Community Heart & Soul Coaches

Originally from New Hampshire, Hillary has been living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for 29 years. Hillary is a grant writer for an Early Childhood Education Center and is a vendor at the weekly Farmer’s Market and winter craft fairs, selling locally made Steamboat Springs products, including her own Goji Goodness Tea. Hillary has a history of civic engagement, participating on many local and state boards. Hillary ran an AmeriCorps program for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps developing and administering a School Based Mentoring Program. Hillary still works for the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps as the Volunteer Coordinator for the annual Yampa Valley Science School, a place based science camp for Routt County sixth graders. Hillary enjoys hiking, swimming and trying new outdoor activities such as paddle boarding. She has a coonhound named Della Mae who provides hours of entertainment and is quite certain she is in charge of life at the Ackerman household. Hillary loves to cook and most recently has taken up the craft of making pine needle baskets. Music is a passion and whenever possible, Hillary and her husband volunteer at bluegrass and folk festivals. In a perfect summer, camping with friends also is on the agenda!

Vickie showed early signs of her vocation as a community developer when she created a school newspaper in fifth grade called the Nosy Noodles. As a college student, Vickie became immersed in social justice and poverty issues. She was quickly recruited to work with local food producers as a Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA). Since earning her Master's degree in community development, Vickie has focused her career on assisting small towns by building local capacity and creating partnerships to bring resources needed to implement community-driven projects. As director of community economic development for a rural electric cooperative, Vickie developed programs and partnerships to advance small business development, tourism, strategic planning and local community trusts and foundations. For over twelve years, Vickie has developed and implemented programs that bring the expertise and enthusiasm of university faculty and students to work in partnership with communities on projects such as park design, recreation planning, food security, tourism, and downtown enhancement. In mid-career, Vickie accepted a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, packed her fiddle, and studied at the National University of Ireland Galway. Forever curious, she continues to travel and explore with her husband Jim.

DiAnn, Grand County Economic Development Director, is engaged in leading many diverse community and economic development county efforts ranging from identifying an economic resilience and diversification strategy to working with our towns on their creative economy, downtown assessments, business and customer-centric culture development (using The Disney Way Principles) and young entrepreneurship programs. She is currently working with Grand Lake Heart & Soul.

Becki has been a resident of South Fork, CO since 2004. She is a former Trustee of the South Fork Town Board. Currently, she serves as the Heart & Soul Coach for the town of San Elizario, TX. She is an experienced bilingual qualitative researcher with over 20 years of market research experience who can moderate fluently in English and Spanish. Becki has partnered with many research suppliers and client teams to lead and manage a range of qualitative projects, nationally and internationally in diverse categories including healthcare/pharma, financial services, public policy, CPG, spirits, greeting cards, telecommunications and more. In her role, she uncovers consumer insights and works consultatively with her research partners to develop strategies that translate into consumer understanding and ultimately help connect clients with their target audience. Since 2009, Becki has been a Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). In short, NLP is a set of tools and techniques that can be implemented to help change perception, engender responsible communication and develop choices of responses or communication in a given situation. NLP works on the principle that everyone has all the resources they need to make positive changes in their life. She holds MBA and BBA degrees in Marketing. As an adjunct professor at Elon University in North Carolina, she taught courses in Marketing Research, Channels of Distribution and Principles of Marketing. She is also a graduate of the RIVA Focus Group Moderator Training School in Bethesda, MD.

Ramona is a Capacity Development Specialist in the Office of Policy and Strategic Development at VA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Before coming to DHCD she was a Management Analyst with the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA). She is a native of Charlottesville, VA. Ramona has served on nonprofit boards, is a member of the Virginia Parliamentarian Association and loves agriculture. She enjoys volunteering with several urban gardens in the Charlottesville and Richmond, VA areas. Mona holds a Master of Science in Health Administration and minor in Higher Education Administration.

Cynthia Curtis joined JMSF in January 2018 as a Community Investment Officer to support partners in Lancaster and Chester counties address their development challenges and solutions, plus support Community Heart & Soul and the liaison with Orton. In July she began serving as coach in Kershaw, SC. Her life and work experience in the development field includes 21 years in El Salvador working with international cooperation for development in the Central American region around local and economic development, equity, youth participation, and global volunteers. In 2013 she relocated to Chester, SC, where she worked with the City of Chester as Grants & Community Development Coordinator for 3 years, and as Development Coordinator with the Chester Downtown Development Association for 1 year. Cynthia is accompanied by her two sons, Jose and Jacinto, and 6 dogs who help her “keep it real.”

