Habitat Spotlight: Meet Trish

Trish (above, left) has been with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha for 20 years. Originally from David City, Nebraska, she came to the “Big O” to go to business school.

“I graduated, worked, moved away, got a 4 year degree and came back to Omaha,” she says.

Trish is one of Habitat Omaha’s accountants. Her days are spent “[examining] Habitat job costs, which includes ensuring items are in the proper job. I help build the annual budget and then assist in getting it into the accounting software. I track mortgage loan payments received by Habitat. I work a bit with our property insurance… [and] I prepare a part of the monthly financial statements.”

Her essential office item is Excel. She enjoys the occasional grapefruit.

When she first joined Habitat Omaha, Trish was “surprised to see the copy machine safely placed on a table over the bathtub! Habitat Omaha’s first office was a house. The Executive Director’s office was in a bedroom. My space was a card table in the kitchen. The bathroom was both the restroom and the copy/work room. My, how we’ve grown!”

If you are considering a career with Habitat Omaha, Trish’s advice is this, “Be prepared to learn and listen. Things improve and change often here. Many times the impetus for the change is a staff idea.”