Our Board of Directors
Our caring Board members bring a wealth of experience in many areas and together they provide a strong basis to give guidance and direction to our nonprofit organization. Our Board members include:
BROOK WITHERSPOON
Brook Witherspoon, as a board member, has found her calling. As a mother of two young children, and an owner of the First Street Alehouse in downtown Livermore, Brook has always been passionate about serving others, but the Rooms of Hope mission has really allowed her the opportunity to make a lasting impact in people’s lives. With a perfect platform for fundraising, and a wealth of willing volunteers, Brook has had the unique ability to tie her “day job” directly to the Rooms of Hope organization. With the support of her amazing husband Ron, and the constant cheerleading of her two precious children, this is truly a family affair.
DAVID DOYLE
David Doyle retired from commercial construction in December of 2023. He and his wife, Anita, started Doyle Construction Inc. in 2002. As part of their exit strategy, Doyle Construction merged with Pacific Construction, based in Stockton. David has literally been involved in residential and commercial construction his entire life, beginning in Indiana at his grandfather’s hardware store and remodeling company. David brings a lot of non-profit world experience to the board of Rooms of Hope. He is a former board member and co-chair of TriValley Conservancy (TVC) based in Livermore; and he is currently the president of Missing Man Ministry, a role he has held for seven (7) years. David and Anita have been supporters of Rooms of Hope and now David will be able to enhance his support formally as a member of the Board of Directors. We welcome David’s breadth of construction experience and non-profit experience.
MIKE FIRENZE
Mike Firenze is a Group Director with Dome Construction and brings a wealth of resources with him to support our Rooms of Hope program. Dome Construction partners with us often to bring our Rooms of Hope children spaces that matter! Mike’s expertise is project management and he will be serving not only on the board, but as a Project Supervisor at the dream room makeovers. Alongside Shelley and Greg, Mike is presently helping to support our partnerships with construction and electric companies. He loves our mission and the kids we serve. Mike lives in San Ramon with his wife and has grown children.
NATHAN BENNETT
Nathan Bennett is a founding Rooms of Hope board member. His financial background as founding partner of a wealth management firm and advising clients, business owners, and high net individuals with the entirety of their financial lives makes him more than qualified to keep Rooms of Hope, Inc. on track financially. Nathan’s love for this mission, along with his resources, brings support to the team that we need to be successful for years to come. Nathan is a Partner with Summit Financial Group in San Ramon, and lives with his wife and two children in Pleasanton.
SHELLEY HAM
Shelley Ham is the President of our Board, as well as our Executive Director. She brings a wealth of experience in nonprofit work and management, as well as a sincere love for design and children, especially those with unique needs. As a business leader and interior designer, she has spent more than ten years creating dream room makeovers for children with life-threatening medical illnesses while building business structures and alliances to make sure every child in need gets their dream space. This work is very meaningful to her because two of her three children were seriously ill and are now healthy. Shelley understands that supporting seriously ill children and their families will be part of her life forever. Shelley lives with her husband in Pleasanton, and has three grown daughters all living in the Bay Area.
STAN BOCHENEK
Stan Bochenek is a Member of our Board and has endless energy to support and move forward the purpose of a team of honest and passionate people. Stan’s love for our mission stems from his personal experience of having his daughter receive her dream room makeover in 2012, when she was battling a very rare bone cancer. It took him no time at all to offer his skills in fundraising, event planning and volunteering to make a difference. Stan is a valuable part of our organization and will be so for years to come. Stan works for Maxim Integrated as Director of Sales, for the Americas Sales and Applications organization, in San Jose. He lives with his wife and five children in San Ramon.
Our Previous Board of Directors
GREG HENNINGS
Greg Hennings was a board member between 2016 and 2024. As an electrician, he supported our makeovers in such a meaningful way with all his talent. So did his wife, Pam. As well, each January, they headed up our Poker Night which was so much fun for our supporters and raised thousands and thousands of dollars for our cause. We thank Greg for his years of service on our board of directors.
LUCI GALLAGHER
Luci Gallagher was a founding board member between 2014 and 2019. She learned about us when her beautiful daughter, Kaitlin, was going through cancer and received her very own dream bedroom. Two years later, Luci was on our Rooms of Hope board, and gave us much of her time and talent. We thank Luci for her years of service on our board of directors.
NANCY TATARKA
Nancy Tatarka was a founding board member between 2014 and 2023. Her beautiful heart and wise advice was always a welcomed attribute for our board. Along with all her contributions came her talented husband, George, who always brought his very best to the makeovers alongside Nancy. They both always showed up in a big way and they always made it about our Rooms of Hope kids. We thank Nancy for her years of service on our board of directors.