Meet The Team
Joel Hamernick, Founding Partner
Executive Director
Joel is a visionary, a coach, a reader, a systems thinker, a strategist, a problem solver. A student of leadership and Grandfather of 3 and a wanna-be guitarist.
Joel is focused on helping others access new networks and build organizations that are effective and sustainable.
Paula Hamernick, Founding Partner
Director of Growth & Engagement
Paula leads the systems, communications, and client experience that power Coach House’s growth and impact. This role is responsible for generating and converting leads, guiding nonprofit leaders through their journey, and ensuring that every client experiences clarity, trust, and sustained support from initial engagement through long-term success.
Paula translates Coach House’s strategy into meaningful relationships and actionable progress—ensuring that leaders not only connect with the work, but fully engage, execute, and grow.
Franklin Ballenger
Director of Community Partnerships
Franklin leads Coach House’s relationship-building efforts across the nonprofit ecosystem. He is responsible for cultivating trusted partnerships, expanding the organization’s network, and generating opportunities for new client engagement and strategic collaboration.
Franklin serves as a connector and ambassador—building credibility in the community, opening doors to new organizations and funders, and ensuring Coach House remains deeply embedded in the networks it serves.
Caleb Hamernick
Director of Technology
Founder of Bandto, an AI-powered networking platform used by Harvard, MIT & more. Former marketing director and educator blending tech, design, and community to connect people through shared purpose.
Caleb brings experience in assisting the development of organizational technology planning. He is building out our Nonprofit platform for learning and growth, coachhouse.app
Board of Directors
Holly Daly
Holly Daly is a social worker, currently living in Grand Rapids Michigan. She has practiced community development work as well as micro, mezzo, and macro social work for over 20 years. For 10 years she and her husband raised their four sons in the Woodlawn neighborhood, working with Sunshine on community development efforts. Currently she is the Regional Director for the YoungLives program under Young Life, serving pregnant and parenting teens across Western Michigan. She also teaches as an adjunct professor at Calvin University in the social work department.
Ghian Foreman
Foreman is the President and CEO of the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative, which generates community wealth and amplifies local culture through shared pride, power, and investment for Chicago’s mid-South Side. Emerald South attracts and coordinates investment through community convening and collaborative partnerships that increase local ownership and prosperity.
Foreman previously served as the Executive Director of Greater Southwest Development Corporation. He sits on several boards, including the Chicago Rehab Network and Hyde Park Art Center. Foreman is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Strategy at Chicago Booth.
Mark Kindelin
Barnes & Thornberg LLC
Deborah Sandstrom
MA Applied Linguistics, Professor UIC (retired)
Maribeth Shover
Timeless Homes, President
Michael Strautmanis
Mike is a Senior Vice President at the Obama Foundation, with a background in public service, civic engagement, and national leadership development. Before joining the Obama Foundation, Michael spent over a decade in Washington, D.C., working to increase access to economic opportunity, strengthen the judicial system, and champion equity and inclusion in the White House, federal agencies, and Congress. He served in the Obama White House for four of those years as Chief of Staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Jonathan Webb
NCF Foundation