Board of Directors
Gloria has been in the Early Childhood field for 40 plus years as a teacher assistant, lead teacher, consultant, director, child development specialist, and trainer. She is currently a Prevention Services Coordinator and an Early Childhood Development Instructor and Interim Program Director at Maricopa community colleges. She has a Masters in Educational Leadership.
Alverta McKenzie is a professional in the field of Child and Family Studies. For over 30 years she has worked to help strengthen the well-being of children and families, and to help prepare others to do this important work. Alverta is the Department Chair in Applied Technology Family and Consumer Sciences at Phoenix College. She teachers many courses in the Child & Family Studies discipline and was awarded the “Distinguished Teacher of the Year” in 2015/2016. Alverta’s degrees include a Master of Arts in Child & Family Studies, Prescott College, Bachelor of Arts in Business Management, University of Phoenix, and Associate in Applied Science in Child Care Administration, Phoenix College. Alverta held the national Child Development Associate Credential from 1977 to 2005. Memberships include the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Council on Family Relations.
Katie is a graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney (Australia) with a BA in Communications. She worked in television media for over 15 years until an opportunity to relocate to the US presented itself to her family. Katie joined Live and Learn in 2012 and was instrumental in shaping and implementing mentoring services as well as career track training opportunities for all Live and Learn participants. Ms. Johnson possesses depth of knowledge in all aspects of program administration, development, ad implementation and was thrilled to take on the role of Executive Director at Live and Learn in March 2015. Katie has the Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professionals (CNAP) national accreditation.
Brian is a vocational education specialist, with extensive knowledge of training and employment opportunities in the healthcare industry. He understands the challenges and obstacles facing at-risk individuals enrolling in vocational training, and has a proven ability to develop successful action plans that culminate in graduation and employment. Brian holds a BS in CIS and worked for AT&T in his early professional career. Brian joined Pima Medical Institute in 2008 where he is responsible for Admission Compliance and Community Outreach.
MJ is committed to serving vulnerable women and their children, with an interest in basic skill acquisition and career training. She holds a BS in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Psychological Counseling from Indiana University. She spent 10 years as an executive in the financial industry. In 2001, MJ founded Career Solutions, Inc. in Indiana, an organization that helped women improve their lives through education, job training, and employment. MJ moved to Phoenix in 2004 and founded a medical billing business that provided paid training for women in the areas of medical billing, coding, and accounts receivable.
Denise founded Live and Learn in 2012. She holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Her career includes over 20 years in the financial services industry, including an executive position with a Fortune 500 company, as well as time as the CFO of a start-up biotech firm. She moved to Arizona in 2005 and spent six years working for the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Business. Denise stepped down as the Executive Director of Live and Learn in 2015 and has served on the Board since.
Casey Sanders brings more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and 13 years overall with Bank of America. Throughout her career, Casey has held numerous production leadership roles. She is currently the Senior Vice President of Divisional Underwriting at Bank of America. Prior to this role, she was the National Underwriting Business Support Manager where she was accountable for the critical processes and key performance metrics across the country. Casey also brings mortgage and leadership experience from her former roles at Wells Fargo and Security Pacific.
Casey currently lives in Cave Creek, Arizona with her son, Grayson. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University.
Leane’ Kok is an energizing, goal-oriented executive dedicated to getting things done. As the Founder/CEO of Carefree Consulting, Leane’ provides product agnostic ERP, CRM, and BI consulting services to nonprofit and public-sector organizations. Her clients trust her to ensure that their business needs are driving technology, not vice versa.
Prior to founding Carefree Consulting, Leane’ worked for 5 years with Business & Decision, a global consulting and systems integration group. Leane’ lead the Public Sector line of business, focusing her efforts on developing pursuit teams to work on complex, multi-practice deals from start to finish. Additionally, she oversaw the implementation of solutions and lead a team of 65 technical-focused professionals.