Jen works closely with grantees to provide technical support in all aspects of public engagement, program development and learning and evaluation. Her work is rooted in the belief that the humanities inspire individuals to uncover and claim their own stories – and the stories of the communities in which they live – as a way to build understanding, foster resilience and inspire action. Since 2013, she’s been supporting the organizational and cultural shifts needed to make PHC a more trauma-aware funder and program partner. Jen has an M.F.A in creative writing from Rosemont College and a certificate in organizational development and leadership from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).

Bob has over 41 years of experience in economic development, downtown revitalization, urban redevelopment, historic preservation, brownfield redevelopment, place making, marketing and community planning at the local, county, state and national levels as well as the private sector. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Bob also has a Graduate Certification in Historic Preservation Planning from Eastern Michigan University and is a U.S. Navy Veteran – Honorable Discharge. Bob has served as an Adjunct Professor at Lawrence Technical University and Eastern Michigan University. A Certified Main Street Manager (CMSM), Bob is recognized throughout Michigan and the United States as a successful economic development and downtown revitalization expert and leader.

Holly Furr serves as Program Officer for Responsive Grants at the J. Marion Sims Foundation. She is a 2012 Hull Fellow with the Southeastern Council of Foundations. Holly is the 2017-2018 Chairperson of the South Carolina Grantmakers Network, a state-wide organization of foundations and philanthropic organizations. She has spearheaded the Give Local Lancaster campaign since its inception in 2016 for the J. Marion Sims Foundation. Holly is an elder and clerk of session at First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. She is currently on the board of the Lancaster County Community Foundation, and Bethelwoods Camp and Conference Center in York, SC. She is President-Elect for the Lancaster Breakfast Rotary Club. She has been trained and participated as a small group leader for Montreat Youth Conferences. She is a past trainer for the FAST (Families and Schools Together) program. Holly has spent over 20 years working in the not-for-profit arena. She has a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. A native of Lancaster, Holly holds a BA degree in Psychology from Columbia College in Columbia, SC.

Ann Glave is the Executive Director for Fredericksburg VA Main Street Inc. Ann’s career path has taken her into many directions. She held her broker’s license in Massachusetts where she worked with Century 21 and Re/ Max over 10+ year as a residential realtor. Her love for retail and family brought her to Virginia in 2000 where she ran a successful handcrafted jewelry and craft store for over 5 years in Fredericksburg. Prior to Fredericksburg VA Main Street, her involvement was with an arts and cultural nonprofit organization located in Montpelier VA as their Executive Director. In 2015, she was recognized at the Art Advocate of the Year for Central Region of Virginia Art Educators for her work with the Hanover County Public Schools system and The Montpelier Center for Arts & Education for the Growing with the Arts project, that partnered with the National Endowment for the Arts. She holds an MBA from VCU in Business Administration, along with an undergraduate degree in Business from VA Tech and 2 nonprofit certificates from University of Richmond. Her career path gives her insight to various stakeholders as in the property owners, business owners, and residents of downtown main street district.

Jessica joined the Virginia Dept. of Housing and Community Development in 2017 from Bedford, Virginia where she previously served as the county’s Economic Development Specialist. She has also volunteered her time on main street boards, community action teams, and young professional organizations. When she’s not working, Jessica loves to be outside with her husband and dog Mojo, or in the kitchen perfecting her baking skills! Jessica received her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Communication Studies and is currently working towards becoming a certified economic developer (CEcD).

Douglas Jackson provides facilitation, technical assistance, and strategic support to community partners of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Doug served as an officer in the US Navy and holds degrees in Duke (economics); UC Irvine (urban and regional planning); and Hollins (creative writing). During an 11-year stint on the Roanoke Arts Commission, he co-chaired the development of Roanoke’s Arts and Cultural element of the comprehensive plan. A self-proclaimed book nerd, he’s now exploring the Roanoke Valley’s literary scene through the strategic blog BOOK CITY Roanoke.

Jane is owner and proprietor of JB Lafleur Consultants which was formed in 2016 after 30+ years in the public, private and non-profit sectors in Maine and northern New England. JB Lafleur Consultants provides community development, planning, citizen engagement and civic leadership training and educational programs throughout Maine and the US. Her work includes community facilitation, town planning, walkability and place-making training and audits and other community assessments, as well as coaching Community Heart & Soul teams through the two-year community development process. Her firm also designs and manages The Community Institute, a training program for community leaders, decision makers and volunteers. Lafleur has worked with communities, community organizations and the public as a facilitator, teacher, coach and leader. She has received the Professional Planner of the Year Award from both the Maine Association of Planners and the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association, as well as other honors. She lives in Camden, Maine with her husband Joel.

