Denise D. Resnik

First Place Founder, President/CEO & Board Member | SARRC Co-Founder & Emeritus Board Member | DRA Collective Founder & CEO | Matt's Mom

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.

DR. CHRISTOPHER J. MANENTE PHD, BCBA

PROFESSOR | PRACTITIONER | ADVOCATE

Christopher J. Manente, PhD, BCBA is the Founding Executive Director of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services and a Clinical Associate Professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Dr. Manente is an accomplished professor, practitioner, and advocate who has dedicated his career to helping adults on the autism spectrum succeed within their homes and communities throughout the lifespan and across the contexts of school, work, relationships, leisure, and transportation. Dr. Manente has taught over a dozen distinct university courses for students across the undergraduate and graduate levels, he has authored articles in peer-reviewed journals and written book chapters, and has presented at numerous national and international conferences on a variety of topics related to the advancement of community-based educational, vocational, and residential opportunities for adults with autism.

Dr. Manente’s previous roles included serving as an Assistant Professor of Education at Caldwell University, as an educational/behavioral consultant supporting the success of neurodiverse students in schools throughout NJ, as the Senior Program Coordinator of Adult Services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC) at Rutgers University, and as a Sergeant on active duty within the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Infantry Division. Additionally, Dr. Manente is a prior special education student who was often told by many of his teachers that he was “too smart for his own good” and that he “wouldn’t amount to much”.

Desiree Kameka Galloway

Neuro-Inclusive Housing Solutions, LLC

Desiree is 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.

Desiree’s vision is that every person with 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.

elizabeth shea

porzio, bromberg, & NEWMAN, PC

Elizabeth Shea is a healthcare advocate with extensive experience in human services, particularly in the area of developmental disabilities. Ms. Shea was the Assistant Commissioner New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities and has extensive subject matter expertise in the areas of federal and state Medicaid, including 1915(c) and 1115(i) Medicaid waiver programs; service delivery across the lifespan of individuals with disabilities – including early intervention services, special education, adult services, affordable housing policies and programs; rate setting for state-funded programs; care management for unique populations; and how to safely transition individuals with complex needs from institutional settings to home and community-based settings.

STACY ENNIS

advocate | direct service professional | MOTHER

Upon earning her BFA from the University of Michigan followed by an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business, Stacy became a marketing professional for a fortune 500 company. As a mom of two boys, one having been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at the age of five, she turned her attention to working to meet the educational, medical and emotional needs of her sons.

Intersecting her business management skills with her own family’s journey and experiences, Stacy created a vast online resource, pathtoinclusion.com. This serves as a tool to help empower the neuro-diverse autistic community by offering a strong network of professionals and parents  to assist others along their path to a more inclusive future.  In that regard, she recently also became a Direct Service Professional where she works with differently abled people with the objective of assisting them to become integrated into their communities.  

Actively volunteering for organizations which are close to her heart, such as serving as the Special Needs Chair for JCC MetroWest, volunteering at LifeTown and more, Stacy’s ultimate hope is that all special needs parents enjoy a straightforward path leading to positive, productive and successful lives for their children.