Christa Roth, BUILD Managing Director

BUILD's New Managing Director Christa Roth

This May we welcomed our new Managing Director, Christa Roth, into the BUILD family. In partnership with Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, our CEO, Christa provides organizational leadership in program development and management, site support, finances and operations at BUILD. Christa brings 25 years of nonprofit management experience to this opportunity. Prior to coming to BUILD, Christa worked in various leadership capacities with youth and educational nonprofits including Breakthrough Collaborative, Partners In School Innovation. She graduated from University of Oregon with a double major in Marketing and Finance, and spent the first eight years of her career working in the financial services sector. However she found her calling in life when she combined her passion for service and youth with her job and made the move to the nonprofit sector. “I am most proud of starting Hands On Atlanta’s AmeriCorps program that placed 75 AmeriCorps members in six urban schools,” she says. The program was recognized as one of the top three programs in the country, and continues to serve thousands of children in Atlanta public schools.

The diversity of Christa’s experiences will benefit her greatly as she takes on the responsibilities of the Managing Director role. She says, “I believe I have the privilege of working across the organization and can focus on making sure everyone is working together to best serve our students.” Christa takes pleasure in creating structures and systems that enable people to be their best. She brings the experience of managing organizations during periods of growth, while never losing site of the quality and purpose of the work. Utilizing her inquisitive mind, she enjoys the collaborative process of taking an idea and transforming it into a reality. “One attribute that has always served me well is my sense of humor. I believe work should and can be both fun and productive,” she says.

In her free time, Christa spends time with her creative and energetic five year old son, Miles. “We are lucky to live in the Bay Area, “ she says, and she and her son try and take advantage of all the region has to offer with hikes, beach trips, bike rides, and lots and lots of playgrounds. “We love to travel and have grand adventures! “

Christa’s greatest hope is to be of service to the BUILD family during this exciting time in the organization’s history. She is inspired by the vision and wants very much to be part of the team that brings the magic of BUILD’s programs to more students over many, many years.