSON ON THE BUILD TEAM, IT WAS MY JOB TO CRAWL INSIDE IT TO FINISH UP THE FINAL INTERNAL CONSTRUCTION. I’M A BIT CLAUSTROPHOBIC AND AM AFRAID OF HEIGHTS, SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A CHALLENGE! BUT IT LOOKED GREAT WHEN IT WAS COMPLETE AND I WAS REALLY PROUD OF MY WORK.
Sophie Gavin, Director of Operations
Q1: I’d want to be able to fly or teleport. I love the idea of quickly and easily getting from one place to another.
Q2: The first promotion ceremony I attended was beautiful to witness - all the apprentices looked very proud of their hard work, and it was clear they felt at home with each other and the unCommon staff.
Q3: Be willing to think outside the box, and discover out what you want. It doesn’t have to look like what you thought it “should” look like. There’s time to figure it all out.
Q4: I built some raised flower beds for my mom’s garden. I love seeing the plants thriving in those beds and am glad to have brought some joy to someone I love.
spencer grant, site director - Minneapolis
Q1: I would choose flight. I dream about it enough, and I think it would be awesome to be able to transport myself from A to B quickly. It would also be incredibly helpful on the build site to be able to move things around and never need a ladder!
Q2: There are so many, but a favorite is during one of the first promotion ceremonies when the equity awards were first announced. Apprentices hadn’t been paying attention to that extra boost, and there was an amazing surprise on so many of their faces when they found out what their equity award had accumulated. I was moved seeing how grateful they were to have their efforts rewarded and excited to learn about how they were going to use the award after graduation.
Q3: Invest in the things and people you care about. There is a lot of time spent chasing things that may or may not be what you’re truly interested in. If you take the time to reflect on what matters to you and spend your time in those spaces, you’ll gain skills and community that will drive you in a fulfilling way.
Q4: Well, I’ve built quite a few things, both physical structures and relational. Knowing that we hold dual meanings for our values, I’ll double up on this one! The coolest structure I’ve built would be the most recent tiny house in Minneapolis, it’s awesome to see the design come into existence and make something off grid. Relationally, the coolest thing I’ve built is my family. It is amazing to see my partner and children grow and share my life with them!
Natalie Robinson, Program Administration Specialist - NOLA+
q1: The ability to breathe underwater!
q2: My very first day on an unCommon build site. I was so impressed ot see all the hard work the apprentices had put in this semester. getting to know the apprentices and hearing their stories about ucc has impacted their lives for the better was truly heartwarming. it was also great to see some of ucc’s partners and sponsors working alongside the apprentices and learning from them
q3: be present!
qf: a backyard vegetable garden and compost bin.
Ross Harmon, Program Team - NOLA
Scott Schulze, Person of All Trades - NOLA
Caleb Downin - Person of all Trades - NOLA
Katie Wills Evans - Director of Curriculum & Training
Matthew Shilling, Person of All Trades - NOLA
Taylor Pettit - Development Manager, Campaigns & Engagement
Arouna Guindo - Person of All Trades - NOLA
Bozena Scheidel - Person Of All Trades - Minneapolis
Interested in joining our team?
Click HERE to view open positions, inquire, & connect today!