Jim lives in the City of Forest Acres South Carolina, a city of just over 10,000 residents located in the Columbia SC MSA with his trophy Hallmark Movie wife Sandra C. Manning, Ph.D. and they have two adult sons, Jim who is an attorney in New York City and Luke who works in manufacturing transportation. Additionally, they have a daughter via marriage, Amanda who is an Assistant District Attorney on Long Island. Jim retired following his first career as a Social Worker and Administrator in State government then worked with the non-profit organization, Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services for over 10 years. Now in his third career, he is an Enterpriser who created an eclectic consulting business, Gray Hair Solutions LLC and primarily works with Foundations and Not-for-Profits providing CEO Capacity Building, Anti Human Sex Trafficking education, Quality Control and Community Engagement. Jim coaches aspiring Social Workers, manages local political campaigns and has been an Adjunct Professor for nearly three decades. In 2008, Jim was elected to the Richland County Council where his primary focuses have been citizen participation, the re-vitalization of a strip mall corridor, fiscal accountability, anti-human trafficking and transportation enhancements.

Steve Mason is the Vice President and COO of Northeast Kingdom Tamarack, Inc. and its subsidiary /d/b/a/ NEKTI Consulting. In that capacity, Steve provides an extensive background of executive and special project leadership, community & business development, and human resource management; he brings research, writing skills and technical support to a variety of projects. Steve has over 30 years experience in international relations, special education, legal research, non-profit management, sports training and management, human resources, corporate communications and development and non-profit governance. Currently he works closely with a broad range of business and community leaders in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and beyond. As a volunteer, Steve shares his expertise and skills as a board member with a select group of local and state-wide organizations that include Orleans County Restorative Justice and a Trustee of the Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport, VT. He also serves as Chair of the School Board for the Lowell Graded School (15 years), and is the chair of the North Country Union Supervisory School (6 years). Steve is also the Chair of the Board at PSI Family Services, Inc. in Washington, DC where he worked for 16 years. After spending 10 years working for Special Olympics in Washington, DC. Steve received his Bachelor’s degree from St. Michael’s College where he majored in political science and minored in English. He received his Master’s degree and completed his doctoral coursework in International Relations at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Steve’s career has been full of change and is best described as eclectic; it is a combination of experience in higher education, research, sports management, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. He remains through it all primarily a student of human nature. In 2004 he returned to his beloved Northeast Kingdom of Vermont after 30 years in Washington, DC to be close to his father and the woods, fields and streams of his youth.

Kyle is a market-driven and client-focused urban planner with over 10 years of experience in project management, community development, and commercial revitalization. He enjoys leading responsible and energetic planning teams and working with community allies to catalyze downtown revitalization. Currently, he manages Virginia Main Street (VMS), a program of advanced, asset-based, commercial district economic development housed in the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through VMS he provides downtown and neighborhood commercial revitalization technical assistance and resources to designated Virginia Main Street communities and affiliates, CDBG grantees and to any other organizations, city, town or county governments across the state. He received his undergraduate degree from James Madison University and his graduate degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University. Kyle grew up in the Richmond region, has an avid taste for music and art, and enjoys outdoor, recreational pursuits and adventure travel.

Tripp is principal at Arnett Muldrow & Associates in Greenville, SC. A native of Greenville; Tripp graduated from Clemson University with a Masters in City and Regional Planning. He began his career with the Greenville City Economic Development Department where he worked on downtown and commercial revitalization. After leaving the city, Tripp spent several years consulting with other firms. In 2002, Tripp and his business partners started their own firm concentrating on Planning, Image Building, and Economic Development for small and medium sized communities. The firm has evolved a specialty niche in downtown economic development and community branding and has completed projects in over 450 communities in 37 states. Tripp is a Fellow in the American Institute of Certified Planners, Past President of the SC Chapter of APA, was Faculty at the SC Mayor’s Institute for Community Design, and served on the board of the SC Main Street program. Tripp is active in Greenville having served as the on City Planning Commission, the Leadership Greenville Board of Regents, on the boards of the Historic Greenville Foundation, the Greenville Housing Authority, and Friends of the Reedy River.

