Welcome New Board Members

We are very pleased to announce that Scott E. Brideau, Tamara Fye, Shanton Kittler and Norris Middleton have joined our Board of Directors.

Scott Brideau is the Workplace Studio Principal for Little Diversified Architectural Consulting’s Arlington office. With over 35 years of experience in the industry including seven in construction, he leads a team focused on office base building, mixed use and corporate interiors. He is responsible for client relationship management, business development, project coordination and scheduling, as well as staff development and growth.

As Co-Chair of the Community Outreach Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of CoreNet, Scott became familiar with RT-AFF and RT-AFF’s excellent charity ratings sold him on becoming involved with us. Scott served as the CoreNet Team Leader for two projects with RT-AFF. For their 2015 project, the team worked on one of New Hope Housing’s homes in Alexandria making electrical repairs, replacing cabinets, power washing, caulking openings and securing loose siding, and cleaning gutters to reduce insects and to prevent water from entering the group home.

Scott is founding and current Co-Chair of the Urban Land Institute Washington Sustainability Initiative Council, serves on an Arlington County Advisory Board that helped develop the 40-year comprehensive community energy sustainability plan, and is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Arlington, a nine-month program for established leaders, designed to strengthen and build community and increase the cohort’s impact on the organizations they serve.

“I am excited to join the RT-AFF board. My involvement as a team member and team leader on Rebuilding Together projects gave me a good background in the direct services that RT-AFF provides and how hands-on volunteers can make a big impact for homeowners in need and for nonprofit housing organizations,” said Scott. “I am looking forward to sharing my expertise and skills with the team. Everyone faces different challenges with the built environment and helping people live safely in their own homes is an essential community service.”

Tamara Fye is a well-respected and dedicated Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and Physical Therapist. Currently she is a consultant providing education and guidance to seniors and their families as they navigate independent living, assisted living and memory care placement. During her career she became known for creating operational stability and becoming personally engaged with the residents, families and staffs of the nursing homes where she served as Administrator or Executive Director. Her goal was to enhance successful and purposeful aging for the residents she served.

“I’m really pleased to bring my 34 years of experience and a deep understanding of seniors and their needs to Rebuilding Together – AFF,” said Tamara.

As a physical therapist Tamara developed a thorough understanding of how people move through and live in their homes and how to make homes safer. “People who choose to age in place, like many of the homeowners RT-AFF serves, have different needs than those who live in a structured environment,” Tamara said. “I feel privileged to serve on the RT-AFF board and to share my knowledge and expertise to make our community a better place for everyone.”

Shanton Kittler, Senior Vice President, SBA Lending Manager at MainStreet Bank brings more than 15 years of banking experience to our board. Her passion for the small business community and her background in banking is extremely beneficial to Rebuilding Together – AFF as we continue to strengthen our financial position.

She is active in the banking community through her involvement with Business Network International, and she serves on the Board of Directors for FSC First, a certified development corporation, and Maryland Commercial Lenders Association. Shanton is also a mentor in the VBA Women’s Mentorship Pilot Program.

“I’m excited to serve on the Board of Rebuilding Together – AFF and to give back to the community, especially our seniors,” said Shanton. “As I’ve watched my mother age I’ve gained a lot of experience and understanding of the needs of seniors.” She continued saying “I’m in more of a caregiver role with my mother now, and I’ve been able to help her adapt her home to her mobility issues. I can only imagine what it’s like for seniors who don’t have families or the funds to take care of things like grab bars, high toilets and other modifications to keep them safe at home. I’m really excited to be part of the solution.”

Norris Middleton is the President and CEO of Management Support Technology, Inc, (MSTI), a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has over 50 years of professional experience in project management, systems engineering and integration, design, development, life cycle methodologies, testing and documentation. Norris is a U.S. Army veteran and has been volunteering with Rebuilding Together – AFF for more than 30 years on National Rebuilding Day as a member of the Psi Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity team. He comes to our board with the highest of recommendations from long-time RT-AFF Board Member Col. (Ret.) Marion “Barney” Barnwell.

Norris brings extensive financial, strategic planning, management and mentorship skills to our Board. Norris’ management style is critical to the success of MSTI. He explained “even though we have government customers, our first customers are our employees – if they are happy, then the customers that they serve are happy resulting in excellent evaluations and recommendations.” He continued by saying “getting people to buy-in and feel as though the project is their own is critical to both my corporate work and my volunteer work.”

In addition to being a very active leader and member of Psi Alpha Alpha, Norris serves as the Treasurer for the National Veterans Small Business Coalition, Treasurer of RMOA Business Alliance and on the Board of Directors for the Bernie L. Bates Memorial Scholarship Fund.

“I’ve really enjoyed being part of National Rebuilding Day with Barney and our team,” said Norris. “Each of the projects we’ve worked on has been memorable and unique. It’s important to take care of members of our community and help make their lives easier.”