Michael Hauser's Page

MICHAEL HAUSER
406 Smith Ave
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(919)-259-2628
mhauser@orangehabitat.org
orangehabitatmh@gmail.com
Michael Hauser is a collaborative Project Manager that excels at developing community relationships and creating sustainable agricultural and residential systems.


PROFESSIONAL STRENGTHS

• Organizing and facilitating community meetings
• Designing and constructing sustainable homes/farms
• Building capacity and leadership in civic organizations

• Advanced capacity to work on mechanical and hydraulic systems
• Intermediate understanding of soil structure and earth shelter design
• Designing and creating drip irrigation systems

• Advanced Spanish speaking skills
• Experience organizing rural communities
• Cross-cultural communication and mediation

• Volunteer and committee management
• Community garden management
• Documenting success with information technologies and digital media

WORK EXPERIENCE
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County Chapel Hill, NC
Community Organizer July 2009 – Present

Responsibility 1) Assist Habitat for Humanity Homeowners Associations to hold meetings, maintain their neighborhoods, and promote the beneficial use of their land.
A.) Conducted relational meetings in English and Spanish to organize support from neighborhood residents for local projects.
B.) Facilitated house meetings and encouraged residents to resolve conflicts. Acted as a neutral party in mediation meetings to help homeowners resolve settle disputes ranging from unleashed dogs to disposing of junked cars.
C.) Identified neighborhood leaders and encouraged them to become block captains, officers, board members, and committee members.
D.) Engaged clients in quarterly training sessions that cultivated their leadership skills.

Responsibility 2) Coordinate volunteers and partner organizations to support low-income communities.
A.) Served as liaison between community leaders and partner organizations, congregations, and government entities.
B.) Brainstormed with partners to discover new ways to contribute to the support systems in communities of low wealth.
C.) Participated in community assemblies and city council meetings to identify partners.

Responsibility 3) Provide support to the community gardens in the Fairview and Phoenix Place communities.
A.) Developed policies, procedures, and systems of support to ensure the ongoing success of Habitat for Humanity community gardens.
B.) Identified volunteer, financial, and consulting resources to contribute to local agricultural projects within the communities.
C.) Trained local leaders to manage the community gardens.
D.) Served on boards and committees to discuss sustainable gardens and agriculture in North Carolina.

New Beginnings Outreach (NBO) Durham, NC
Project Manager/Grant Writer Sep 2008 – June 2009

Responsibility 1) Design and implement major support services for the unemployed in low income communities.
E.) Collaborated with colleagues to design and implement a support-service network that empowered impoverished communities.
F.) Engaged clients in training that bolstered their skills for opportunities. Facilitated six-month training courses in condemned houses where vocational skills were practiced.
G.) Assembled a home acquisition committee and a training committee in order to continually facilitate training activities. Worked as a liaison with local nonprofits to provide green jobs training, transitional housing, and work experience programs.

Responsibility 2) Network resources to fuel training courses.
D.) Raised money for green construction materials and collaborated with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to fund client stipends.
E.) Consistently communicated with federal and local governments to access American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.
F.) Created volunteer networks that brought individuals with specialized skills to NBO.

Residential Services Inc Chapel Hill, NC
Direct Support Professional Sep 2007 – Jan 2010

Responsibility 1) Provide housing opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities
A.) Acted as one of four Direct Support Professionals in a program that offers paid vocational opportunities to residents with developmental disabilities.
B.) Scheduled daily activities for 10 clients to ensure that project goals were met. Documentation of activities was kept to assess progress and sustain funding.

Responsibility 2) Coordinate special projects for CVLS and Extraordinary Ventures
A.) Created a data tracking system to bill contracted businesses that received CVLS services.
B.) Researched and proposed paid employment options for clients within the community. Acted as a community liaison to connect CVLS and Extraordinary Ventures to local resources.
C.) Trained clients to run an online bookstore to resell donated used books.

RECENT CONTINUING EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS
1.) Community Organizing IAF Training Orange County, NC
Continuous apprentice Jul 2009 – Present
2.) Resourceful Communities Workshops and Peer Learning North Carolina
Student of sustainable agriculture and nonprofit partnerships Jan 2008 – Present
3.) Mediation Training Orange County, NC
Mediator trainee May 2010 (16 hours)
4.) CEFS Workshops Eastern NC
Student of sustainable agriculture Aug 2009 – Present
5.) Farming Apprenticeship Orange County, NC
Apprenticed on various farms throughout the CFSA network Jun 2007 – Present