Our staff

Joyce Millard Hoie

Executive Director

As Executive Director since 2000, Joyce directs the activities of a comprehensive parent center in its mission to improve the lives of children with disabilities by providing families with information, training, advocacy, parent support, and leadership development. Joyce is committed to promoting effective partnerships with our state and community agencies, professionals, volunteers, donors, corporate sponsors, and many others who help Raising Special Kids support families. Joyce came up through the ranks as a parent volunteer when the organization was first known as Pilot Parents, and served on its Board of Directors. After living in Virginia for four years, she moved back to Arizona to become Executive Director.  Joyce currently serves on several boards and state commissions including First Things First, Arizona’s statewide initiative for early childhood health and education, and the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. Before joining Raising Special Kids, she earned a graduate degree in public administration and started her career in higher education. Joyce is married and the mother of four children, including one son with autism. 

Peggy Storrs

Director of Operations

Peggy has been on the front lines helping parents of children since 1979 when she and her husband, Don were in our second graduating class of Volunteer Parents. Since she joined the staff more than 22 years ago, Peggy was for many years the virtual "voice" of our organization as the first point of contact for thousands of callers. She has introduced many parents and professionals to our programs and continues to serve as Director of Operations and Information Systems Manager. She and Don are parents of a young adult who has Cerebral Palsy. 

Vickie French

Director of Family Support

Vickie and her husband, Steve, have 4 children. Their oldest son was in the newborn intensive care the first month of his life because of pneumonia of undetermined cause which resulted in chronic asthma. Their youngest son has had 2 heart surgeries; the first at one week old to save his life and another at 6 months old. He was later diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.

Vickie first became involved with Raising Special Kids in 1997 because she contacted them to request information about autism. She later became a parent to parent volunteer in 1998 and joined the board of directors in 2002. Vickie is excited to be involved in Raising Special Kids now as an employee helping other parents in the same ways she has been helped.

Vickie is an active volunteer in the disability community and won the Arizona Disability Expo’s 2008 Brandy Liston Disability Advocacy Award. She has an Associate Arts degree from Mesa Community College and has attended Arizona State University. Vickie is a volunteer for Joni and Friends International Disability Ministry on their Disability Ministry Conference planning team that teaches churches how to include and minister to individuals and families who are affected by disability. She also volunteers in the faith community speaking at churches and conferences telling her family’s story and the importance of including people who have disabilities in their church families. Vickie and her husband Steve regularly speak at Golden Gate Theological Seminary to future pastors and church leaders telling them their story and emphasizing the need for churches to have an Intentional Disability Ministry, explaining that people with disabilities are a valuable part of their congregation and have something to contribute.

Veronica Castillo

Coordinator, Family Health Information

Veronica first contacted Raising Special Kids while advocating for her grandson with various special health care needs. She has worked with youth and families in various capacities for over 20 years, and recently joined Raising Special Kids after having worked in the nonprofit sector for seven years. Veronica assists families of babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units connect to supports and services after their child has been discharged from the hospital.
Veronica earned her Associate of Arts degree from South Mountain Community College, and is a fourth generation Sun Devil.

Veronica is involved with other community organizations including serving as a Director at Large for Mujer, Inc. a local non profit that empowers and mentors young Latinas,. She is a member of the Hispanic Outreach Alliance, which provides trainings, networking opportunities and enhances leadership skills among Arizona’s Hispanic outreach professionals. Veronica is married, the mother of three children, and grandmother to two. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, reading, and attending her daughter’s collegiate softball games.

Kathleen Collins

Family Support Specialist

Kathleen started as a volunteer with Raising Special Kids in 2003, then moved on to join the Parent Support team and the Education and Training team in 2006. She works with families and professionals in Northern Arizona. Kathleen has had a passion for supporting parents for more than a decade. She believes that with so many parents out there no one should have to travel the road of raising a child with special needs alone. She is dedicated to helping collaboration between parents and professionals.