Anne lives in Havre, Montana. Her business is called Still Waters LLC. Anne has been in the human development field for the past 24 years with a life-time emphasis on professional and personal growth. Anne is an experienced facilitator, trainer, mentor, and business and life coach. She also teaches restorative yoga and meditation classes. Anne has worked with a number of groups using a wide variety of participatory facilitation methodologies. She facilitates strategic planning events and trains others to use these same skills and methods. Anne is known for her energetic commitment to people achieving their highest visions.

Jason is the Heart & Soul Coordinator at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (CFGD). He works with rural communities in the CFGD seven-county region to provide coaching, technical assistance, and planning support for Community Heart & Soul projects. Originally from Dubuque, Neises has spent most of his career in adult education and working with non-profits, including Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and the Peace Corps. He volunteers in the community with the Dubuque County Historic Preservation Commission, Cub Scouts, Dubuque Museum of Art, the Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market, and the Thomas Determan Global Perspectives Endowment. Neises has an education degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He lives on a small farm north of Dubuque with his wife and two boys.

Jenny serves as Manager of Community Development with Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, which is the statewide trade association for Georgia’s 41 electric membership cooperatives (co-ops). Robbins is an experienced facilitator who specializes in helping communities successfully prepare to grow their local economies through leadership development and strategic planning. Robbins has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communications from Valdosta State University. She gained local experience as a Main Street Manager for the City of Homerville and with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension as a Family and Consumer Science Agent and an Energy Educator. Robbins is a current member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Georgia Downtown Association, and the National Rural Economic Developers Association. She and her husband Len reside in Homerville, Georgia (population 2,450) with their three children, two cats, and one dog.

Kirsten Sackett is a professional City Planner with 13 years of experience working in municipal government, and is currently serving as Community Development Director for Ellensburg, WA. Prior to that she worked for the City of Cortez, Colorado for nine years. She has overseen the creation of new Comprehensive Plans for each community, and has worked extensively on drafting code amendments to bring land use regulations into sync with identified community values. She is a successful grant writer, a trained facilitator, and enjoys both current and long range planning. While in Colorado she served four years as a member of a local food task force, and seven years as a board member of a non-profit housing organization. She has a B.A. in English, with graduate work in the field of political science and public policy. In her spare time, she loves reading novels from the likes of Austen and Bronte, or going on camping excursions with her husband Joe and three children, Christian, McKenzie and Madeline.

Trish is recognized internationally for her skills in coalition building, networking for opportunities with tenacious follow-up for impact, community outreach, and advocacy. She has a proven track record of working in challenging environments with facility and bringing diverse groups together in project development and advancing results for positive impact. Located in Lowell, VT, Sears is co-founder of NEKTI Consulting, a strategic communications firm providing government and community-relations expertise to growing businesses, organizations and communities. For seven years she served as the founding executive director of the award-winning Newport City Renaissance Corporation, Newport VT’s downtown organization. Currently, Sears serves as Vermont’s Governor-appointee representing Smart Growth to the Vermont Downtown Development Board, and has served on the board of directors for a variety of nonprofits. For five years, Sears and her business and life partner, Steve Mason, have hosted the #BarnPitch site of the annual #RoadPitch, Vermont’s premier business pitch event with motorcycle riding influential business experts and investors. (She rides two-up with Steve.)

Danielle is a native to Ohio and loves all parts of her home state, especially rural downtowns. She has a passion for historic preservation and learned to write municipal and other grants to support preservation of historic commercial structures. She lives in Toledo with her husband, son and two feline fur-babies but can be found anywhere between Lake Erie and the Ohio River on any given week day. She works with dozens of communities throughout Ohio and northern Kentucky doing whatever it takes to make projects happen: planning, consensus building, funding, phasing, and finding whatever other resources are necessary to make dreams real.

Brian serves as the Program Director – Community and Organizational Development and Evaluation at FHCCF in Findlay, OH. Current areas of responsibility include nonprofit organization capacity building, work with The Family Center (a multi-tenant nonprofit center), and facilitating the Heart & Soul process in Hancock County. So far, he has coached McComb and Mt. Blanchard in the Heart & Soul process. Prior to his current role, he served as Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life at The University of Findlay, where he still serves as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Education. Brian has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from UF. In 2010, he earned his doctorate in education, with a focus in organizational leadership, from Northcentral University. He also has training in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention and is a trained weather spotter through the National Weather Service. In the community, Brian serves as the Chair of the Board of the Hancock County Credit Union, is on the University of Findlay Alumni Board of Governors, and the UF College of Education Dean’s Advisory Board.