Leane’ has a well-rounded career reflecting strong leadership positions coupled with “hands-on” technical and functional expertise.
Leane’ hold a Master's Degree in Information Technology from American InterContinental University and a B.B.A. degree in Accounting from Georgia State University.
Interim Executive Director
Kristin was Live and Learn’s Program Coordinator from 2015 to 2019. Her passion for our mission made her a vital part of our team. In her role as Program Coordinator, Kristin oversaw the Client Coordinators, assisted with clients in crisis, and coordinated the supplemental support offered to clients. She seamlessly led our program through its first major growth stage in 2017, when we doubled the number of clients served annually. In May 2019, Kristin was named Live and Learn’s Interim Executive Director. Kristin holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Chapman University.
Development Director
Erin earned a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and a Masters in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management from the University of Colorado Denver. Having begun her career working with homeless populations, Erin was inspired by the impact of Live and Learn: “It isn’t just a band-aid; it empowers women to really take control of their family’s future”. In her role as Development Coordinator, Erin has focused on diversifying funding sources, establishing a volunteer program, and implementing a marketing and communications plan.
Dr. Mullady is the Program Director at Arizona State University's Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions. She also teaches courses for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College in early childhood education. Dr. Mullady has served as both a director of a university-based inclusive preschool and an Early Head Start in South Phoenix. She has 25 years of experience in education including positions in PK-3 classroom teaching, college teaching, administrative leadership and curriculum development. The mission of Live and Learn is close to Dr. Mullady’s heart, as she witnessed firsthand the positive results for her staff when she was an Early Head Start director.
As a mentor and coach, Joy is dedicated to supporting women on their journey to self-sufficiency. Joy partners with the women she serves by providing encouragement and guidance to assist them in overcoming blocks and barriers to their success. She also facilitates workshops and presentations on topics to support women in learning life skills such as adjusting to change, stress management, and self-esteem.
Joy’s professional experience includes medical social work, training, workshop facilitation, life coaching, and mental health services. In addition to mentoring and coaching for Live and Learn, Joy is a life coach focused on mindfulness, mediation, and spirituality. Joy has also facilitated workshops for community organizations on self-care, habit change, and mindfulness. Joy’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work. To further hone her skills, she has taken life coaching and guided meditation courses at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.
Susanne is a business executive with almost 30 years of management advisory and capital raising expertise. She has served on the Live & Learn Board of Directors since 2019, including serving as previous Board Chair. Susanne is devoted to supporting charities focused on economic empowerment, assisting the disadvantaged, and educational advancement. She is a successful fundraiser and steward of many of Live & Learn donors.
Susanne has spent most of her career in banking and financial services raising capital funding for strategic growth. She is an expert on industry research, corporate financing, and compliance. Previously, Susanne was a consultant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers leading teams and providing due diligence on acquisitions. She has many years of experience in advising C-suite executives with insight on strategic, financial, and operational risk. In addition, Susanne has been a small business owner and consultant to emerging companies.
Susanne is a graduate of Flagler College and earned an MBA from Boston University Graduate School of Management. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband Kurt. Susanne’s interests include international travel, gardening, and dog ownership.
Ruby Cervantes is a Family Therapist working with the General Mental Health adult population providing direct client clinical services in individual and group counseling setting. Ruby first began her career working with lower income families in the Head Start program. She then joined Live and Learn AZ in 2017 as a Client Coordinator working with referral agencies, training partners and employment partners to support the women in the program be successful during their career pathways. Working with a diverse impoverished population in the community for 5 years Ruby has learned the skills to understand how to empower, encourage, and educate these individuals. Ruby holds a B.S. from Arizona State University, and a Master of Science in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University.
