Our Team
Communities Lead. We Partner. Together we build.
Meet Our Team
Leadership grounded in service
Our leaders bring decades of experience across design, sustainability, education, and community development. As board members, project leaders, and volunteers, they help shape Building Humanity's vision while working alongside communities and local partners to advance sustainable, community-driven projects.
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Erin Colshan
CEO & President
Erin Colshan, AIA, LEED BD+C, is a licensed architect and sustainability specialist with experience leading projects across the education, healthcare, civic, and federal sectors. Her work spans design, construction, sustainability strategy, and third-party certification, with a focus on creating high-performing and resilient built environments.
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Inspired by her experience volunteering on an archaeological excavation in Romania in 2008, Erin founded Building Humanity to connect communities with volunteer professionals and support sustainable, community-driven development projects.
Today, Erin leads Building Humanity's strategic vision, partnerships, and project development efforts, helping advance projects that improve access to safe, healthy, and resilient community infrastructure around the world.
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Leigh Annie Lane
Director of Africa Sustainability & Community Impact and Board Member
Leigh Annie Lane is an international educator and community development professional whose work has spanned Sweden, Kenya, Australia, South Korea, and India. Her experience includes supporting initiatives focused on human rights, migration, climate action, and community resilience, with a strong emphasis on connecting research to practical, community-driven solutions.
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She holds a Master's degree in Ethnicity and Migration Studies from Linköping University, where her research examined migration, environmental justice, and community resilience in Kenya. Her work reflects a deep commitment to equitable development, cross-cultural collaboration, and locally led approaches to social and environmental challenges.
As Director of Africa Sustainability & Community Impact and a member of the Board of Directors, Leigh leads Building Humanity's partnerships and community engagement efforts across Kenya. She works closely with local stakeholders to support sustainable development initiatives that strengthen resilience, expand opportunities, and advance long-term community priorities.
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Michael Morrell
Project Manager and Board Member
Michael Morrell, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP, is a licensed architect and construction management leader with nearly three decades of experience delivering complex projects across higher education, healthcare, research, and civic sectors. His work spans project planning, design, construction, and program leadership, with a focus on collaborative delivery, sustainability, and long-term community value.
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Throughout his career, Michael has led the development of major capital projects, including student housing, academic facilities, research buildings, and healthcare campuses. He is recognized for his expertise in design-build delivery, multidisciplinary coordination, and advancing high-performance buildings, with many projects achieving LEED Platinum certification.
As a Project Manager and Board Member for Building Humanity, Michael provides technical leadership and strategic guidance for the organization's development initiatives. He brings a collaborative approach, deep architectural expertise, and a commitment to supporting community-driven projects that create lasting impact.
More People, More Impact
Since 2008, our work has followed a simple principle: listen first, build together, and support solutions that communities can sustain long into the future.
Every project begins with a request from a community or local partner. We work together to identify priorities, opportunities, and practical solutions.
We collaborate with local tradespeople, use locally available materials whenever possible, and focus on projects that can be maintained and supported by the community for years to come.
Volunteers and local residents work side by side throughout the project, building partnerships and friendships that often continue long after construction is complete.
Join Us
Want to get involved?
Architects, engineers and organizers who donate their time so every build has the expertise it needs.