Consultants
Brenda Terris, Community Relations Manager
Brenda Terris is a Marketer, Writer, Arts Administrator and Fundraiser specializing in nonprofit services. Her career includes Senior Marketing positions with BellSouth, The Wall Street Journal Europe in Brussels, Belgium and the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has been Executive Director of three nonprofits and Development Director of The Sarasota Ballet. Terris has raised many millions of dollars writing proposals and grants. Terris’ Super Power is as a Project Manager. She loves living in Prescott and is a recent graduate of The Citizens Academy taught by The City of Prescott. Terris attended Georgia State University.
Denise Resnik, First Place Founder, President/CEO & Board Member; SARRC Co-Founder & Emeritus Board Member; DRA Collective Founder & CEO and Matt’s Mom
Desiree Kameka, Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC
Started by Desiree Kameka Galloway, a recognized disability housing expert, Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC seeks to advance neuro-inclusive community development by providing subject matter expertise to industry professionals. As the Director of the Autism Housing Network for the Madison House Autism Foundation, she spent over a decade researching the barriers and identifying unique opportunities to increase residential options for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, has led national advocacy efforts on issues of autism in adulthood and has positively influenced policy development at national and state levels. Having visited over 120 residential opportunities and social enterprises across the USA, and led a network of over 250 organizations, Desiree uses this experience and network to help individuals and local leaders understand supportive housing options, service delivery models and strategies for neuro-inclusive community development.
Desiree is also the proud co-author and co-editor of the groundbreaking report, A Place in the World: Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities. Her work in housing is included among international academics and professionals. She has been invited to speak on panels at the World Human Rights Cities Forum by UN-Habitat, the United Nations World Autism Awareness Day, Great Minds Coming Together on Autism International Conference, and at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) on Autism After 21 and was an invited member of the IACC Housing Taskforce. She is also a certified cohousing consultant and a Cohousing Solutions 500 Communities Affiliate.
Desiree’s vision is that every person with intellectual/developmental disability, autism or other neurodiversity can access a home in their community that actively fosters relationships and meaningful inclusion. This vision drives Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC to conduct local market analysis, support advocacy efforts and coalition building, connect professionals and provide consulting services to housing developers for data-driven housing solutions across the country.
Michael Taylor, Michael Taylor Architects, Inc.
Michael’s entire career has been in Prescott, Arizona providing architectural services to clients throughout central and Northwestern Arizona for 37 years. Michael started Michael Taylor Architects, Inc. in November of 1996 and is celebrating 25 years in business this year. He has built a reputation of excellent design, client-centered processes and an ability to work with clients of a wide variety. He and his wife Jennifer have five children and 13 grandchildren, all of whom have left Prescott but most of whom are still in Arizona.
Staff
Michael enjoys a 32-year history of non-profit leadership, serving medically fragile and economically displaced communities locally, nationally and internationally. His passion is to improve health and quality of life by engaging partners in support of programs and services with meaningful outcomes.
He’s served as the Executive Director of the Arizona Hemophilia Association, the National Director of the World Federation of Hemophilia USA, the Sr. Director of Fund Development and Philanthropy at Native American Connections in Phoenix.
Michael is a former summer camp director with expertise in serving children and their families with chronic bleeding disorders, cancer, HIV, or children experiencing economic hardship. He has served as a volunteer on various non-profit Boards including the Chicks with Picks Foundation, Whispering Hope Ranch, the Florida Bleeding Disorders Association, and Unbridled Pathways.
He is a graduate of the Arizona State University College of Business and is a native Arizonan, plays guitar, drums and bass, and did spend a few years as a food critic for a magazine.
Consultants
Keren specializes in strategic organizational assessment and design of large-scale planning and change efforts. She works with clients at all levels to support effective organizational development, change and growth. She is an impactful strategic thinking partner and leadership coach who supports leaders in skill development, understanding idiosyncratic organizational demands they face, and enhancing their overall capacity to lead change. She has designed and delivered multiple leadership development and organization wide training programs. She is a master facilitator who works with groups to develop the trust and candor necessary to collaborate effectively in team, organizational and community level engagements. Keren’s current business specializations include complexity and change, strategic thinking, leadership effectiveness, organizational communication and trust, transformational learning, collaboration across business units, leadership development and systems thinking.
