Our Team
Meet the Founders
When a Social Worker and an Architect saw the same gap in disaster recovery, they combined their different skill sets to create an innovative solution.
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Heather and Maggie met in 2010 while attending a Habitat for Humanity disaster recovery training, where they discovered a shared commitment to supporting individuals and families displaced by disasters. Their work together began in 2013, when they spent two years directly researching and supporting families displaced by home fires.
Through this hands-on experience and research, Heather and Maggie identified a critical gap in traditional disaster response. They developed what is now known as the Stabilization Phase - the Recovery Support Bridge between emergency response and long-term recovery. It’s where survivors need emotional support, insurance and housing guidance, and real human help to keep their lives from unraveling. Disasters are increasing, resources are strained, and too many survivors are being left without help once the sirens stop. Our Front Porch adapted their model to be available nationally, because survivors can’t wait, and recovery shouldn’t depend on where you live.
Through a strategic partnership with the American Red Cross, Our Front Porch ensures a seamless transition for survivors from the crisis phase into stabilization, providing continuity of care, practical support, and trauma-informed guidance during one of the most vulnerable stages of recovery. Maggie and Heather are now leading Our Front Porch’s expansion into a national organization, bringing this one-of-a-kind recovery model to disaster survivors across the country.
Here’s the amazing team that will help you through the recovery process
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Philbin—or "Phil" to his colleagues—is a seasoned veteran in the world of disaster recovery. Having started his career at the tender age of two, Philbin has dedicated seven years to supporting families and individuals navigating their hardest days. As the Chief Dog Officer, he brings a unique brand of calm to the OFP office that simply can’t be replicated by his human counterparts.
Philbin’s daily schedule is a masterclass in balance. While he is often found conducting rigorous "quality control" tests on the office sofa or making the rounds to visit his office pals, his most vital work happens in the therapy room.
Philbin is a constant fixture in sessions alongside his mom, providing a grounding presence for clients as they navigate the complexities of insurance adjusters, fire departments, and recovery logistics. While he has been known to occasionally "meditate" (snooze) through a meeting, his commitment to the cause is unwavering.
Even on his days off, Philbin’s mind is never far from the mission. He has provided infinite snuggles to those in crisis, proving time and again that sometimes the best way to process a disaster is with a quiet, four-legged friend by your side.
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Maggie Babyak, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with a graduate degree from Columbia University and over 20 years of experience in trauma therapy and disaster mental health. Her work has been grounded in direct response to communities impacted by catastrophic events and in building systems that support long-term recovery.
Maggie has been deployed to major disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Irene, and Sandy, as well as the LA wildfires and Texas floods, serving through the American Red Cross and Disaster Medical Corps. These deployments informed her understanding of the critical gap between crisis response and sustainable recovery.
Maggie is the founder of Our Front Porch, a nonprofit organization with an innovative, survivor-centered approach to disaster recovery. Through her work, she co-created the Stabilization Phase of Disaster Recovery, a critical bridge between immediate crisis response and long-term rebuilding. This model addresses both practical recovery needs and the emotional impact of trauma.
A lifelong Green Bay devotee, Maggie’s specialty is the 'Packer Deep Dive.' She’s likely the only person in the room who can tell you a linebacker’s favorite childhood book and his backup career plan, all while cheering for a Lambeau Leap.
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Heather Korth, AIA, is a licensed architect with a bachelor’s degree in Biosystems Engineering and a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Colorado. She has worked as Architect for over 18 years in both the private and public sector, with a focus on project management, building for resilience, and disaster mitigation.
Heather’s journey into disaster recovery began on the ground as a caseworker and government liaison for the American Red Cross and later as a Hazard Mitigation Architect for FEMA. These dual perspectives—one focused on the immediate human trauma of displacement and the other on the technical resilience of the built environment—gave her a profound understanding of the interdependence between human recovery and structural stability.
Heather is the founder of Our Front Porch, a nonprofit organization with an innovative, survivor-centered approach to disaster recovery. Through her work, she co-created the Stabilization Phase of Disaster Recovery, a critical bridge between immediate crisis response and long-term rebuilding. This model addresses both practical recovery needs and the emotional impact of trauma.
