About Us

 As a determined parent of a young adult son with intellectual and developmental disability, Kerry knows how profoundly important our work is. She is using her University of Michigan Business School degree in marketing to champion the Lifesharing model of care. She was President of Growing Hope’s Board of Directors from 2018-2021. Kerry began working on a Lifesharing community for her son in 2005. Member of Michigan Legislative Disability Caucus, Autism Alliance of Michigan committee of Sever Autism, 

Kyle is Area Manager of Local Government & Community Affairs, ITC Holdings.  He is tasked with handling local government and community relations activities across a 10-county, Mid-Michigan, portion of ITC’s Lower Peninsula service area.  Kyle came to ITC from Comcast, where he did substantially similar work for nearly 12 years as one of Comcast’s local government and community relations managers.  Before that, Kyle was with the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he served as Vice President of Government Affairs.  Kyle holds a B.A in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor – and a J.D. from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law.  He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.  Kyle and his wife Megan just recently relocated from Ann Arbor to Dexter – where they spend far too much of their free time cheering on U-M Athletics.

Wendy,MML, CFRE, CFRM, NPEL is an inspirational leader, authentic relationship builder, and passionate aging sector advocate. Following two plus decades of servant-hearted leadership, collaborative board governance, and strategic growth initiatives in the non-profit sector, Wendy accepted an invitation to become the first non-family CEO of the Herrick Foundation in 2023.   The Herrick Foundation has granted more than $500 million to charitable organizations, generally in Michigan, which share a long-term commitment to social welfare.  The Herrick Foundation has an affinity for projects that build vibrant communities (priority to rural communities), broaden access to education, elevate underserved populations (Including older adults, people with disabilities), and enrich lives of children and their families, regardless of age. The Herrick Foundation has always welcomed faith-based initiatives.

Wendy is an active member of Grantmakers in Aging, Johnson Center for Philanthropy CEO Peer Group, Rural Michigan Funders Collaborative, Council of Michigan Foundations, Exponent Philanthropy, and Shalom Lutheran Church.

 Susan Wiant Crabb retired from the Office of Field Education as a field educator/lecturer/field liaison 2021. Susan worked at a large nonprofit agency as the CEO from 2004 to 2008, she was responsible for the budget and financial management, strategic planning, development, Board relations, and supervision to the leadership team. She also served as a field instructor for U-M and EMU’s BSW and MSW students. Susan was the recipient of Eastern Michigan University's School of Social Work MSW and Gerontology Alumna of the Year Awards in 2006 & 2007.

Currently, Susan provides LLMSW supervision to a number of social work professionals seeking their full licensure.

Jessica is a licensed MSW with 6 years experience at Washtenaw County Community Mental Health working with adults with disabilities. Jessica is a master gardener and brings elements of horticulture therapy to her practice. She currently works in social research at the University of Michigan and runs horticulturally based therapeutic workshops and groups as well as consulting with individuals with disabilities on benefits and entitlements. Jessica has worked with a variety of people with disabilities and is passionate about helping everyone to live their best life. 

Julie has been a Member of the Board of Directors of the Autism Alliance of Michigan for over 10 years. She was instrumental in the creation of AAoM’s Young Professionals Board and continues to mentor them.

Julie has an English and Communications double degree from the University of Michigan and earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in 1989. She received her Teaching Certificate from Eastern Michigan University with a concentration in Speech & Communications. Additional academic work focused on School Psychology and Career Counseling. This background created a strong base for Julie to educate, counsel and advocate for families with autistic members in the physical, developmental, emotional, and behavioral aspects of children and their growth throughout the life span.

She lives in Plymouth with her 20 year old son with high needs autism and her beloved dog, Blue. She has two older children who are exceptional caretakers for their sibling, and who have encouraged Julie to be a voice for siblings of special needs individuals, a group sometimes forgotten in this journey.

She is thankful for the opportunity to help the dream of Many Hands come to fruition. 

Barbara and her husband, Howard Bunsis, have two adult children on the autism spectrum, Josh, 24, and Sam, 27, who also has intellectual and developmental disabilities. Barb's background is in accounting and finance, with a CPA and an MBA in Finance. Barb has spent the last 20+ years advocating for her sons in the disability and autism communities, on federal, state, and local levels, including in special education, health care, and now for lifelong disability services and supports.