For over 15 years, Keren held internal consulting and leadership roles non-profit, local government, and healthcare sectors, including leadership of 44 professionals that crossed multiple disciplines in a multi-system-based health system. This hands-on experience brings clear-sighted, real-world expertise to her coaching and organizational change work. As a result, she is a powerful change and strategic thinking partner to leaders at all levels. Multiple client systems have worked with Kinnectics for decades. Key accomplishments include:
- Award winning culture transformation of a county-wide public sector agency
- Design of system-wide customer service enhancement effort for local government using an appreciative inquiry approach to successfully engage 450 city leaders and employees at all levels. Resistance to change was significantly minimized due to the approach while readiness for change was built through identification of areas of pride and high performance
- Design and delivery of a state-wide conference for 300 public sector leaders on cutting edge impactful, systems-based leadership strategies
- Development and facilitation of the Certified Public Manager program for the state of California
- Creation of patient experience system resulting in demonstrable gains in overall patient satisfaction
- Design and delivery of a City-wide training program for front line, management, and leadership employees across all departments
- Creation of multiple management academies for managers in academia, healthcare & public sector.
- Coaching multiple senior and middle level leaders through team, department, organizational and personal level development
Keren’s Doctoral degree is in human and organizational systems with a focus on transformational learning/change and leadership in organizations. She also holds a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis on children, youth, and families. She is a Board-Certified Coach, a Growth Edge consultant and a certified Leadership Circle provider. She and her family live in San Diego, California.
Michael’s entire career has been in Prescott, Arizona providing architectural services to clients throughout central and Northwestern Arizona for 37 years. Michael started Michael Taylor Architects, Inc. in November of 1996 and is celebrating 25 years in business this year. He has built a reputation of excellent design, client-centered processes and an ability to work with clients of a wide variety. He and his wife Jennifer have five children and 13 grandchildren, all of whom have left Prescott but most of whom are still in Arizona.
Denise is the founder and president/CEO of First Place AZ (established in 2012), co-founder of the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC, established in 1997), and founder and CEO of DRA Collective, a marketing/communications firm (established in 1986) that serves clients in a variety of fields, including real estate, economic development, healthcare, education and hospitality.
Denise serves as a member of Arizona State University’s Watts College Dean’s Council, the Creighton University Presidential Health Sciences Phoenix Advisory Board, The Precisionists, Inc. Advisory Board and the Autism Society Marketing Task Force. Former leadership positions include the Autism Speaks Housing Committee, Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism Leadership Council, National Association of Residential Providers for Adults with Autism and the National Autism Transition Research Network Advisory Panel. She has also served as a federally appointed member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health.
Denise has received numerous local and national honors for her civic contributions and business accomplishments. She graduated cum laude from ASU, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Her adult son Matt, who has autism, and others with different abilities inspire her work.
Started by Desiree Kameka Galloway, a recognized disability housing expert, Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC seeks to advance neuro-inclusive community development by providing subject matter expertise to industry professionals. As the Director of the Autism Housing Network for the Madison House Autism Foundation, she spent over a decade researching the barriers and identifying unique opportunities to increase residential options for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, has led national advocacy efforts on issues of autism in adulthood and has positively influenced policy development at national and state levels. Having visited over 120 residential opportunities and social enterprises across the USA, and led a network of over 250 organizations, Desiree uses this experience and network to help individuals and local leaders understand supportive housing options, service delivery models and strategies for neuro-inclusive community development.
Desiree is also the proud co-author and co-editor of the groundbreaking report, A Place in the World: Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities. Her work in housing is included among international academics and professionals. She has been invited to speak on panels at the World Human Rights Cities Forum by UN-Habitat, the United Nations World Autism Awareness Day, Great Minds Coming Together on Autism International Conference, and at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) on Autism After 21 and was an invited member of the IACC Housing Taskforce. She is also a certified cohousing consultant and a Cohousing Solutions 500 Communities Affiliate.
Desiree’s vision is that every person with intellectual/developmental disability, autism or other neurodiversity can access a home in their community that actively fosters relationships and meaningful inclusion. This vision drives Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC to conduct local market analysis, support advocacy efforts and coalition building, connect professionals and provide consulting services to housing developers for data-driven housing solutions across the country.