Who We Are
A community united by a single purpose: keeping Yellow Springs home for everyone.
Our Story & Why
Yellow Springs has always been a place defined by its people — artists, activists, teachers, and families who created a village unlike any other. But as housing costs have skyrocketed, the very people who built this community are being priced out.
Stewards of Yellow Springs (SYS) was founded by neighbors who refused to accept displacement as inevitable. We believe that housing should serve residents before markets, and that a truly diverse community requires permanently affordable homes.
By acquiring land and homes and placing them into a community trust model, we remove them from the speculative market forever. This ensures that Yellow Springs remains a place where people of all incomes can live, work, and thrive for generations to come.
Our Values
Integrity
We act with honesty and accountability in all our stewardship.
Equity
We prioritize those most at risk of displacement to ensure fair access.
Collaboration
We work alongside residents, partners, and local leaders.
Transparency
We are open and honest about our decisions and community processes.
Respect
We honor the history and dignity of every neighbor we serve.
Mission Statement
To preserve Yellow Springs as a living, diverse community by preventing displacement, protecting cultural memory, and ensuring housing and land serve residents before markets.
Vision Statement
A Yellow Springs where people of every race, income, age, and background can build, sustain, thrive, and return home; where housing remains attainable, heritage and culture are honored, opportunity is shared, and future generations inherit a village that remains diverse, welcoming, and rooted in stewardship—where people always come before speculation.
Founder Profile
Michael Viemeister
Founder & Director
For Michael Viemeister, Stewards of Yellow Springs is not simply a nonprofit, it is a commitment to the village that shaped his life.
Michael was born and raised in Yellow Springs, where he learned that a strong community is built not only by its buildings, but by the people who call it home. His family’s roots in the village span multiple generations. His grandparents, Beverly and Read Viemeister, contributed to the civic and creative life of Yellow Springs, and Michael grew up believing that every generation has a responsibility to leave its community stronger than it found it.
After graduating from Yellow Springs High School, Michael dedicated 32 years to serving the United States in the Army, retiring as a senior Acquisition Officer after leading complex programs that supported Soldiers around the world. His career demanded strategic leadership, long-term planning, responsible stewardship of public resources, and the ability to unite diverse teams around difficult missions. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star medal in recognition of his service.
Throughout those years, Yellow Springs remained home in every meaningful sense. Michael returned often to visit family, maintained deep ties to the village, and ultimately returned with a growing concern: too many of the people who gave Yellow Springs its soul and character could no longer afford to remain home.
"That realization became the foundation for Stewards of Yellow Springs."
Michael believes preserving a village means preserving the people who give it life. Historic buildings matter, but so do the lifelong villagers whose stories have shaped the community for generations. Through permanent affordability, responsible land stewardship, and community partnerships, Stewards of Yellow Springs seeks practical, lasting solutions that keep the village accessible to people from all walks of life.
His vision is simple:
A Yellow Springs where future generations can live, work, raise families, grow old, and return home—not because they are wealthy enough, but because the community chose to preserve a place for them.