Board of Directors

Yolanda Green is a recent retiree of the State of Mississippi where she served as a Training Coordinator with Mississippi Person Centered Practices Institute (MS-PCPI) at The University of Southern Mississippi. She is currently an Outreach Coordinator with the Double Up Food Bucks USDA program in Mississippi. She is the owner of YMG Consulting.   She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Banking and Finance) from the University of Southern Mississippi and her master’s in Human Service Counseling from Liberty University.

Yolanda’s area of expertise includes supporting and addressing the needs of people with mental health life experiences, aging, and intellectual/developmental disabilities; developing treatment plans; training and facilitating person centered practices and assessing and advocating for more informed health care practices.  Yolanda has helped develop, formalize, and implement a strategic plan to change the system of health care services in Mississippi.  She has trained and consulted mental health professionals, families, and advocates on the best practices in supporting a person to achieve their desired life.

Yolanda feels the ability to positively impact lives in whatever roles she serves has been the most rewarding life opportunity.  She holds National Certifications as a Person Centered Thinking Trainer, a Plan Facilitation Trainer and Ambassador for Charting the LifeCourse.  Yolanda currently serves on The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices Board as a Co-Chair.

Hi my name is Lindsey Spoon. I am a person living with cerebral palsy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from Owasso Oklahoma. I am current co-chair for the International Learning Community for Person Centered Practices and a board member for the Arc of Oklahoma. I am the current president for Owasso People First and I work with the Tulsa Cerebral Palsy Association. I have a YouTube channel called Makeup and Mobility, and like to keep in regular contact with my legislators.

Since 1995, Ms. Collazo has successfully led program development projects, project implementation, outreach, learning and development/training, as well as the development of educational programs and program management. Currently, Ms. Collazo is the Director of Training and Communication for Qlarant, Inc., where she provides leadership, customized training and education to providers, agencies, and organizations that are geared to improving supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

 She has also served in a variety of capacities with provider organizations: Area Service Director, Deputy Director, Probation Associate, Manager of Support Coordination, and Educator. Ms.  Collazo is a Board Member of The International Learning Community on Person-Centered Practices. She is currently a nationally certified Person-Centered Thinking Trainer and Mentor Trainer, as well as, a Charting the LifeCourse™ Coach Trainer.

 She holds a Master’s degree in Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, and an Associate degree in Criminal Justice. Ms. Collazo is bilingual (English and Spanish). 

James White has worked in the Community Living sector for 40 years in several roles. Now retired from his 9 to 5 he is working with his business partners on projects. He is a board member of The Learning Community for Person Centred practices. He is also a Board member of the Restorative Community Coalition.

The Restorative Community Coalition is in the business of Re-Claiming lives. We are an action-oriented coalition advocating for restorative, economic, systemic, and social change. Since 2006 we have helped thousands of people heal in the aftermath of crisis, incarceration, and trauma in their families. As a result, our vision is to help our community build a network of support to put people to work, rather than into jail.

He is also a mentor/ support member of Empowering Self Advocates to Take Action (ESATTA), an entrepreneurial co-operative who deliver presentations on a range of topics and use their own life experiences and skills to teach others. Among the many presentations ESATTA delivers is People Planning Together, a two-day training program delivered by self advocates with a strong person-centred emphasis. “I’m a big advocate for supporting individuals to have their say,” says James. “I like to try and walk the talk, as they say.” The Cooperative is also working on a project around developing more Community inclusion in several Cities in BC.

When he’s not liaising with partners in community, you can usually find James in the great outdoors enjoying his other passions for hiking and kayaking. He recently scaled the Kokanee Glacier in BC and his previous adventures include climbing Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro with his friend Ryan.

Julia Kenny is a certified Person-Centered Thinking Trainer and serves as Treasurer on the board of directors for The Learning Community for Person-Centered Practices.  She is recognized as an innovative, results oriented professional with a proven track record in systems transformation through strong leadership, management and communication skills.  Julia is an independent consultant focused on person-centered long-term services and supports to facilitate programmatic practices and organizational change that go beyond simply complying with the HCBS Final Rule. 

