Sibley Simon
Principal & Impact Development executive
Sibley leads the Workbench development team's impact focused projects geared towards creating more affordable housing without public subsidy. With years of experience driving legislative progress, he’s forged strong alliances with leaders dedicated to tackling California’s housing equity challenges. He also administers the impact investment fund New Way Homes, to spur new workforce and affordable housing development.
Key Expertise
How state housing laws shape what gets built — and what recent legislation means for local projects
The role of mission-driven capital in scaling equitable housing and closing California’s affordability gap
How nonprofits and faith communities are driving new models of affordable housing on underutilized land
Early analysis on upcoming housing laws
Before Workbench
Previously he founded New Way Homes and Envision Housing as non-profit entities developing more affordable and workforce housing without public subsidy, and co-founded the 180/2020 Initiative in 2012 that has housed over 1000 chronic and veteran homeless individuals across Santa Cruz County. Sibley was a board member & Treasurer of Housing Matters for 9 years, has led the renovation of the historic Evergreen Cemetery, and recently served on the board of the Watsonville Film Festival. Sibley was a founder of two technology companies, StreamSage and The Electric Sheep Company, which were repeatedly recognized as highly innovative, including by two Technical Emmy Awards, the MIT Technology Review, and R&D grants and contracts from many federal agencies & Fortune 500 companies.
Outside of Work
Sibley lives in the Santa Cruz mountains and travels around the Bay Area primarily by gravel bike.