 Ron brings practical expertise to legal transactions involving large-scale real estate and construction projects. His track record also includes representing corporations on major economic development incentive projects throughout North America. Ron has worked on more than $14 billion worth of real estate and construction projects for both US and international clients.  Ron's commercial real estate skills include procurement, negotiation and consulting on state and local economic development incentives and tax abatements. For the construction industry, his expertise includes construction law, construction risk management, construction contracts, architect agreements, construction claims, bonding, insurance and bidding issues.  Chambers USA reports that Ron has an active practice representing businesses in major development projects and can provide expertise on a range of tax and infrastructure incentives.

Marco Bruzzano is the senior vice president of Corporate Strategy & Regulatory Affairs for DTE Energy. In his role, Bruzzano is focused on working across DTE's executive team to shape company strategy and identifying and evaluating growth opportunities. Bruzzano is also responsible for developing and managing DTE Gas and DTE Electric's regulatory initiatives before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) and plays a key role in developing DTE's long-term state and federal regulatory policy strategy. Prior to his current role, Bruzzano was vice president of Distribution Engineering & Construction for DTE Energy, where he was responsible for overseeing the company’s engineering, grid modernization and construction activities, and for driving improvements in asset management and work management practices. Bruzzano earned Bachelor of Science, with honors, and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Duke University, where he graduated with distinction as a Fuqua Scholar. In 2018 Bruzzano was nominated by Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Michigan Infrastructure Council. He is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Electric Power Research Institute and serves on the boards of the University Musical Society and NextEnergy.

Jan is Senior Principal of A3C Collaborative Architecture. Jan continues to work and serve in the community she loves. Her roles include Leadership Council Chair for the Ann Arbor 2030 District and as a member of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Sustainability Advisory Committee. Jan is active in Scio Township serving as Vice-Chair of the Scio Township Zoning Board of Appeals and as a member of the Scio Township Planning Commission. Jan advocates at the state and national level for the architectural profession and the environment as the Co-Chair of AIA Michigan’s Government Advocacy Committee. FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, GGA

Rob is the University of Michigan’s chief health officer and associate vice president of student life for health and wellness.  As chief health officer, he serves as a key advisor to the president on matters related to the health and wellness of the university community, including the promotion of health and well-being, disease management, and public health preparedness on all three campuses. He has considerable experience and expertise in the areas of campus health, interprofessional team-based care and clinical practice design.  He has previously served as executive director and medical director at University Health Service and as senior associate division chief of general internal medicine and assistant chair for primary care in the Department of Internal Medicine at Michigan Medicine.  He is a clinical assistant professor at the U-M Medical School and he has been a practicing primary care physician at U-M since 1995.  Ernst is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received his M.D. degree from the University of Michigan Medical School.

Tom resides in Plymouth with Pam, his wife of 36 years, and their 26 year old daughter who has special needs.  Tom is a board member of Community Opportunity Center (COC), which is committed to enriching the lives of individuals IDD through quality housing and support in Wayne County.   He is also the Treasurer of Living and Learning Enrichment Center, which provides day and evening programming for persons with special needs.   Tom has been employed for 20 years with PNC Bank where he is currently a Regional Credit Executive in the commercial real estate business.  Tom earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan. 

Jeff is the Director of Operations and Development and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for Sunfield Center for Autism, ADHD and Behavioral Health. He is also a partner at the Sunfield Institute and Sprouted Sage Full Circle Intervention Center. At the Sunfield Institute, a professional development organization dedicated to providing gold standard training for mental health providers, as well as at the Sprouted Sage Full Circle Intervention Center, an early intervention center for young children diagnosed with autisms.

He also has experience working at the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center (UMACC), He obtained his Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan. He received his Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Albion College. He also serves on the Board of Directors for LightUp, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals with special needs.

Deb and Richard are Co-Owners of Tantr’e Farm, Ann Arbor Food Hub and Honey Bee U-pick.  They have developed one of the largest and most successful Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in Michigan with over 300 members.  Richard has grown Tantr’s Farm to 115 acres that are organic certified on 115 acres. Deb is a board member of The Agrarian Adventure, a non-profit organization which partners with K-12 schools to enrich students’ connection between the foods they eat, their health, the health of their communities and the environment.  

