Our Team

Ethan Paul
Board MemberPresident & GIS Lead // he/him

Ethan is an urbanist and a graduate of Cal State San Marcos, with a degree in Computer Science. He serves as the Airport Liaison for the Downtown Community Planning Council and represents Downtown on the Airport Noise Advisory Committee for SAN.

Maxwell Gergen
Board MemberVice President & Advocacy Lead // he/him

Maxwell is an urbanist and transit advocate working at a local property management company. He is the secretary of the Public Transit Democrats of San Diego County and a member of RideSD's Data and Research team.

Samuel Sharp
Board MemberEditor-in-Chief // he/they

Samuel is a lifelong transit rider and a student at UC San Diego. He is the webmaster of The UCSD Guardian, UC San Diego's student newspaper, and an officer for Public Transit Enthusiasts @ UC San Diego. He also serves on the MTS Youth Advisory Council, and as a staff advisor to the California High School Transit Alliance..

Mitchell L.
Board MemberSecretary & Projects Co-Editor // he/him

Mitchell is a native San Diegan working at a local architectural design firm, trained with a Bachelor's of Architecture from Tulane University of Louisiana.

Nehemiah Buenaventura
Board MemberTreasurer & Business Manager // he/him

Nehemiah is a first-generation immigrant and a graduate of NewSchool of Architecture & Design, with a degree in architecture. He works as an architectural designer at a local firm, focusing on residential architecture and urban infill development.

Robert P.
Contributing Writer // he/him

Robert is a native San Diegan, a graduate of San Diego State University, and a leadership team member of Frontera SD, an independent supporters' group for San Diego FC.

Sam Borinsky
Contributing Writer // he/him

Sam is a San Diego native and a student at UC Santa Cruz, making YouTube videos about San Diego's transit.

Benji Comiskey
Projects Co-Editor // he/they

Benji is a transit advocate, lifelong Chula Vista resident, and president of Public Transit Enthusiasts @ Southwestern College. He also serves on the MTS Youth Advisory Council.

Evan Liu
Contributing Writer // he/him

Evan is a junior at Westview High School passionate about pursuing a future in urban planning and economics.

Grey Crawford
Contributing Writer // he/him

Grey is a transit planner, recovering bus driver, amateur photographer, and a graduate of UC Davis, where he studied political science.

Guthre Leonard
Contributing Writer // he/him

Guthre is an urbanist, advocating with several nonprofits, including RideSD, Strong Towns Santa Barbara, and Californians for Electric Rail. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in City and Regional Planning at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

Edwin T.
GIS Technician // he/him

Edwin is an Urban Planning Master's student at UCLA with a BA in GIS. He is also a volunteer for Streets For All and Californians for Electric Rail, and a former Research Assistant for Sound Transit in Seattle, WA.

Carly Cordero
Social Media Manager // she/her

Carly is a San Diego native with a Bachelor of Arts in communication from UC Davis. Outside of BuildSD, she supports higher education accessibility through her work with ApplyingToCollege.

Bridgette Buenaventura
Contributing Writer // she/her

Bridgette is an urbanist and environmentalist working for the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights, and Measures. She studied environmental science and policy at UC San Diego.

Zack Defazio-Farrell
Contributing Writer, Law & Policy // he/him

Zack Defazio-Farrell is a San Diego attorney who works on housing and land use law. He serves on the Law & Policy team and as Treasurer of YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County.