Our Mission
Our mission is to put sustainable homeownership within reach of everyone, while transforming the manufactured housing industry through consumer education, affordability and energy-efficiency.
Our Story
Next Step® Network was created out of a desire to make factory-built homes a practical, sustainable solution for those looking to own their home.
While working in rural Appalachia, our founder Stacey Epperson saw many homeowners struggling with their older mobile homes – upside-down on loans and behind on sky-high utility bills. Recognizing the need for safe, sustainable, and affordable housing, she began questioning how to bring high-performing, new, factory-built homes to communities across the country.
Next Step was founded on the principle of Manufactured Housing Done Right®: helping families gain access to high-quality, energy-efficient homes – creating prepared, supported and educated homeowners.
In 2011, Next Step was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization wholly dedicated to building relationships between the factory-built housing industry, housing developers, affordable housing advocates, lenders and other key stakeholders to deliver factory-built homes as a viable, sustainable homeownership solution.
Annual Reports
Board of Directors
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Damon Allen, Chairperson
VP & Community Investment Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati -
Clemente Mojica, Vice Chairperson
Executive Director, Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services, Inc. (NPHS) -
Kim Vermeer, Secretary
President, Urban Habitat Initiatives -
Barry Noffsinger, Treasurer
Sales and Marketing Manager, Credit Human Federal Credit Union -
Jay Arneja
Sr. Product Manager, SimpleNexus -
Deborah Campbell
Executive Vice President of Affordable Housing Solutions, X-Caliber Capital -
George McCarthy
President, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy -
Billiemarie Lubiano Robinson
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Hale Shaw
Founder, Mullbry -
Lanalle Smith
Senior Program Manager, Oweesta -
Robin Roy
Director, Next Energy -
Lowell Ungar
Senior Policy Advisor, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy -
Lauren Williams
Visiting Instructor, Communication Design & MFA Interaction Design, College for Creative Studies
Next Step Homes Board of Directors
Board Emeritus
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John Gillespie
Founder & President, Beyond The Line -
Kathryn Gwatkin Goulding
Owner, NG2 Nonprofit & Philanthropic Consulting -
Emanuel Levy
Executive Director, Systems Building Research Alliance -
David Dangler
Former National Director, NeighborWorks Rural Initiative -
Frank Olson
Former Board Chair, Frontier Housing INC. -
Douglas K. Smith
Concerned Citizen -
Jeff Stern
Principal / Owner, Riverside Advisors, LLC
