Select the + to expand biographies of Coastside Members

Meet Us

  • Kristen has five years of cohousing experience and especially values the strong sense of belonging it creates, along with opportunities to learn new things, share resources, and live collaboratively while still having a private home. Kristen is excited about Coastside Cohousing in Santa Cruz and the opportunity to help develop a cohousing community with others.

    Her other interests include family and friends, creative arts, health and wellbeing, dogs, and social justice.

  • Brad is an environmental planner and outdoor enthusiast who grew up in Santa Cruz and has lived in Davis since college. A former member of Muir Commons Cohousing in Davis, he values the strong sense of community and connection that cohousing fosters and looks forward to being part of it again. He is also excited to return to regular surfing and mountain biking. Brad and his wife, Kristen, have been together for 35 years and are the parents of two adult children.

  • Nicole lived in cohousing in college and has been talking Danny into getting back to community living ever since. After becoming parents, they realized the importance of community in a new way. They look forward to sharing common meals and raising their family in an environment where it is safe for kids to play independently in nature and grow into confident community contributors. They are both excited about hiking around the property and continuing to enjoy all the amazing nature Santa Cruz has to offer.

    Nicole is excited to be a part of the design of Coastside Cohousing, to build a community that is family-oriented and embedded in the beautiful nature of Santa Cruz. She is a mom and part-time participatory process consultant. She enjoys baking sourdough bread, and making art at Cabrillo College and at a local printing studio where she is a member. She is excited about making art in a shared art studio space.

    Danny first learned about cohousing through the Happy documentary. He has recently been building picture frames in his garage, and is most excited about the potential for a community woodshop. When he isn't working, Danny enjoys being a dad and hiking around Santa Cruz with his dog. He is excited about the benefits of cohousing to facilitate easy social connection and shared resources, reducing loneliness and unnecessary work. 

  • Mitzi was born in California and has always felt drawn to life near the water. She spent many years working in high tech, including an eight-year stint in Europe, primarily in Germany. Mitzi enjoys traveling, reading, and cooking. An early job as a high school waitress in a traditional retirement home shaped her vision for retirement, inspiring her interest in a more connected and intentional way of living.

  • Julie Cheng is a musician who taught piano in her private studio for more than 30 years, a career that came to an abrupt halt during the COVID pandemic. That period of isolation sharpened her appreciation for connection and community. Growing up in Asia, she experienced a deep sense of belonging, even as a latchkey child—neighbors naturally looked out for one another, shared food, and offered support. Discovering cohousing strongly resonated with these early experiences. Julie is excited that she and her husband, Wesley, are aligned in this new chapter and look forward to being part of an intentional community with other like-minded people.

  • Lisa has always been a “people person” and she values community, unions, and a DIY spirit. She’s lived in Wisconsin, upstate New York, and grew up in Virginia. Lisa moved to Marina, CA in 2023 after living for 12 years in Redlands, with lots of visits to family in Davis, CA over the years.

    Lisa is a professor of speech-language pathology and she enjoys teaching graduate students at CSUMB. She has an adult daughter who’s now launching her own career. Lisa’s many interests include hiking, biking, surfing, art, music, and theater, and she’s recently joined the improv community in Santa Cruz.

    Lisa is stoked to be a member of Coastside Cohousing. Solitude is fine; loneliness is not. Like the African proverb says, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

A smiling older woman with short gray hair, wearing sunglasses on her head and a light-colored sweater, standing outdoors with a yellow building and clear blue sky in the background.

  • Sandra believes in the Blue Zones lifestyle—healthy eating, daily movement, and strong social connections—and looks forward to living these values in community at Coastside Cohousing. Originally from Oklahoma and Texas, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1994 and has also lived in Boston, the Dominican Republic, Washington, DC, and Sri Lanka. Sandra previously worked as an international development consultant before beginning a career in logistics and enterprise software, and she is now in her encore career in public schools. She enjoys collecting new experiences and friendships, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, practicing yoga, and Pilates, and singing.

  • Wesley has spent more than 20 years working in the senior industry and is the founder and executive director of TeleVisit.org, a nonprofit focused on reducing loneliness through virtual group activities. Inspired by the principles of the Blue Zones, he envisions a lifestyle built around health, sustainability, and mutual support.

    That search ultimately led him—and his wife, Julie—to cohousing, a model that reflects their values and offers daily opportunities for connection, shared activities, and healthier living. A software engineer by training, Wesley has worked at Hewlett Packard, Cisco, and later launched his own company, KonaWare. He also has a lifelong love of dachshunds and airplanes.