Getting to know you...

Lou & Barb Rimbach

Lou and I are so looking forward to meeting you all, traveling to India for the first time, and working hard to make a dent in the need there. India has so much to teach us about service to others and such cultural richness to be experienced!

We are both retired, Lou from his longtime accounting positions in the automotive industry and Barb from primary school teaching. As you can see from our photo, we love outdoor activities, specifically hiking. Here we are last September, atop a glorious hill on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island.

With retirement we downsized from our home in Carroll Co. Md., relocating last year to a smaller home in Salisbury, on Maryland's eastern shore. Now that we have more time and freedom, we are busier than ever ! Having our only grandchild close-by may have something to do with that, but we have also become involved with groups such as the Sierra Club, working on environmental issues and local Habitat projects.

Lou also volunteers as a financial counselor for low income folks having problems, and we have continued our commitment to church mission outreach activities, specifically rebuilding work in the Gulf. Lou was in New Orleans with the Red Cross just after Katrina hit, and he has returned to help at least seven times since. Barb has accompanied him twice to devastated Mississippi areas.

We do our best to stay active, Lou rides a bike and Barb walks. We also love gardening, good books, good movies, good food (Indian is a favorite !) good wine, and traveling ... the year ahead looks really promising!

Brian Hanby

I'm a second generation Texan living on the Gulf coast. If pressed, I'd describe myself as a funny, pretty smart, often nerdy, artistically inclined, potential under-achiever gainfully employed with a large government contractor. I'm a web developer (and have been for the last dozen or so years). I feel most like me when I'm outside, but spend my working days in the house that I've been buying for the last 9 years. I'm older brother to a lil red-headed sister. She's one of my favorite people. I enjoy reading, but rarely do as television programming keeps improving. I studied science at university - earned a 4 year degree in 6.

I'm some traveled (sixteen countries, thirty-something states). New to Habitat but jumping in with both feet. I tell short stories that come out too long... Am inclined to laugh at dumb jokes, physical comedy and in awkward moments. Additionally, I like shelling peanuts, skipping rocks, bagel schmears, flotillas of $5 inflatables, alliteration, guitar, westerns, belt buckles, hair pomade, emerging Internet technologies, Mac OS X, old friends, girls who sing, talkable talkies. I'm a pretty good listener. I try to do the right thing. Granny says I'm handsome - she's 92. And tells me that I'm smart like she is every time I remind her how to bring up a DVD on A/V input 2.

I am Brian Hanby.

Sue Romweber

Sue Romweber lives and work in NYC. She is a post-producer in advertising, an avid runner, a yogi, and a gardener.

Dave & Marie Henry

Marie just retired from nursing last July. And I'm a retired meteorologist as of a few years ago. We live in Berkley, Massachusetts. We have three grown children and enjoy biking, hiking, and visiting our grandchildren in Oregon. Marie also likes to roller blade & does several volunteer activities. My hobby is programming on the computer. We've spent quite a bit of time with yard work & gardening this spring. Marie has been on several Habitat builds, and I've also enjoyed a previous one together. We very much look forward to this Global Village build in India and meeting all the other team members.

Jake Carling

Hi my name is Jake, and this will be my first time in Asia. I’m also a Global Village virgin. Having said that, I’m familiar with HFH because I’m a building supervisor for the New York affiliate where we are currently constructing Habitat’s largest multifamily project to date. It’s a four-story, 41-unit complex in Brooklyn, that’s aiming to achieve a LEED Silver Certification as well. I’ve also attended a JCRWP back on the west coast, in Los Angeles.

Even though I work in NYC, I’m a laid back guy from out West. So having grown up in Salt Lake City, I can ski or snowboard double black diamonds and my concept of heaven is 18 inches of Wasatch powder. I performed at the 2002 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies but would rather have rode in the half pipe during the games.

I graduated from the University of Utah with a journalism degree and placed in the top 15, nationally, in the William Randolph Hearst Competition for radio broadcasting. All of which translated to my career in construction. Other than that, I love being in the mountains, boating, laying around a beach, eating at a sidewalk café, dancing to good music, and getting my back scratched.

Virginia Graham

Hi! My name is Virginia and I just graduated from business school at Northwestern in June. I'm taking the summer off to travel before starting a job in the fall. Travel plans for the summer include Italy, France, Morocco, Washington DC, Martha's Vineyard, San Francisco, Argentina, Chile and finally India. After all that, I go back to real life when I start working for a consulting firm in New York, my hometown. I was born and raised in New York and am excited to return to real pizza after my short stint in the Midwest. Apart from travel, my interests include modern dance, Broadway musicals and baking. I'm really looking forward to my first Habitat trip!

Gene & Kara Lewis

Gene and Kara Lewis are both originally from North Carolina but now call South Carolina home. We each work for different areas of State government; Kara works in public health policy for elderly long-term care while Gene is a loan analyst for public water utilities. In our real lives we stay busy visiting family in North Carolina, keeping our 8 year-old nephew and playing with our golden retriever, “Buddy” (sometimes responsible for the below-mentioned renovations). We are active in our church and also volunteer with the international Christian ministry, “The Voice of the Martyrs”. Lately, we’ve been conducting our own minor “habitat renovations” which have kept our home in a state of chaos for countless weeks! This will be our 4th Global Village trip, having previously built in Romania once and Hungary twice. To our knowledge those houses are still standing! We look forward to meeting this India Habitat team!

Shorieh Talaat

I am looking forward to my first project for GV India 2008 as a part of my sabbatical leave for this year. I am a professor of Architecture and Construction Technologies at Montgomery College in Rockville Maryland and an Architect in private practice. I am of Egyptian descent, born and raised in the US. I have lived and traveled in Egypt, and worked on archeological surveys in Jordan and Israel. My educational background includes study at San Francisco Art Institute in Ceramic Sculpture, a BS in Architecture and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Maryland. My work as an educator and Architect keeps me quite busy but I do find time to work in my recently renovated studio. I enjoy working with my hands so my hobbies include throwing pottery, mixed media sculpture, metalwork and carpentry. I have two teenage sons and one teenage Boxer. They have taught me patience.

Betty Sears

Hi! My name is Betty and I am very excited about traveling to India for the first time and meeting everybody on the team. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I also love New England (especially all the trees). I received a BA in Environmental Economics and Politics from Scripps College (Claremont, CA) in 2006 and have been working as an environmental consultant in Pasadena, CA since then. While I do enjoy my job, I am currently applying to business school to start a new path in my life. This will be my first time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. I have some experience in home construction, having repaired/replaced leaky roofs and gutters, water pipes, toilets, heating ducts, ceramic tiles, and other parts of my old house. My hobbies include hiking/camping, dancing, watching action movies, pretending I can cook, hanging out with friends and family, and trying new things (as long as there is no bungee jumping or parachuting involved). I love animals, don't mind long plane trips, and am a hot dog connoisseur. But overall, I'm just an easy-going and friendly person.