Client and Program Manager
Stephanie earned her B.S. in Nonprofit Leadership & Management from Arizona State University. She completed her internship with Live and Learn, where she showed great passion and dedication to the clients. Stephanie became a full-time Client Coordinator in 2016. Her efforts towards establishing employment partnerships with other organizations have allowed Live and Learn to develop some of our most successful career pathways, including our TOTAL (Training on Technology and Life Skills) Pathway. Stephanie has made a huge impact on the lives of many of our clients.
Community Engagement Manager
Iris Ortega is a Certified Nonprofit Professional with a B.S. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. In 2012, Iris began her journey as a Live & Learn client. The support from Live & Learn helped her identify her passion for strengthening our community so that everyone receives the services they need to reach their full potential. Iris joined the Live & Learn team in 2019, and she is currently leading efforts to launch Live & Learn's Women's Empowerment Center.
Gail earned her B.S. in Marketing and Sales from The University of Akron in Ohio. Her 10-year recruiting background includes working closely with candidates who are seeking new opportunities and working with employers to assist in bridging the gap to ensure a smooth process. Gail is passionate about helping others become well prepared for an interview by reviewing resumes and providing interview tips and techniques.
Clara Arenas is a teacher, physical therapist, writer, holistic coach and practitioner of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Clara’s passion for teaching led her to start her own company in Phoenix, Az (Avante Seminars, LLC) with Mirna Pineda. She has dedicated the last 25 years to study human co-behavior and learn techniques to facilitate the process of forgiveness. Ms. Arena’s passion is to help people to re-discover themselves, their potential and their connection with the Universe, in such a way that they can find inner peace, as she has done, through forgiveness. Clara wrote the book "The challenge of changing your life" in Spanish, together with Mirna Pineda, my partner and friend.
Michelle has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Arts in Education. She is also a registered yoga teacher. Michelle worked in elementary education in inner city schools before deciding to stay at home with her children. She is the owner of Pranayama Mama Yoga where she works to empower women to take charge of their mental and physical health through the healing and restorative power of yoga. She is passionate about sharing her life experiences of motherhood and postpartum depression with others and strives to create an environment where women feel heard and connected.
Adelaine Sin is a Senior Director Strategic Alliances at Experian Information Solutions in Costa Mesa, California. In her role, she works on developing and expanding key partnerships within the mortgage industry, including pursuing M&A opportunities. During her tenure at Experian, Adelaine has held various positions such as product / program management and vertical market development for business information and marketing services divisions. She was responsible for developing strategies and managing partnerships with global social media and digital marketing entities. Early in her professional career, Adelaine worked for Dun & Bradstreet in Orange, California. Adelaine supports various organizations in the community such as University of California Irvine’s Executive Mentoring program as a mentor since 2014 and Compassion International as a sponsor since 2000. Adelaine holds Bachelor and MBA degrees from California State University Fullerton.
Brittany C. Dunn is a Clinical Supervisor working in Phoenix, AZ. She is new to the Phoenix area as she moved from Auburn, Alabama in August 2018, after receiving her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Troy University (Montgomery Campus). She holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Auburn University. Brittany's focus has been working with Adults and Children who are diagnosed with various mental health disorders such as Bipolar I &II, Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, and others.
Meg holds a B.A. from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. While in Denver, Meg worked for a Title 1 charter school implementing and overseeing Data Teams to better drive teacher instruction and greatly increase student performance. Meg has a heart for helping women better themselves, and has been a regular volunteer for community outreach programs in the Valley.
In her role as Operations Coordinator, Meg will support the general operations of Live & Learn. Including and not limited to, the day-to-day activities that ensure efficient business functions, assisting with project management tasks, and data entry
Michelle is a visionary who leads through sound strategy development and iterative execution.
Currently a Senior Vice President at SAFE credit union, a California based financial institution that has been serving members since 1940, Michelle leads several Information Technology verticals that deliver value through digital investments and innovative business transformation.
Michelle has been an avid philanthropist for more than thirty years, supporting women, families, and anti-poverty charities. Her involvement with Live & Learn began in 2020, and she joined Live & Learn’s Board of Directors in 2021, becoming the Chair of the Board in 2023.