Kathleen is a mother of two children — one with autism, and one with specific learning disabilities. Kathleen also sits on several boards in Northern Arizona that deal with special needs and is very active in the Autism Society of America.

Peter Graf

Transition Coordinator

Peter is part of the youth transition project at Raising Special Kids. After being diagnosed with a learning disability Peter was told he would not succeed in a lot of things because of his disability. With the help of family, friends he learned to advocate for himself and others. He has served as a member of Family Voices and on the Board of Directors for Kids As Self Advocates (KASA).  "I have many hobbies in my life, but my favorite one is helping kids with disabilities," Peter explained.

Dolores Herrera- Habla Espanol

Family Support Specialist

Dolores has been advocating for Spanish speaking families for six years. She has been a member of the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (DDAC) for four years and a member of the Arizona Spina Bifida Associations Board of Directors for two years. She has served on The Division of Developmental Disabilities' Support Coordinator Core Training Parent Panel and is a past-president of Grupo de Apoyo Ninos Especiales (GANE).
Dolores began working with Raising Special Kids as a volunteer and is the mother of 4 children including a son who has Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.

Marissa Huth

Communications Coordinator and Newsletter Editor

Marissa implements communications to public audiences from Raising Special Kids through various media including printed newsletters, group emails, website, an annual Report to the Community and other publications. She has worked in communications, photography, writing and editing for more than 20 years, including six years at a nonprofit, before teaming with Raising Special Kids in 2004. She is passionate about "getting the word out" to families and believes firmly in the power of a well-informed parent. Marissa is the parent of two children with unique needs, one is diagnosed with autism.

Rita Kenison

Coordinator, Education and Training

Rita joined Raising Special Kids after retiring from a 25 year career as a special education specialist for the Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services.  She began her career in elementary education in Arizona schools.  After receiving her master’s degree in education, she was employed by the Arizona Department of Education as a compliance monitor, then later became the state Child Find Coordinator to help families access special education services. Rita launched an Advocacy Services Project which provided volunteer advocates that attended special education meetings to help students receive appropriate services.  In 1991, Rita developed the Parent Information Network (PIN), which contracted with regional parent consultants to provide parents and school staff with training, information and phone consultation to improve parent-professional partnerships, and developed a clearinghouse of print, web, and video resources that are frequently used by parents and professionals. Rita also served on numerous statewide interagency planning teams spanning from early intervention through post-secondary transition and was involved in program development and grant –funded projects.

As Project Coordinator for Education and Training, Rita coordinates the Parent Training Information team for special education statewide, located in Flagstaff, Hopi and Navajo reservations, Phoenix, and Tucson. The team provides phone and individual consultations, training, and presentations to parents and professionals with the goal of supporting parent advocacy and improving outcomes for children with disabilities.

Lydia Martinez - Habla Espanol

Administrative Assistant

Lydia is your first contact when calling Raising Special Kids. She processes the referrals to ensure your request is met in a timely manner. Lydia is our newest member and brings over 30 years of administrative experience to Raising Special Kids. Her primary goal is to ensure that her customer’s needs are met. While this arena is new to her, she is "in awe" of the families that call in daily and the service Raising Special Kids provides to the community. Lydia is dedicated to the mission of helping families, and she continually strives to meet and exceed the needs of our clients.

 
Janna Murrell

Family Support Specialist

Janna Murrell became a volunteer with Raising Special Kids six years ago, after experiencing first hand the value of Parent to Parent support when her son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Janna now is excited to be working with families, coordinating parent to parent connections and assisting in training parents to become volunteers themselves.
Janna is married, with three children and has worked in the non profit arena for 12 years. 