Susan and her husband, Dan have two children, including a son age 28 with intellectual and developmental disabilities who lives at home.  He works part time and has a job coach.

Susan’s entire career was in the field of business communications.  Including work at the Oakland Steiner School, assisting with parent communication, fundraising and public relations.

Susan helped found SAIL, Solutions for Adult Interdependent Living, and has served on the Board of Directors throughout.  She also joined Rochester Housing Solutions (RHS), a spinoff from SAIL, which is collaborating with Bill Godfrey to build three integrated neighborhoods of people with IDD and the neurotypical population in Rochester Hills.  As a member of RHS, Susan leads the team researching direct care agencies and is a member of the marketing committee, as well.

Susan graduated from Wayne State University with a BS in Journalism with a focus on public relations and advertising.

Amy founded Cell Talent in 2015 to help provide affordable recruiting and HR services to small businesses. We have since grown to provide a wide range of creative solutions to employers and communities. She honed her approach based on experiences in talent attraction, retention, and development work at Ann Arbor SPARK and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).  Amy is a triple-header wolverine BBA, MBA, and current U-Michigan faculty.

State Rep. Felicia Brabec is serving her second term. As a practicing psychologist, including past work with the University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services, she sees up close how decisions made by our state government affects peoples’ everyday lives. Dr. Brabec had served on the Washtenaw Board of Commissioners for nine years, Rep Brabec understands the importance of working with others to create a community we all want to live in. She has served with the board of Food Gatherers, Garrett's Space, and Washtenaw Psychology Society.

Stephanie retired from a finance career capped by 30+ years as Vice President/Controller of a large privately-held company headquartered in Ann Arbor. Since the early 2000’s she’s engaged with the local food movement as a farmers market manager, co-owner of a meat/poultry business, and supporter of policy programs designed to empower farmers and food producers to produce nutritious foods for their communities. Her personal food adventure includes a garden, hoop house and orchard she keeps with husband Larry along with raising poultry, keeping bees, foraging and food preservation.

David is C.F.O: chief fermenting officer of The Brinery, an Ann Arbor artisanal fermented foods company.  He made his first sauerkraut at Tantre’ Farm, where he also farmed for many years (in between travels and adventures). He spent 1 very formative year as a co-worker at Camphill Copake, and was deeply moved by the mission and lifestyle.  He has also spent time managing an organic fruit farm in Washington state, sailing as first mate on a classic wooden yacht in the Caribbean, as well as living and working on Catalina Island as an environmental educator for students. 

Mike is President & CEO of Michael R. Tyson & Assoc serving nonprofits and providing them with executive consultation to diversify revenue and improve an organization's sustainability.  He was CEO & President at NEW (Nonprofit Enterprise at Work) for 9 year and was successful in improving the impact and performance of fellow nonprofits by working alongside leaders to create high-quality strategic solutions that advanced their missions in our communities. Prior to NEW he spent 20 years in the financial sector with J.P. Morgan Chase. Mike graduated from Eastern Michigan University and recently continued his education after being awarded a fellowship to Harvard Business School's Strategic Perspectives in a Non Profit Management program. 

Daniella is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Daniella’s specialization has been working with Autistic Individuals since 1997, utilizing evidence-based behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapeutic modalities. Her training in Clinical Social Work, Behavior Analysis and Public Health allows her to connect knowledge and skills from multiple fields. She works on promoting self-advocacy and wholeheartedly supports the Neurodiversity Movement. Daniella has Certificate in Disability Inclusion & Accessible Design and is Owner of Behavioral Learning Solutions, LLC. LMSW, LBA, BCBA, MPH

Lisa is a Business Strategy & Customer Success Executive.

Customer success has a lot of moving pieces, not unlike a puzzle. A visionary customer success executive is skilled in shaping the big picture while balancing the details. She finds joy in creating and optimizing business solutions that drive value creation and growth through seamless, impactful customer enablement. Lisa’s guiding leadership philosophy is to lead with care for yourself and everyone around you.