She has approximately 30 years of diverse experience in the nonprofit, public and private sectors specializing in Medicaid programs with an emphasis in long-term services and supports and healthcare delivery systems focusing on older adults, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, children with medical complexities, and/or persons with complex conditions.  Julia has served as an HBCS service provider, disability advocacy leader, Governor appointee as Director of Developmental Disabilities Services, a disability subject matter expert promoting person-centered approaches within a managed care organization, and currently serves as a consultant for Louisiana Office of Aging and Adult services promoting person-centered practices in program and the service delivery system.

Ms. Kenny holds a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University’s School of Public Health. She lives in Baton Rouge with her husband and two dogs.

Lauren Hauge is a Manager in Enterprise Solutions Consulting at Toast where she brings her passion for helping others to the forefront, assisting Toast’s largest hospitality customers in providing exceptional service and thriving.

Lauren completed an MBA at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, specializing in Marketing with a focus on technology strategy and product management. With a deep-seated belief in the power of person-centered approaches, Lauren’s journey then led her to leverage her skills in product marketing and brand awareness to support the development of person-centered documentation software within a startup at a provider agency in Oklahoma before joining Toast. Prior to her graduate studies Lauren worked in management consulting at Root Inc., part of Accenture, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with Fortune 500 organizations, driving change management and strategy activation initiatives with a blend of expertise and empathy.

Today, Lauren’s commitment to fostering positive change continues as she proudly serves on the Board of The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices. In this role, she brings her unique blend of business experience and passion to advance the organization’s mission of promoting person-centered approaches in all facets of care and support. Lauren is deeply invested in creating environments where individuals can thrive.

Tammy Forcum has 26 years of experience working with people and families that experience Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, two years as a corporate Person-Centered Thinking Trainer/Mentor Trainer and has spent the last 3 years as an Independent Trainer/Consultant. She has expertise in direct practice with children and adults; people with autism, aging and behavioral health concerns. She has directed day and residential programs and care management, and evaluation in community service agencies. Tammy is currently an Associate at Helen Sanderson Associates, USA.

Tammy has been a certified Person-Centered Thinking Trainer since 2001 and is a Mentor Trainer through The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices. She is also a certified Person-Centered Plan Facilitator and Person-Centered Thinking Coaches trainer. Additionally, Tammy has obtained a certification as a Charting the LifeCourse Ambassador and Skill Building Coach.

Tammy earned a B.S. in Psychology from Pittsburg State University. She currently lives in Kansas with her husband, Doug, as well as his 93-year-old mother, Darlene. When not working, Tammy enjoys spending time with her family, practicing yoga, reading, hiking, boating, and trail riding.

Hello! My name is Shelbi Davenport. I was blessed with being told “NO” early on in my education. Doctors, counselors, and well-meaning teachers set the stage for me to overcome any obstacle in my path. Due to that simple word, I determined to be who I dreamed of being and fight to fulfill those dreams.

After many struggles and victories, I graduated from Texas A&M University. My degree is University Studies with an emphasis in Ag Leadership. I minored in Communication and Youth Development. Being awarded the first Peer-to-Peer training certification in Texas on February 5th of 2017 was one of my greatest achievements.

My passion is to change lives by teaching them to advocate for themselves and to dream big! I also desire to advocate for them and be the voice they cannot be. Envisioning a world where many more can feel safe, secure, and important keeps me striving toward my new goals.

Since graduating, my leadership skills have been used in many areas and opportunities are arising right before my eyes. My first full time employment was one of those areas. I was hired as a Program Assistant for the HOPS (Horticulture Options in Plant Sciences) Program. HOPS is a one-year certification program that allows adults with disabilities the opportunity to be trained, educated and employed in the horticulture industry.

Another major opportunity was when I debuted my very own “Shelbi Show” in early May 2022. This show is a dream of mine to be able to provide encouragement, support and hope to any and every one that faces difficulties. As it continues, I will be able to share my story, as well others. I will also be interviewing and showcasing people from all over the nation that are involved in supporting and advocating for those with lived experiences.