Jane Nguyen

Family Support Specialist

Jane is mother of two, a wife, and twin sister to a Special Olympian. Jane's experience includes parenting a daughter with Cerebral Palsy and Distonia, and 30 years teaching in special education and elementary education. Jane has been honored with various awards including “Pride of Peoria” — a Peoria District peer-teacher award, “Who’s Who with America Educators”, nominee for Disney’s Teacher award, nominee for Ambassador of Excellence, Cambridge’s Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals, and National Philanthropic Chair for Alpha Sigma Alpha. She holds a bachelor degree from Indiana State University and is a previous board member and northwest Phoenix coordinator for Special Olympics.

Vicky Rozich

Family Support Specialist, Education & Training

Vicky Rozich joined the Parent Training and Information team in the summer of 2008. Her journey with Raising Special Kids began in 2003 as a Parent to Parent volunteer. She has participated in many Parent Panels for Raising Special Kids presenting a family perspective on raising a child with a disability to students and post graduate professionals in special education and medicine. She enjoys helping parents and professionals understand the physical and emotional demands of raising a child with severe multiple disabilities. Prior to joining the staff of Raising Special Kids, Vicky had an extensive history of leading adult education, classes at her church and the Area Agency on Aging. She deeply values her new role in educating, training and supporting parents through the special education process.

Vicky and her husband Jim have two children, a teenage boy and a middle school age daughter who has cerebral palsy, seizures, feeding and orthopedic issues and medical fragility. Vicky enjoys hiking, playing with her children and pets, and supporting the art and music community in the valley.

Nannette Salasek

Parent Leadership Facilitator

 Nannette Salasek became a volunteer for Raising Special Kids in 2004 after experiencing the amazing help of Parent to Parent support with her daughter that was born with Spina Bifida.  Nannette is now excited to be working at Raising Special Kids to help recruit and train parent volunteers, help maintain records, and coordinate parent leadership activities.  She recognizes the great value of working with a staff made up of parents that know first hand the amazing journey of raising a child with special healthcare needs.
In 1998 Nannette graduated from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, with a bachelor's degree in Social Work.

Nannette and her husband, Ched, have 5 beautiful children named Andrew, Monica, Anne, Lillian, and Matthew.  She has enjoyed staying at home with their children, and volunteering regularly for Raising Special Kids, their school, and parish community.  Their third child, Anne, is a happy and loving six year old girl who bravely takes on the many challenges of living with Spina Bifida.  Nannette is passionate about providing support to families, and letting them know they are not alone in the journey of advocacy for their children with special needs.
 

Heather Snider

Financial Analyst

Heather has been helping with the finances at Raising Special Kids since 2005 and has stayed with us as a telecommuter through several out-of-state moves. She manages Monthly Financial Statements, audit preparation & special projects. Heather holds a 4-year degree in Accounting from Binghamton University and has worked in the industry from 1994 to the present.

Alice Villarreal - Habla Espanol

Family Support Specialist

Alice’s journey began in 1999 with the Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services. She worked with the Parent Information Network Specialist (PINS) and Child Find Coordinator to support and provide information to families of children with disabilities in English and Spanish. In 2003 she was presented with the award of Employee of the Quarter by the Department of Education.

She is involved with community service in her church. Her heart has always been open to helping others. As a member of Raising Special Kids, she is looking forward to expanding outreach to the  Hispanic community to provide training in Spanish and helping support families of children with disabilities and special health care needs. Alice has a family member who was diagnosed with Autism at age 18 months.

Robert Snyder

Parent Training and Information Center Project Staff
Pilot Parents of Southern Arizona (southern Arizona)

Robert covers the 9 southern counties of Arizona by providing information, consultation, and workshops to the families with special needs children. Robert has been with Pilot Parents since moving to Arizona 7 years ago.
Robert began his career in special ed with the inception of PL 94-142, now know as IDEA. Robert has been a classroom teacher, principal, supervisor of Sp Ed programs, regional consultant for two of Ohio’s regional special ed centers, as well as visiting instructor at 2 universities.
Robert’s passion has always been for the children and their families, seeing that the students are provided an appropriate education.