Jenny Niklaus
Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Niklaus has been a strong advocate for the rights of children, youth, families, and seniors for nearly two decades. In her role at Chief Executive Officer, she is responsible for overall leadership and strategic direction for the agency, including managing organizational activities, programs, fundraising, and infrastructure. Previously, she served as Director of Senior Community Services at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County where she was responsible for combating poverty. She has also served as Interim Executive Director and Director of Self-Sufficiency Programs at Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose. Before focusing on poverty issues, Ms. Niklaus worked for over a decade in the prevention of violence against women and children at the Support Network For Battered Women, YWCA of Santa Clara Valley, and Community Solutions. Ms. Niklaus is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and holds a MA in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University and a BA in Psychology from the University of California at Davis. She has been active in numerous Board of Supervisor appointed commissions, serving as Chair of the Santa Clara County Child Abuse Council and Vice Chair of the Santa Clara County Social Services Commission. She is also on the Leadership Team of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits. In 2004, Niklaus was named one of the “Top 40 under 40” by the San Jose Business Journal.
Michael Veuve
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Veuve brings over 30 years of experience in a variety of finance, accounting, and operations positions at high profile for profit and non profit organizations in the Bay Area. He leads the agency’s accounting, finance and information technology functions. Prior to joining EHC LifeBuilders, Mr. Veuve served as COO for Stanford Schools Corporation where he set up the administrative function for a new charter school serving East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. Previously, he was CFO of Catholic Charities of San Jose. Mr. Veuve is a graduate of Washington University with a BS in Sociology and he received his MBA from San Francisco State University.
Hilary Barroga
Director, Programs
Ms. Barroga oversees the agency’s client services and since joining EHC LifeBuilders in 1999, has served in a variety of positions including volunteer management, direct client service, fundraising, and communications. Most recently, she served as Compliance Director, and implemented several improvements to the agency’s grant management infrastructure. She is currently a volunteer mediator with the County of Santa Clara’s Dispute Resolution Program, and sits on the Steering Committee of Santa Clara University’s Arrupe Partnerships for Community-based Learning. A graduate of Santa Clara University, Ms. Barroga holds a BS in Psychology.
Teri Provence
Director, Property Management
Ms. Provence joined EHC LifeBuilders in March 2007 with 18 years experience in property management, and is certified as a Compliance Specialist and Tax Credit Specialist. As Director of Property Management, she is responsible for the operations of the Property Management division. A graduate of Humboldt State University, she holds degrees in Recreation Administration, Business Administration and Psychology.
Paulette Platis
Director of Development & Community Relations
Ms. Platis has spent the last 16 years in development for the United Way and American Red Cross. She was involved in all aspects of fundraising, employee and corporate engagement, major giving, board development and training, organization strategic planning, communications and community relations. As a volunteer she taught dance for after-school programs for children, and was a disaster volunteer with Red Cross. She has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 1997 and holds an MFA in English with emphasis in creative writing from Eastern Washington University.
