NFBA Board of Directors
Chuck Haas
CEO, MetroFi
Chuck is CEO and co-founder of MetroFi, a Mountain View, CA based firm which builds city-wide broadband networks based on the popular Wi-Fi wireless standard. Prior to MetroFi, he founded Covad Communications, where he held various senior management positions in marketing, business development, and operations. Chuck also has fourteen years of experience with Intel Corporation, in sales and corporate business development.
Carol Kane
Founder, Mustard Seed of Central Florida
Carol volunteered at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, Christian Service Center , Daily Bread, and the Cold Night Program before founding the Mustard Seed Furniture Bank. Today, the Mustard Seed has grown to servings thousands of people per year. In 1992, Kane was nominated for a Jefferson award, recognizing exemplary volunteer service. Out of the 40,000 nominated nationally, Kane was one of five recipients.
Tom Polk
Founder, Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta
Tom has spent most of his working life in the non-profit arena. He has worked as community organizer for the Community Action Lexington-Fayette County in Kentucky, then became the Assistant Director of Iowa Comprehensive Manpower Services, a large and nationally recognized job training program in Des Moines. Following a move to Georgia, he founded the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta in 1988, one of the first furniture banks in the nation. In 1999 Tom helped found the National Furniture Bank Association and currently serves both as Chairman of the Board and Vice President of the NFBA’s Charitable Services Division.
Edward Powers
Executive Director of Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta
Founded in Atlanta in 1900, the core focus of Travelers Aid is threefold: (1) the provision of resettlement services to low- income new resident families and individuals who arrive in Atlanta without the necessary resources or a viable plan to resettle, (2) the provision of travel assistance to those persons passing through the Atlanta area who find themselves in crisis, and (3) the provision of services to prevent homelessness among low-income families and individuals. Prior to his current position, he was the Country Director of the Pearl S. Buck Foundation's programs in Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 1985 to 1992. He holds a BA degree in Asian Studies from the University of Illinois and an MBA degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Georgia Law Center for the Homeless and Travelers Aid International, is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and is a member of the Downtown Atlanta Kiwanis Club.
Jim Elfering
Operations Manager – Bridging Inc., Minneapolis, MN
After 23 years in the military, Jim brought his talent and skills to the position of Operations Manager of Bridging, Inc., the largest furniture bank in America, founded in 1988. He has streamlined the donation program and, utilizing staff and volunteers, has developed a fee for service program that generates over $100,000 annually. He has balanced inventory
and client needs to assure that all clients have access to the same number of choices regardless of the time of year. Additionally, he and his team have increased service levels from less than 1800 families a year to more than 5000 families served annually.
NFBA Staff
Phil Van Poetsch
Vice President of Operations
Phil brings a wealth of experience to the position of Executive Director of the National Furniture Bank Association. As founder of New Start Furniture Fund, located in the San Francisco Bay area, he developed and implemented viable systems of furniture acquisition for distribution to people in need. His efforts resulted in tens of thousands of people receiving a level of comfort that otherwise may have been unattainable. New Start Furniture Fund attracted extensive national media coverage after a feature segment on the Oprah television program. Phil received two United States Congressional awards and a commendation from the State of California. His financial management experience is derived from managing the extreme wealth of several San Francisco Bay Area families.
