March is Women’s History Month. At Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, we are proud of the women on our team who devote themselves to moving our mission forward to help individuals and families in Pinellas, West Pasco, and Hernando Counties achieve the dream of affordable homeownership. This is a four-part series focused on the women in different departments at Habitat.
Habitat’s program and mortgage servicing teams are involved in every aspect of the homeowner journey. From the time an individual or family applies to the program, these team members make it a priority for them to succeed. Within these teams are strong women who have the experience and determination to help Habitat find and nurture successful homeowners that will succeed for years to come.
Latoya Brown – Programs Manager, Pasco
Latoya joined the Habitat team in February 2021. She loves helping people with achieving their life goals. Latoya sees no greater goal for individuals and families than to own their piece of the American dream in the form of homeownership. She considers customer service as her greatest strength. Latoya believes in serving families and providing as much guidance as possible to help in the pre-qualification process. Latoya knows the process because she is a Habitat Homeowner and wants to see as many families as possible have the same opportunity she had.
A native of New Jersey, Latoya has been in the Sunshine State since 1998. When she is not working you can find Latoya with her family and watching movies. Latoya loves new movies, particularly if they are adventurous ones. She also loves to cook and try new recipes.
“Homes means security, comfort, and peace.”
Siouxzen Coppola – Office & Mortgage Servicing Assistant
Siouxzen joined the Habitat team in August 2023. She was looking for a new opportunity in her career, one that would provide a place that values employees as people. When Siouxzen saw Habitat was looking for someone who could assist with office and mortgage duties, she knew she had to apply. She is a Habitat Homeowner and always saw the Habitat team as smiling and upbeat. Siouxzen is a people person and knows what it means to deliver top customer service. She also takes great pride in helping fellow homeowners whenever possible.
A resident of Clearwater for 33 years, Siouxzen considers herself a native at this point. When she is not working you will find her with her three children, who are her world. Siouzxen loves doing everything with her children – cooking, playing, reading – if it involves family time that is what she wants to do.
“Home is my peace. I get to escape the realities of the world once I close the front door behind me. Nothing else matters than what’s between those four walls.”
Keila Gonzalez – Mortgage Servicing Manager
Keila joined the Habitat team in May 2021. Keila loves being part of an organization that succeeds in making a difference in the community and with its employees. Keila had a friend tell her about a job opening at Habitat. To this day, Keila is grateful to her friend because she sees her job at Habitat as truly life-changing. Keila says Habitat gave her a career and the tools necessary for success in her life. Her greatest strength is identifying and analyzing loans in the best possible way to help homeowners understand their account.
Keila is from Puerto Rico and moved to Tampa Bay in 2021. Keila loves being around her family. That requires her to fly to Puerto Rico to see family members, but she knows it’s worth it. Keila does have her children and granddaughter with her in Florida, which is a blessing. Keila also loves listening to music, watching her favorite Spanish shows, and getting muddy in a 4-wheeler!
“Home is a place where you feel safe and loved and can create many memories with your loved ones—where you can grow for your future in life and become resilient.”
Brittney Keene – Homeowner Candidate Support Coordinator
Brittney joined the Habitat team in November 2019. Brittney is a Habitat Homeowner and has always loved volunteering on Habitat homes. When she came to Habitat’s 500TH home dedication, a staff member told her she would be perfect for the role in homeowner support. Brittney applied and has never looked back. She leans on her abilities to connect and relate to homeowners and homeowner candidates going through the Habitat program. She loves helping the families as they navigate their way to their own home dedications.
Brittney is from St. Pete. When she is not working you will find her with her son, living “that Mom Life!” You will catch her at an AAU basketball tournament or hanging out with friends and family. Though Brittney has a shy side when it comes to being in the spotlight, she shines with friends and family.
“Home is where we share our problems; share our wins; dance; laugh; cuddle; read; sit in silence. Home is everything.”
Norah King – Homeowner Compliance and Inspection Manager
Norah joined the Habitat team in October 2024. She wanted to be part of making an impact by helping others achieve and maintain a forever home. Norah has a drive that comes from growing up and watching her parents being determined to make a better life for her and her brother. Norah’s greatest strength is her passion to make an impact and a difference.
Norah moved from Minnesota to Tampa Bay in October 2021. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and an MBA. When Norah is not tackling homeowner issues, she is tackling on the football field as a member of the Tampa Bay Inferno – a professional women’s tackle football team. She also enjoys being in the kitchen making family recipes and learning new meals to try.
“Home means a safe and comfortable space where memories are made with the people you love.”
Stacy Shawn – Mortgage Operations Coordinator
Stacy joined the Habitat team in February 2021. Fate played an important role as Stacy started at Habitat for a temp job. She hasn’t left yet as she has become a permanent member of the team. Stacy uses her tenacity and organization skills to guide her each day as she helps to serve over 100 families in the Habitat pipeline.
Born and raised in the Tampa Bay area, Stacy has a Bachelor’s in Networking Design and Administration. One of her favorites things to do is taking a nightly walk and making dinner for her son.
“Home is a safe place that you can go to when you need a quiet space. When we feel emotionally connected to our surroundings, we can relax and be ourselves.”
Paula Shinaberry – Office Coordinator, Pasco
Paula joined the Habitat team in March 2019. Habitat’s Christian principles and values were part of the reason Paula was attracted to its mission in the Tampa Bay region. Paula sees her greatest strength is promoting the mission by connecting with families to make their affordable homeownership dreams a reality.
Originally from Baltimore, Paula moved to Florida in 2014. She loves word search puzzles and going to the movies and baking with her granddaughter. Paula’s two favorite places in the world are Universal Studios and Disney World.
“Home is a place to relax, feel safe. Have stability, be surrounded by family, friends, and making memories.”
Ashley Swift – Homeowner Program Coordinator
Ashley joined the Habitat team in August 2018. She wanted to find a career where she could make a difference and give back to the community. Ashley found that with Habitat. She enjoys waking up every day knowing that she works for an organization with a mission that will impact and empower communities every day. Ashley’s greatest strength is her ability to guide new homeowner applicants through the process and show a true bit of humanity with them. Sometimes they laugh, other times they might cry, but Ashley is right there with them to make them feel comfortable sharing their stories.
Ashley is from Southern California and moved to Tampa Bay in 2012. If you want a good place to eat, ask Ashley. She always knows the best places to go and will never steer you wrong.
“There is so much power that comes from the word ‘Home’. It has many different meanings. Home to me is a place where you Dream, learn, and make memories.”