When she’s not on the clock, Heather is essentially a low-stakes treasure hunter—catch her geocaching through random cities or locked in an escape room, stubbornly refusing to ask for a hint.
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Kali Wolvaer earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2018 and her Master of Social Work in 2022, both from Walden University. She began her work with Our Front Porch as an intern. She later joined the organization full-time as a therapist, where she has played a key role in supporting individuals and families recovering from disaster.
Kali has provided behavioral health support in everyday disaster responses, including home fires, floods, and tornadoes, as well as in large-scale events such as apartment complex fires and the Marshall Fire. Her work bridges clinical care and disaster recovery, offering trauma-informed support during both immediate response and long-term stabilization.
In addition to her clinical work, Kali serves on COCERN, the local behavioral health committee, contributing to community-level disaster response and coordination. She is trained in trauma-informed care, Psychological First Aid, Behavioral Health Field Response, Clinical Applications of Compassion, Trauma Exposure, and Techniques for Mindful Resilience.
Most people don’t know that in her junior year of high school, Kali’s 4-H dedication truly paid off when she was crowned Grand Champion Overall Swine. It takes a lot of grit and early mornings to reach the top of the podium, but she proved she’s a natural when it comes to raising a winner.
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Maris Laney earned her Bachelor of Science in Global Studies with concentrations in Sustainability and Spanish from Auburn University. She has been with Our Front Porch since 2023, supporting individuals and families impacted by disasters across Colorado.
Maris assists survivors in navigating complex recovery barriers, including insurance claims, housing advocacy, and document replacement, and has built strong referral partnerships with community organizations throughout the Denver area. Trained in trauma-informed care, Psychological First Aid, and recovery-oriented approaches, she also provides training on Our Front Porch stabilization phase to local fire departments, community organizations, and response agencies. Her work spans both large-scale and single-incident disasters, including home fires, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and displacement-related crises.
Maris is a proud AMC Stubs movie goer and loves to hang out with her anxiety-riddled rescue dog in her free time. She lives for a good coffee run and thrift shop day and begrudgingly waits for Colorado to thaw out in the winter so she can explore the state and its nearby National Parks in the summer.
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Jennifer Duggins has innovative global vision, a lust for travel and a sappy side that may or may not make her tear up during commercials. She has over 15-years professional experience in grant-writing, donor research, fundraising, program development, non-profit management, large-scale events, marketing, public relations, social media, website and curriculum development, instructional coaching, broadcast journalism, as well as radio, film, television and corporate productions.
She began her nonprofit career as a Sales Associate for the American Red Cross selling defibrillators and was the first sales associate in the country to sell defibrillators across an entire school district. Jennifer writes for fun as an aspiring novelist and runs a non-profit writers’ workshop to help inspire writers of all genres and experience levels.
She also explores wherever the wind might take her, acts professionally from time to time, and saves historic homes from demolition if they don’t kill her first.
The people behind the scenes
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Erin Schill is a mental health clinician and leader with experience providing individual and intensive group therapy. She served as a supervisor, manager, senior manager and clinical director across diverse mental health service programs.
Erin is a therapist on a mission, fueled by a passion for OFP and a drive to solve the 'unmet needs' others might miss. She’s used to a challenge, though: she spent her early years sobbing through every swim class in protest, only stopping once she could swim alongside her big sister—a stubborn streak that eventually landed her on a college swim team.
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Raissa Shafer is a certified public accountant who has worked with dozens of start ups, social enterprises, and nonprofits over the years to lay the financial and operational groundwork to help organizations affect social change. She currently works in the field of child support services and loves the scale of positive change made possible at the intersection of public policy and business.
While her name might suggest Eastern European roots, the truth is a bit more... spirit-forward. She’s actually named after a vintage white-label whiskey ad her parents liked, making her, quite literally, a 'top-shelf' addition to the team.
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Dominique Mendoza has spent the last 10 years coaching and developing Teachers across multiple states to become stronger leaders in their schools. She believes in centering people first and specializes in strategic design, program development, and change management.
While she’s deeply serious about the impact of OFP, Dominique’s personal life is a bit more adventurous. She’s moved to Colorado three separate times, apparently determined to make the third time the charm. She might seem quiet at first, but don't be fooled: once she opens up, you’re in for the full, spicy version of Dominique.
