Seed Housing is a family owned and operated socially responsible enterprise based in Michigan and working in the Midwest and on the West Coast.
Five family members are all equal members of Seed Housing, LLC. Seed Housing also frequently draws on the expertise of the members of our extended Seed Housing family, many of whom you will find in the links section.
Sarah Alvarez, JD, MPH
Chief Executive Officer
Sarah has a JD from Columbia Law School and an MPH from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia. Her substantive areas of expertise are environmental justice, population and family heath, and social entrepreneurship support. She has worked in legal advocacy, lobbying, and has significant experience supporting social entrepreneurs in beginning and maintaining their enterprises. Prior to Seed Housing, she worked to support emerging social justice leaders and organizations in New York and California. Contact Sarah at
Juan Alvarez, MFA
Lead Designer
In addition to his work at Seed Housing, Juan is the Curator of Exhibits at the Michigan State University Museum a professor of Museum Studies at MSU. His career in design and construction spans over 25 years and projects from homes to rehabbing an antique train car. Juan’s daily work involves designing, shaping, and constructing spaces and identifying creative solutions and appropriate materials for design challenges. He is interested in how people are affected by a space that they live, work, or experience a leisure activity. Contact Juan at
Elliot Alvarez, LEED AP
Mechanical Engineer and Designer
Elliot is a Mechanical Engineer and an Associate at Timmons Design Engineers; a firm in San Francisco specializing in green and high performance building design. Elliot is a LEED Accredited Professional and has worked for Green Building Services in Portland, Oregon, on a number of LEED for New Construction and LEED for Existing Buildings projects. He has a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Michigan. Contact Elliot at
Ian Wiesner, MBA
Business and Finance Director
Ian has a Masters in Business Administration from the Yale School of Management. He is a Senior Underwriter at NCB Capital Impact, a community development finance organization specializing in the financing of schools, health care clinics and affordable housing. Ian has also managed the final stages of development for a mixed-use low-income housing property in Norwich, Connecticut, served as an analyst at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, and as a Loan Consultant at Accion New York. Ian has significant experience with capital budgeting for nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Contact Ian at
Jennifer Alvarez, MA Child and Family Studies
Research Director
Seed Housing is lucky to have Jenny as our expert on how to make a house a home. She has over 25 years experience working to help families advocate for necessary services they are legally entitled to and for which they qualify. She has extensive experience navigating state and federally based benefits programs from a client serving perspective. Jenny currently works with individuals and families with disabilities in public school and social service programs within the state of Michigan. The focus of her work is creating models for inclusion and opportunity within the home and community for her clients. Contact Jenny at