The People Behind First Place®
Board of Directors (Click for bios)
Sara Dial
Board Chair
Sara Dial & Associates President and CEO
Nancy L. White, J.D.
Vice Chair
Steptoe & Johnson Partner
& Molly's Mom
Tess Burleson, CPA, MBA
Board Secretary
TGen Chief Operating Officer &
TGen Health Ventures President
Jack Henry
Board Treasurer
Founder & Managing Director
of Sierra Blanca Ventures, LLC
&
Clarke’s Grandfather
Denise D. Resnik
Board Member
First Place Founder, President/CEO
DRA Collective Founder & CEO
SARRC Co-Founder & Emeritus
Board Member & Matt's Mom
Rob Leinbach
Board Member
Cadence Real Estate Principal
& Luke's Dad
Bo Calbert
Board Member
Former McCarthy Building Companies President
Mary Martuscelli
Board Member
U.S. Bank Regional President, Western U.S.
Doug Eaton
Board Member
Former Vantage Mobility International (VMI) CEO
Leadership
Denise D. Resnik
President/CEO & Matt's Mom
Joseph Cooper
Chief Financial & Operating Officer
Neil Dreiseszun
Technology Planner
Encore Career Fellow
Advisors
Steven A. Betts
Betts Real Estate Advisors Founder & President
Peter Bell
Ascendigo Autism Services
President & CEO and Tyler's Dad
Joe Blackbourn
Everest Holdings
President & CEO
David C. Brown
Home Matters® CEO & National NeighborWorks® Association (NNA) Executive Director
Catherine Camp Boyle
Autism Housing Pathways, Inc.
Founder & President
Mother of a young man
with autism
Ellis Carter
Caritas Law Group, P.C.
Legal Counsel
Sophia Colamarino, Ph.D.
The John & Marcia Goldman Foundation
Director of Science and Health
James D. Howard, Jr.
Dudley Ventures Founder & Principal Shareholder
Bill Karny
Col. Harland Sanders Foundation President (USA)
& Charlotte's Grandfather
The Late Natalie S. Lang
Lang Associates
Business Consultant
Karen B. Mariscal
Margolis & Bloom Counsel
and Billy’s Mom
Raun D. Melmed, M.D.
SARRC Co-founder & Medical Director; Melmed Center Director & Developmental Pediatrician
Ian Paregol
DC Coalition for
Disability Service Providers
Executive Director
Wellington "Duke" Reiter, FAIA
Solutions Initiative at the
ASU Foundation
Senior Vice President & Managing Director
Paige Rogers, M.S.W., C.P.R.P.
Community Connections Consulting Services Founder Former SARRC VSLA Director
Jeff Ross, M.A.
First Place Adult Transition Specialist
Michael Sklar
Sonata Properties
Broker & Managing Member
Michael Trailor
Arizona Department of Housing Director
Linda J. Walder, Esq.
The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation (DJF) Founder & Executive Director
Capital Campaign Cabinet
Melissa Ahearn Lange
Northwestern Mutual
Financial Advisor
Susan Drescher-Mulzet
Philanthropist &
Community Volunteer
Keith Earnest
Van Trust Executive Vice President & Market Leader
Danielle Feroleto, M.A., CPSM
Small Giants, LLC
Owner & Founder
Jim Fijan
CBRE Executive Vice President
Lorena Garcia
Bloguettes & Esto es Púrpura Co-Founder
Adam Goodman
Goodmans Interior Structures President
John W. Graham
Sunbelt Holdings
President & CEO
The Late Natalie S. Lang
Lang Associates
Business Consultant
Lisa Pavelka McAlister, CPA
Mother & Autism Advocate
Thomas W. Roberts
VEREIT, Inc.
Executive Vice President &
Chief Investment Officer
Judy Schubert
Philanthropist &
Community Activist
Global Leadership Institute Faculty
George Braddock
Creative Housing Solutions, LLC Director
Catherine Camp Boyle
Autism Housing Pathways, Inc. Founder & President
Mother of a young man
with autism
Peter Gerhardt, Ph.D.
EPIC School Executive Director
Anna Hundley, M.Ed.
Autism Treatment Center (ATC)
Texas Executive Director
Kristina Lopez, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.S., M.A.
ASU Strategic Coordinator First Place Doctoral Fellowship Program
Jeff Ross, M.A.
First Place Adult Transition Specialist
Raun D. Melmed, M.D.
SARRC Co-founder &
Medical Director
Melmed Center Director & Developmental Pediatrician
Daniel Openden, Ph.D., BCBA-D
SARRC President & CEO
Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D.
Valerie Paradiz, LLC Director and Elijah's Mom
Paul Shattuck, Ph.D.
AJ Drexel Autism Institute
Drexel University Associate Professor & Life Course Outcomes Research
Program Leader
Christopher Smith, Ph.D.
SARRC Vice President & Research Director
First Place® and the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) are sister nonprofits. SARRC was co-founded in 1997 by First Place Founder Denise D. Resnik with a mission to advance research and provide a lifetime of support for individuals with autism and their families.
SARRC undertakes self-directed research, serves as a satellite site for national and international projects and provides up-to-date information, training and assistance to families and professionals about autism.
Through integrative research, educational outreach, model programs and collaborative initiatives, SARRC sets forth, promotes and facilitates best practices for early intervention and the long-term support of adults with an autism spectrum disorder.
The Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Arizona devoted to preserving dignity and promoting quality of life for seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers.
FSL has also redeveloped 29 Palms, the beta site for the First Place® Transition Academy, by co-locating nine two-bedroom units for adults with autism with 12 apartments for multigenerational residents. The property is currently accepting enrollment.
In 2014, the Arizona Department of Housing awarded the Outstanding Affordable Housing Initiative to 29 Palms.
FSL’s Home Health program is helping adults of all ages with special needs in their home environments. FSL provides a wide array of fee-based, customized services that promote personal choice, independent living, well-being and peace of mind for families and caregivers. FSL has an extensive and respected track record of offering individualized solutions that solve problems and remove barriers.