Staff and Board

Schlonn Hawkins

CEO/Publisher

Schlonn is CEO/publisher of Shelterforce. She has more than 15 years of experience in publicity, media training, community relations, and strategic planning. Before joining Shelterforce, Schlonn was director of Delaware’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading—Get Delaware Reading, which was responsible for driving collective impact to ensure more children in low-income families are reading on grade level. Previously, she was one of the directors in the marketing and communications department at United Way of Delaware, where she used digital technology to creatively shape the story of the organization. She also led Delaware’s only one-day giving campaign yielding more than $800,000 of unrestricted dollars for the nonprofit sector.

An active mentor and volunteer in her community, Schlonn serves on several boards. She also is a certified Musical Theatre professional (a graduate of American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City) and uses her training as an instructor at a local dance studio.

Miriam Axel-Lute

CEO/Editor-in-Chief

Miriam has been the editor of Shelterforce since 2010. She was previously on staff at Shelterforce from 1997 to 2002 and freelanced for the magazine in the interim. She has also been the news editor of a weekly newspaper, an opinion columnist, freelance editor, parenting blogger, performance poet, urban planning student, and community development consultant. Miriam is based in Albany, New York. 

Lillian M. Ortiz

Director of Editorial Operations

Lillian has been with Shelterforce since 2016. Her background is in community journalism, where she spent more than a decade covering New Jersey municipalities. Before joining Shelterforce, she was the editor of the Verona-Cedar Grove Times, which, during her tenure, was named the Best Small Weekly in the state for several years. Lillian has earned dozens of awards for her reporting, layout and design, and photography.

In 2023, she was selected to participate in ProPublica’s investigative editor training program.

Steve Dubb

Strategic initiatives editor

Steve Dubb is strategic initiatives editor at Shelterforce. Prior to Shelterforce, Steve worked as senior editor of economic justice at Nonprofit Quarterly. Before that, he worked at The Democracy Collaborative—where he authored, co-authored, and edited numerous reports; participated in and facilitated learning cohorts; and helped build the field of community wealth building. He was also previously the executive director of NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation), a U.S. and Canadian association of housing cooperatives, focused on campus communities. 

Steve has authored and edited multiple books. Most recently, he co-edited (with Raymond Foxworth) Invisible No More: Voices from Native America (Island Press, 2023). 

Steve is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and actively volunteers in the area with multiple groups on economic justice work.

Lara Heard

Associate Editor

Lara joined the Shelterforce team in 2023. She has a background in health reporting, including for What to Expect, and she attended the health and science program at the Craig Newmark Journalism School. Lara’s interest in social justice issues, particularly the intersection of health and housing, led her to Shelterforce. She is based in New York City but is originally from the Bay Area in California.

Davi Sherman

Copyeditor

Davi Sherman is Shelterforce‘s copyeditor. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Davi formerly worked as an investigative researcher with the American Friends Service Committee, where she researched corporate complicity in incarceration, policing, immigrant surveillance, and border militarization. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, birdwatching, and volunteering at her local community garden. 

Davi Sherman is Shelterforce‘s copyeditor. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Davi formerly worked as an investigative researcher with the American Friends Service Committee, where she researched corporate complicity in incarceration, policing, immigrant surveillance, and border militarization. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, birdwatching, and volunteering at her local community garden. 

Tracey Figueroa

Administrative Associate

Tracey joined Shelterforce in September 2024. She has more than 24 years of experience providing managerial and administrative support. Before joining Shelterforce, Tracey was an administrative assistant with the Delaware State Housing Authority. She is a team player with excellent communication and organizational skills, and she strives to help others succeed.

Tracey’s homebase is now Delaware, but she is originally from Brooklyn, New York. She is a self-motivated and progress-driven woman who has successfully homeschooled 3 children. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends creating memories and enjoying laughter.