Mom to four children, Michelle’s interests include hiking, reading, and cooking with family and friends.
Chandima has been an active member of the Live & Learn Board of Directors since joining in February 2021. He is currently serving on the Finance Committee and has been serving as Interim Board Treasurer since the end of August 2022.
Chandima is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and began his career with Ernst & Young (E&Y) in New York. He moved to Arizona in 2018 to gain experience in internal audit and accounting at various companies in the Valley. He currently works for Honeywell as a Financial Analyst. Chandima holds a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Accounting from the University of Arizona.
Rosario (Rosie) Davila Espinoza is a community out-reach, community engagement and health & wellness professional who works in public education in Phoenix, Arizona. In this role she uses the collective impact approach to harness the power of cross-sector collaboration to create a comprehensive system of opportunity that reengages school district’s health and wellness opportunities and enhances specialty programming. She has a strong passion for helping others and strengthening communities through grant writing, fundraising, advocacy, strategic partnerships, and education. A mom of two, she holds a bachelor's degree in Coaching and healthy lifestyles from Arizona State University and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management.
Daniel is a financial services professional who brings 10 years of experience from Bank of America. Currently an Assistant Vice President; Project Consultant for Enterprise Fraud Operations, he is responsible for the leading employee and client enhancements from ideation to execution. Daniel also leads Bank of America Volunteers Arizona, where he is responsible for coordinating volunteer opportunities in Arizona for 10,000 employees.
Daniel is very active in the Phoenix community and volunteers more than 700 hours a year supporting woman, health, LGBTQ+, and financial education charities. Daniel currently serves as the Board Chair for Aunt Rita’s Foundation a non-profit working to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. His involvement began with Live and Learn in 2021 where he has been leading financial literacy sessions monthly.
Daniel lives in Phoenix with husband Ron and are both avid travelers.
Leslie Meisner is Director of Marketing for Mosaic Fi, a wealth management firm owned and operated by women. Her area of focus includes developing marketing strategy, and content creation, as well as establishing processes and practices to enhance the client experience.
Leslie brings more than 30 years of experience working in wealth management for international banks, leading teams that provided full wealth management services to their clients. She is well-versed in financial planning, investment management, and banking. Leslie has a BS in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is a Retirement Management Advisor® as well as Certified Professional Coach.
Leslie lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with her husband Steve. They enjoy an active lifestyle in the desert foothills and desperately miss their two grown sons.
April Taylor is the Human Resources (HR) Advisor Director leading Manager Advisory, a centralized HR team providing HR advice and guidance to over 22,000 managers in the US. Prior to joining Manager Advisory in September 2023, April was the HR Executive supporting Consumer and Small Business Banking Operations and led the strategic human capital initiatives for 26,000+ employee population. April is a 29-year veteran of the company.
Previously, April was the HR Business Partner Leader for the Community Bank for three years. Additionally, she served as the Sr. HR Business Partner for the Consumer Credit Solutions Shared Services team and the Consumer Financial Services team, within Consumer Credit Solutions (CCS). Prior to moving into the HR Consulting function, April was the Head of Talent Acquisition for Wells Fargo’s Consumer Lending Group (CLG) where she was responsible for managing full-service recruitment for over 19,000 hires per year. April and her team drove the recruitment strategy for CLG including advertising/social media, campus/early talent, diversity, and executive recruitment focused on attracting qualified pools of diverse talent to Wells Fargo. Prior to her CLG role, April served as the Enterprise Sourcing Solutions Manager for the Enterprise Talent Acquisition team. In addition to her various HR and Talent Acquisition management roles, April also served for two years as the Enterprise President of the Wells Fargo My Generation Team Member Network.
April is a graduate from Arizona State University West, where she earned a B.S. in Human Resources Management. She lives in Surprise, AZ with her husband and two beautiful daughters.
